Last week’s annual Bridge the Gap event for students at FAMU and FSU was postponed due to potential weather along with other activities pertaining to FSU’s homecoming.
The FSU homecoming is being pushed back to sometime in April.
This event is held every year during FSU’s homecoming. It is for FAMU students and members of the Black Student Union at FSU.
This year the event was to be hosted by FAMU’s Sha’Riauna Campbell and Robert Tucker II. The FSU hosts were Koei Houston and Brandan Louis.
During the event, there are showcases from various dance and step organizations at both schools. It has a similar feel to Set Friday or Market Wednesday but with both schools participating.
The goal of the event is to promote unity between the minority students at FSU and the FAMU student body in an effort to end the stigma of “across the tracks.”
While the initiative sounds like a good cause, some students said that the event may not accomplish some of the intended objectives.
Chelsea Lafrance, a fourth-year cardiopulmonary science major at FAMU from Atlanta, attended the event last year and wasn’t very impressed.
“When I went they asked one of the FSU students what HBCU stands for and they didn’t know so it was kind of awkward feeling like our schools are so close but there’s no effort to learn about each other,” Lafrance said.
Other students said there is room to grow and that the event has the potential to be the bridge to connect minority students while having fun.
Both FAMU hosts said this year’s Bridge the Gap — if it is rescheduled — will be one to remember.
Campbell, a third semester master’s of business administration candidate from Savannah, Ga, and co-host of Bridge the Gap, is looking forward to the event.
“Not only is it a safe and fun alternative for students to participate in but it allows for them to be involved in entertainment activities with like-minded individuals,” Campbell said.
Co-host Robert “Deuce” Tucker II, a fourth-year broadcast journalism major from Atlanta, agreed that this event is one that is necessary for students in Tallahassee.
“A lot of times people come from different backgrounds and with us being a historically Black university and them being a predominately white institution, and when you bridge those two communities together we learn about each other’s differences,” Tucker said.
On the other side of the tracks, there are also many different views on the efficiency of the event.
Aya Pierre, a fourth-year marketing major at FSU from Miami, is happy to see the event is still occurring.
“It’s always a fun time going to Bridge the Gap and seeing all of the organizations show what they do best,” Pierre said.
Meanwhile, Tajah Johnson, a freshman political science major at FSU from Miami, is not sure what to expect.
“I hope it’s fun but I haven’t heard much about it besides the posts on Instagram,” Johnson said.
A new date for Bridge the Gap has yet to be set.