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The Black United Students (BUS) was first organized on May 21, 1968 and was instrumental in establishing the University's Learning Development Program (1968), which is now administered by the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, the Institute for African American Affairs (1969), the Center of Pan-African Culture (1972), and the Department of Pan African Studies (1976). The establishment of these campus institutions was the direct result of 95 percent of the University's African student body walking off campus in protest of the racist treatment they were receiving and the absence of educational support programs. In keeping with its institutional change objectives, BUS was also the motive force behind the dedication of the "Old Student Union" in honor of Dr. Oscar W. Ritchie in 1977. Worthy of note here is the fact that BUS was founded with the unified action of all fraternities and sororities on the campus. For example, Larry Simpson, BUS' first president, was an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi. Membership in the Black United Students was, and still is, open to all students at Kent State University who are willing to struggle for the educational, cultural, political, and social advancement of African peoples throughout the world.
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