The Black Student Union hosted “Cosmic Bowling” Wednesday night at EIU Lanes in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union in an attempt to recruit members.

BSU’s leaders, junior business major David Hagler and senior kinesiology and sports studies major Jessica Jimerson hosted the recruitment event in the hopes of reaching out to Eastern’s newest students with the promise of free bowling and ice cream sundaes.

The event started at 7 p.m., but at 6:45 members were already setting up the sundae station and helping other students grab their bowling shoes. Lots of students were already settling into their lanes, excited to get the night started.

One of those students was Jalyn Long, a freshman chemistry major. She said she was interested in joining the Black Student Union and was ready to get her and her friends’ game started.

“I’m kind of a good bowler,” she said. She offered advice for new bowlers and said to walk in a straight line.

That advice was echoed by Gabrielle Bersamin, a senior graphic design major, who is already an active member of the BSU.

She claimed to be an “average” bowler herself and advised other bowlers to stay in their lane.  Bersamin said she came to support the BSU and that she came with friends.

Hagler and Jimerson said they decided to hold the event at the Union’s bowling alley because it was close for students living on-campus or in the Greek Court and they  wanted it to be easy for everyone to come to.

Kytyra Jackson, a senior community health major, was a member of the BSU her sophomore year but has returned this year, because she was re-recruited by her friend, and persuaded to come to the event on her study break.

She said she was most excited about the sundae bar, but was ready to get out and bowl.

Jackson said she wasn’t the greatest at bowling and confessed to using bumpers.

“I do! I do (use bumpers). That sounds so bad to admit,” she said, laughing.

She said she returned to the BSU with interest and with hopes to get involved.

The BSU’s graduate assistants—Cierra Howard, a family and consumer sciences major who received her undergraduate degree at Eastern, and Lou Soltysiak, a college student affairs major who received his political science degree at the University of Dayton—were in attendance.

They said it was their first year as advisers for the BSU, and they are looking forward to being involved.

“I’m excited just to work with them,” Howard said. “There’s great members and there’s the long history with the Black Student Union.”

Soltysiak said he was also excited by the history of the BSU.

“We’re going to work to keep the traditions of the Black Student Union going strong,” he said.

Both Soltysiak and Howard were thrilled to be a part of BSU’s first big recruitment effort this year.

This was the BSU’s first event of the school year, and they plan on collaborating with the other clubs on campus for later events. Jimerson said, “There’s a lot in store, but we want to keep it a surprise.”

Megan Keane can be reached at 581-2812 or at mkkeane@eiu.edu.