Baker Center Ballroom was filled with over 100 students eager to connect with a variety of student organizations, meet new people and watch performances from different clubs at the multicultural student expo.
The Black Student Union, or BSU, hosts the event annually, and this year, they drew in over 40 organizations, including student organizations, the Division of Diversity and Inclusion and sponsors like Walmart.
Student organizations lined both sides of the ballroom and stood at tables with tri-fold poster boards advocating for their groups; many organizations had candy or other treats to entice students to talk with them. Some groups involved were the OU NAACP chapter, dancing groups like the Divine Feline, the Black Law Students Association, the Multicultural Student Business Caucus and many more.
Gabbie Buhay, president of the Asian American Pacific Islander Student Union, said recruitment is important to them because their board was formed only a few years ago.
“We want to make sure that people know that we’re around and if they’re ever looking for a community, especially Asian-identifying people and Pacific Islander-identifying people, they know they have a community to turn to,” Buhay said.
Fraternities and sororities under the National Pan-Hellenic Council were a major presence at the event. They made up the majority of organizations that performed – dancing in the center of the ballroom. Other dancing organizations performed, along with F.A.C.E.S., a modeling club that danced together and took turns strutting – to simulate going down a runway.
The crowd was encouraging and invested in every performance, but nothing matched the energy of the dance-off from the organizations and people from the crowd. Once people slowly started to join in on the competition, the crowd was the loudest it had been all night. The ballroom erupted when someone did a backflip, resulting in winning the contest and a $50 Walmart gift card.
There were giveaways throughout the night; there were free t-shirts displayed at the beginning of the event, but that didn’t last through the first hour. There was a raffle for more Walmart gift cards and OU starter packs sponsored by the College of Business.
Trinity Robinson, president of the BSU said the energy was intense at the event, not just with the performances but with students’ energy engaging with organizations.
Robinson said she liked seeing the sophomore student liaisons interacting with first-year students because they advocate well on behalf of the BSU.
She said the expo’s biggest strength is how it can bring students together.
“I have friends that I met at the expo, and we’ve been friends ever since, and we will be friends until we graduate,” Robinson said.
The event ended the night with Russell Morrow, interim vice president for diversity and inclusion, being invited on stage by Robinson. He said he wasn’t feeling too good until he saw students gathering together showing love, community and passion. Morrow said It reminded him of why he was here.
“We are here because we care about you all, we want you to support you all, and we’re going to make sure that you accomplish the hopes and the dreams and the goals that you have set for yourselves,” Morrow said.
