{"id":18637,"date":"2026-02-26T18:58:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=18637"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:58:38","slug":"black-student-union-building-community-at-owens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/26\/black-student-union-building-community-at-owens\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Student Union Building Community at Owens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Special to The Truth<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Lynnishia Foster started classes at Owens Community College in January 2024, she saw a list of campus clubs with the Black Student Union on it.<\/p>\n

One problem, though \u2014 no one knew anything about it.<\/p>\n

Foster decided to do something about it, revitalizing the Black Student Union (BSU) and serving as the president. She\u2019s now the vice president and working to leave the BSU in a better place than when she found it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main goal for us is, \u2018What is this going to look like when we pass it down?\u2019 Every move is thinking about the next people who will take the torch,\u201d Foster said.<\/p>\n

Participation in the BSU and other registered student organizations waned because of lack of student interest, but thanks to the efforts of Foster and other students, those organizations are making a comeback.<\/p>\n

For Foster, BSU president Chalisa Rocker and treasurer Isaiah Brenneman, the BSU is about three main ideas: representation, community and networking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure we\u2019re heard,\u201d Rocker said. \u201cIf you\u2019re around people who don\u2019t look like you, it can be intimidating. Having that space and feeling at home and community is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brenneman added that is about being somewhere you can feel comfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something that\u2019s too crazy, it\u2019s simple, but sometimes simple matters,\u201d Brenneman said. \u201cWe give students the opportunity to come together and connect that may have not known each other before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through those connections, the group is reaching out into the Owens community and beyond. They host fundraisers, educational events, student outreach events and networking opportunities. They\u2019ve also recently began volunteering with Connecting Kids to Meals, an organization in Toledo that serves no-cost meals to kids ages 18 and younger.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also hosted various events throughout Black History Month, including a cookie sale. They\u2019re presenting a panel discussion on work-life balance on Tuesday, February 17, the second annual Taste of Soul lunch on Thursday, February 26, and a screening and discussion of the movie \u201cThe Great Debaters\u201d on Friday, February 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might be a community college, but we\u2019re still a college, and everyone should have the college experience,\u201d Brenneman said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to find a way for students to have that experience even though they\u2019re not living on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we want to host these events and get people together. That\u2019s good for the college, us getting these students together and giving them a fun experience at Owens, when they leave, they can say, \u2018I had a fun experience at Owens.\u2019 Not only does it boost the image of the Black Student Union but for Owens overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Troy Brown, Owens manager of recruitment, and Janice Hall, Owens admissions recruiter, serve as the staff advisors for the BSU. According to Brown, having an organization like the BSU is vitally important to provide a sense of belonging for students at the college.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe essence and spirit of the college and university Black Student Union organizations rose from minority students being excluded from traditional college campus organizations. In fact, the first BSU was recognized in 1966 at San Francisco State University,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch shows that underrepresented college students that have a personal connection to their campus and tend to be successful students because they are accessing the various academic resources that are available. Hosting events and opportunities to gather and unite enhances the student-first experience here at Owens Community College.\u201d<\/p>\n

The BSU at Owens is an all-inclusive, open-membership organization, according to Rocker. Students do not need to be of African American heritage to participate. For her, it\u2019s important to see students step out and experience the traditions and culture of various backgrounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just for us, we\u2019re for other people who want to know about our culture. You need to learn about other people and other ethnicities. We want to be able to relate or have compassion for other people,\u201d Rocker said.<\/p>\n

Rocker, Foster and Brenneman are bringing a renewed energy and focus to the BSU. Rocker said one of her consistent messages is to create a strong foundation for the organization to so it can be passed on to a new set of leaders and continue to grow and thrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure we have a solid foundation so we can pass it on and have that longevity, so that when we graduate, it doesn\u2019t go dormant,\u201d Rocker said.<\/p>\n

Brown said their impact can reach beyond the BSU and into the African American community at large.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are servant leaders who demand excellence for our campus and our community,\u201d Brown said. \u201cBSU is providing a solid foundation in transformational, shared and adaptive leadership strategies for our students. These innate skills will help them build our community in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can learn more about the Black Student and other registered student organizations at owens.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Owens Community College has served Northwest Ohio since 1965 as an accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher education with an open-door admission policy. Through intentional, adaptive and empowering education, Owens offers more than 160 academic programs to be the first choice for students, employers and the community. As a conduit to changing lives for the better, Owens creates pathways for success. For more information, visit www.owens.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Special to The Truth When Lynnishia Foster started classes at Owens Community College in January 2024, she saw a list of campus clubs with the Black Student Union on it. One problem, though \u2014 no one knew anything about it. Foster decided to do something about it, revitalizing the Black Student Union (BSU) and serving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[336],"class_list":["post-18637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18639,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18637\/revisions\/18639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18637"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=18637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}