Student social organizations won’t be as social this semester.

There are plans among several minority groups on campus for unification on issues to educate students.

“PRIDE! Kent has evolved since last semester,” PRIDE! Kent President Christopher Taylor said. “We would like to shift and give back to the community.”

He said the LGBT group’s main goal is to increase awareness and knowledge about HIV and AIDS. Even though the allocations committee denied the group and its 26 co-sponsors funding for the AIDS Awareness Week programs, Taylor said they will proceed with their plans, however altered.

Along with educational programs and a memorial with the names of people who have died from AIDS or complications of HIV from around the world, Taylor said they are hoping to have anonymous AIDS testing at the Health Center during AIDS Awareness Week. He said the usual testing times at the Health Center are few and far between, making it difficult for some students to get tested.

Black United Students will perform more community service within the city of Kent, BUS President Matthew Cox said. Working soup kitchens and the Progressive Education Community Schools are just some of the ideas they have, Cox said.

During its meetings, Cox said BUS will discuss different issues faced by the black community, such as “Are You Black Enough?”

Another area he said BUS will emphasize is involvement at Kent State. He said he will urge members to participate in other organizations, specifically the Daily Kent Stater and the Undergraduate Student Senate.

This way, he said, BUS members will have “a hand in what goes on at the university.”

Sasha Parker, BUS political officer and grievances chair, said a book scholarship is also in the works. Hopefully, she said the scholarship could become a full scholarship to help with tuition in a couple years.

For the Feminist Union, president Carrie Wicks said her first concern is increasing the member base. The group has had some problems in the past, she said, and hopes to fix those problems by “breaking the stereotypes that we’re man-eaters.”

Throughout this semester, Wicks said the Feminist Union hopes to unite with several progressive social groups to take on issues important to students. The Feminist Union will work with BUS and PRIDE!Kent for AIDS Awareness, she said, because black women are affected the most by AIDS.

The group will also offer programs, such as Love Your Body Day, which is about self-image and eating disorders, as well as a group for survivors of sexual assault.

Contact minority affairs reporter Bryan Wroten at [email protected].