As Hank Rawlerson, the president of the Black Student Union for the past two years, prepares to graduate in May, BSU members gathered in the Nyumburu Cultural Center Monday afternoon to listen to executive board hopefuls debate and to hear from Rawlerson’s uncontested replacement.
The presidency, vice presidency of student affairs and executive office manager candidates are running unopposed. Rawlerson, a senior communication major, expressed his support for the presidential candidate, Darla Bunting, a sophomore journalism major.
“I think Darla Bunting is an excellent candidate and will do very well,” Rawlerson said. He said Bunting, who he appointed to his cabinet last year, showed a lot of character and initiative in her work.
Bunting cited Rawlerson’s guidance as a determining factor in her decision to run for president and addressed the debate audience about increasing attendance and support for the BSU.
“I look up to Hank as a brother,” Bunting said, adding that she views her uncontested status as a sign of support from her fellow BSU members. “People really have a lot of faith in me,” she said. “It’s very flattering, to be quite honest.”
Candidates for contested positions had a harder time setting apart their platforms, saying they are primarily focused on increasing event and meeting attendance and organizing events so BSU calendars do not conflict with those of other black student organizations they are affiliated with.
Aundrea Small, a junior criminology and criminal justice major; Justin Peters, a sophomore pharmacy and public and community health major; and Brian Robinson-Bowers, a freshman communication and government and politics major, are each running for executive vice president.
Eric Brady, a sophomore government and politics and Spanish major, and Ngozi Nwaneri, a freshman information technologies and marketing major, are running for public relations officer. Brady argued that face-to-face interactions are paramount while Nwaneri said he will concentrate on improving current communication techniques, such as the union’s Web site, to promote events.
Teddy Atkins, a freshman marketing major, and Tierra Sawe, a sophomore accounting major, are running for finance officer. Atkins advocates a back-to-basics approach to raise money using carwashes and discount card sales, while Sawe suggested auctions and T-shirt sales, among other ideas.
Speaker candidates Charnae Berry, a freshman marketing major, and Catherine Hooper, a freshman music and communication major, focused primarily on black student unity and the importance of committees in stepping up member involvement and freshman involvement in particular.
Elections opened immediately after the debates last night and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday on the Nyumburu patio. Any member of the student body can vote in the elections.
Contact reporter Jeremy Arias at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
