Over 120 Black Student Union members split into committee meetings for the first time Monday at 6 p.m. in the Charleston/Mattoon Room in the Martin Luther King Jr., University Union.

This year, BSU members are encouraged to join one of the six main committees: PR and marketing, internal affairs, financial affairs, service affairs, social affairs and academic affairs.

Otis Seawood, a senior family and consumer sciences major and BSU president, said the committees would help members focus on their interests and academics.

DeMarlon Brown, a senior political science major and previous president of BSU, said he is excited for this year.

“I was so focused on building up BSU that I didn’t have time to reach out and focus more on academics,” Brown said. “I couldn’t take it (BSU) any further.”

As president, Seawood wants the BSU to help take Eastern’s black community to a new level academically.

Jamie Enge, a senior family and consumer sciences major, has been in BSU for two years and is the current director of academic affairs.

Enge said he has always been passionate about academics for as long as he could remember.

He worked as an academic affairs adviser for three years at CICS Basil Campus, a middle school in Chicago. He said working with the youth has prepared him for working with BSU.

“I want to help give them a toolbox for success,” Enge said.

All BSU committees will meet bi-weekly to discuss future events and workshops.

During the meeting, the BSU members also voted on nominations for homecoming court: Will Barrett for homecoming king; Jaleesha Maury for homecoming queen; Alicia Cook for princess; and David Cook for prince.

Zinika Livingston can be reached at 581-7942 or zclivingston@eiu.edu.