Meet Jasmine Dennis, the head of Rutgers’ Black Student Union

Black Student Union is one of the nation’s most popular black organizations and at Rutgers, president Jasmine Dennis is at the helm.

According to their mission statement, they were created to “reach out to minority students in order to give them an atmosphere in which they can express their concerns, grievances, and suggestions regarding problems in society at large.”

In order to accomplish this overarching goal, the club hosts meetings, events and programs that allow for open dialogue in a safe space. For example, there are staple events such as “Opening Ceremony”, which introduces black history month, and others like Unity Day — both uplifting and unifying minorities around campus.

“I have noticed the impact. When we host events, we encourage participation from general body. Through these events the students are able to come out of their comfort zones and share their concerns and talents with other students of the Rutgers community,” Dennis said.

Dennis believes BSU is not only important, but necessary at Rutgers. In particular, after election day, there was great concern.

“Emotions were high and we knew that we needed to support our general body members. In fact, we hosted a Watch Party on election day to watch the numbers roll in. As the numbers were coming in we supported each other. Following the days of election there were plenty of Comfort/ Safe Spaces that allowed us to stay calm in midst the storm. We encouraged everyone to take part in those spaces so that they knew how to adjust to the changes of having a new President,” Dennis said.

However, Dennis always makes it a point to remember the importance of BSU, not only for its benefit to the Rutgers community, but also the surrounding area of New Brunswick.

“We ignite a passion in general body members to get more involved within their community,this year we had our own Mid-Knight Run. During the month of November we fed over 50 homeless people in the downtown New Brunswick area. If we could expand on this idea of helping out our “campus-community”, New Brunswick, I feel that we’ll make a lasting impact,” Dennis said.

Before leaving her chair, Dennis has made it a goal to still create even more community service initiatives with her Eboard. When it comes to bettering BSU, she is admittedly relentless.

“I believe that the great black activists would encourage us to never limit ourselves and to make sure that our main goal is to make our general body the first priority. The great black leaders of the past made great sacrifices and I believe that they would charge us to sacrifice our time for betterment of our target audience. I think they would be proud but there’s always more work to do.”

To Dennis, the most enjoyable part of leading BSU is speaking with her general body — inside and outside of their meetings.

“You never know how great people are until you really have a conversation with them. I also enjoy meeting with advisors and administration who help us make things possible. Their incite helps us tremendously,” Dennis said.

You can find BSU at their general body meetings every Tuesday night from 8:30 to 10pm in the PRCC on Busch Campus.

Unity day will be held on April 1st this year. Follow rubsu on Twitter for more information.