The Black Student Union will host a bowling and ice cream social on Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the EIU Lanes in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Jay Caver, a senior corporate communications major, heads the BSU.

Caver has been actively involved with the student organization for the past two years.

“We (the BSU) represent the black audience on campus, but we’re open to everybody,” Caver said.

Another ice cream social was held last year, and the success of the previous event led to the decision to host another one at the start of the school year to get students informed and involved early.

“We felt like it would be another great idea to kick off the year right,” Caver said.

The event will feature free ice cream for student attendees.

Bowling is $1 per person; however, the first 30 people to arrive for the bowling and ice cream social will bowl for free.

The bowling and ice cream social is meant to be a social mixer to invite new and returning students to campus, and to get them out of their rooms, Caver said.

Caver invited all Eastern students to come out and participate in the event, and he said that he hopes everyone can come out and have a fun time.

“It’s a way for new incoming students and current students to meet new friends, network and just have a good time. College isn’t just supposed to be all work and no play. It can just be stressful at times; it’s just a way for us to say ‘Welcome to EIU,’” Caver said.

The BSU has a weekly meeting every Monday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Union, in the Charleston-Mattoon Room.

The faculty adviser is Louis Soltysiak, a graduate assistant in the Office of Student Programs and the Student Activities Center.

The BSU also sponsors the annual Miss Black EIU Scholarship Pageant.

The Miss Black EIU Scholarship Pageant is one of the larger events that the BSU helps to organize and sponsor.

Miss Black EIU and the BSU work to highlight African-American culture, heritage and experiences, according to the BSU website.

The BSU will also attend the Student Involvement Fair, which will take place Tuesday from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Library Quad.

Zoë Donovan can be reached at 581–2812 or at zedonovan@eiu.edu.