JACK REANEY, Staff Writer—
It might not mean an indoor pool or a laser tag park, but the student-space belonging to Denison’s Black Student Union is getting an exciting renovation.
On November 16, the BSU earned a $33,000 grant from the “DCGA Reserve Fund” to renovate their space, located under Smith Hall on West Quad. Multiple sources described this space as “outdated”, citing inadequate resources of technology and comfort.
This fall, led by Chief Minister––equivalent to “President” ––Jaleel Poole ’22, the Black Student Union proposed this renovation to DCGA. Their slide-presentation proved the urgent need “to finance these renovations and eliminate the persistent gap in access to functioning and modern technology,” calling the conditions of the space “obsolete and poor” beside photographs of uninspiring kitchen appliances and dirt-worn floors. In an interview with the Denisonian, Poole joked about two Dell desktops currently featured in the space: “any [computer] from 2010 won’t help us get the job done.”
The BSU representatives assured the Denison Community Governance Association that this renovation isn’t just about design and style:
“It is our job to ensure that every Black Denison student has the resources to be successful and find their place within the Denison community, and we aim to use these renovations to do exactly that,”stated their final slide.
The resolution was approved unanimously, with little to no objections.
“That was really cool,” said Daniel Seely ’23, active Student Body President and former DCGA Treasurer. “Everyone was on the same page; this needed to be done.”
This reserve fund is intended to “benefit the student body”, and was last accessed in 2014, to build The Nest in Slayter.
“When I became aware of [the money], I started brainstorming,” said Seely. “I started thinking about student spaces, and the first that came to mind was the Black Student Union.”
The BSU has held meetings, informal study groups, and hangouts in the same space since 1969, the year it was founded by a bold handful of Black students––and also the first September in which a First-Year class welcomed double-digit students of color.
53 years later, Jaleel Poole wants to foster greater unity within the “many different pockets of Black people” at Denison. He envisions the BSU space as a “home”, where family forms and community thickens. “[Renovating the space] is a physical manifestation of belonging and inclusivity,” said Poole, who expects wider engagement due to the exciting updates.
All students, especially those who identify as Black, are welcome at BSU meetings every Friday at 5:30, in the space just beside the “Shorney/Smith arch”.
“Come prepared to live and thrive on your blackness,” said Poole, who also emphasized his vision of a campus where non-black students feel comfortable engaging with Black culture at BSU meetings and events.
Then Jaleel broke news:
Alongside a new kitchen, fresh furniture, replaced flooring, new computers and a TV, the BSU is upgrading the sound system.
“How are we gonna have a Black space with no music?” laughed Poole, who values music for building the community of black excellence.
Typically, DCGA financial guidelines exclude renovations, but the reserve fund is more flexible.
“Every student should think about ways that this campus could benefit from the reserve fund,” said President Seely, noting that this fund is not subject to the same strict rules as typical DCGA funding. “If you have an idea, this fund is open to every student on campus.”
If you’re walking past the Black Student Union on a Friday afternoon, keep an ear out for a thumping bassline, remember that you’re welcome inside, and start brainstorming more meaningful updates to campus life at Denison.