History
The Black Student Alliance was established in 1978 to "promote a greater spirit of brotherhood within the university." It is the successor of the Human Relations Council, founded in 1968.
HUMAN RELATIONS COUNCIL
“The Human Relations Council is an organization devoted to promoting better relations between the University administration, the campus community, and the black minority students on campus. Through the sponsorship of social, intellectual, economic, and political interactions its goal is to promote unity among the many diversified people and organizations that encounter one another surrounding the University and community. The Council believes in the pursuit of happiness for those who were lost in a world of the unpredictables.
— The Bugle, 1976
Photos courtesy of the University Libraries, Special Collections.
For more information about the Human Relations Council and Black history at Virginia Tech, visit the University Archives website.
BLACK STUDENT ALLIANCE
Over the years, the purpose of the Black Student Alliance has changed. BSA has been a social, political, and programming organization; but, no matter the type, it has always been an important part of the African-American experience at Virginia Tech. Most recently, BSA has found its niche as a programming organization and become less political in nature.
The Black Student Alliance is currently classified as a University Chartered Student Organization (UCSO). USCOs are organizations comprised primarily of students but, by constitutional design, have a specifically established direct relationship to the university. This relationship includes, but is not limited to, policy review, special programs, governance, and paid faculty/staff advisors.