The power of Black Affairs Council is a power that traditionally has been underexposed on campus, a handicap the organization’s coordinator is not going to tolerate.

At one point, unfortunately, BAC was in the background of other organizations on campus, said BAC Coordinator Tiffany Thomas. Students knew that BAC was out there, but they didn’t know about our wide range of programs and services.

I wanted to become more visible to black students. I wanted to let them know we were a resource for them.

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BAC is a resource not only for SIUC students, but for faculty, staff and community members. The council coordinates a number of programs and services throughout each school year. Its annual Black Affairs Council Leadership Conference and myriad of Black History Month events are among the most notable.

Although each February presents quite a challenge for BAC members, this year the council is working with the added confidence of knowing its flagship event, the October Black Affairs Council Leadership Conference, attracted more SIUC students than in past years.

Thomas, a senior in marketing from Rockford, said the conference’s national speakers and various presentations hone leadership and empowerment capabilities in the hundreds of college students usually attending the three-day event on campus. She values the conference as one of the most important opportunities available for SIUC students.

This year there were more SIUC participants than participants from other schools, which has traditionally been the case, she said. It was one of the things that we wanted to see happen, and it did. It was great.

Producing enriching educational and cultural events is only one of BAC’s functions, but addressing the key concerns of African-Americans on campus is the council’s most important duty. It is a precious duty that has been passed down to the group from a number of African-American students over the years.

The very first African-American student group on campus, the Dunbar Society, was organized in 1925 to promote the literary, social and athletic side of what then was termed the colored student.

In 1968, the Black Student Union was founded as a result of the increased awareness of African-American culture and concerns. This awareness, in turn, was a direct result of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Four years later, the BSU-spawned Black Affairs Council became the official unifying body for all African-American student organizations on campus. BAC addresses the cultural, social and educational concerns of African-Americans on campus and in the community while coordinating more than 30 student groups and organizations on campus.

BAC also offers occasional financial support to those organizations to supplement other programs in addition to its own. Undergraduate Student Government allocated $38,000 to the council for the 1997-1998 school year, and BAC works to accomplish a number of goals with that and other moneys the group is able to raise.

Seymour Bryson, executive assistant of SIUC’s affirmative action office, said BAC does an admirable job in its efforts to assist the local African-American community. African-American students and residents in Carbondale do not have the range of activities specifically geared to them that exists in big cities and larger communities. BAC is often called upon to meet this challenge.

They’ve filled some gaps that exist in providing some of the social and cultural activities for the African-American community, he said. Not all of those needs are being filled.

Sometimes I think they are asked to do more in that arena in spite of the amount of resources that they are given especially considering they are a volunteer organization.

Meeting a number of needs of an entire community may be an overwhelming task, but BAC has been addressing this challenge since its very beginning. BAC member Lynell Mitchell, a sophomore in electrical engineering from Chicago, said the group continues to address this challenge while working to help other members of the SIUC community as well.

We are the voice of the black students and we will do everything we can to help the people in the black community, he said. But we are willing to help any community. We’re not working against anyone. We work with anyone.

Since the council reached Thomas’ goal of becoming a visible force on campus, BAC member Brian Jordan, a sophomore in engineering from Kankakee, said it is easier for BAC to make things happen on campus and in the community.

BAC is just as well known as any fraternity or group on campus, he said. If you want to come and join us, let us know. If you have something to say, let us know. We’re here to help.