MSU students and faculty members dined and danced to the smooth sounds of jazz during the Black Student Alliance's 17th annual dinner at Kellogg Center on Friday night.
The event connected students, faculty and staff members on a social level outside of the academic environment, said Tammye Coles, MSU's African American Student Affairs Coordinator.
"Opportunities like this are rare and wonderful opportunities," Coles said.
The alliance honored Renée Sanders-Lawson, director of the Office of Supportive Services, for going above her daily call of duty to ensure student success, alliance Vice President Jamien Cunningham said.
The dinner's theme, "The Beautiful Struggle," was about overcoming adversity and roadblocks in the road to equality, said sociology graduate student Temple Smith, who helped organize the event.
"Historically, there have been lots and lots of struggles for equality, but in spite of all of that, there is continued optimism," Smith said. "That is a cause for celebration."
The alliance also introduced a new $500 student book scholarship for those who have demonstrated excellence in academics and in the community, Cunningham said.
The scholarship will be awarded based on responses to an essay question about the struggles and roadblocks students have had to overcome on their road to graduation.
Smith said the scholarship will help students with the burden of book prices, and by analyzing student responses, she will attempt to find reasons for the low graduation rates for black students nationwide.
"We know retention is a problem," Smith said. "We hope to use all of these essays to look at that problem and look forward to a solution."
A nine-member jazz group, the Fuzz Band, performed throughout the evening.
"They have a different kind of flavor," Cunningham said. "It's a different kind of energy and a magnificent sound."
The jazz genre of music was highlighted at the event to raise awareness of its influences on other musical art forms, as well as MSU's strong jazz program, Coles said.
"It's a very strong entity in the black community," Coles said. "It's the root of a lot of music like hip-hop and R & B."
