Spacious common areas where residents gather, a living room filled with Black cultural art and literature and a patio facing the McDonough Field: this is Emory University’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) house. At the BSA Housing open house on Feb. 11, BSA Resident Advisor (RA) Moyo Odugbemi (24C) showed potential new residents around the property. Located on 22 Eagle Row, right next to the Woodruff PE Center, its residents have a comfortable home with other Black Emory students close to campus. The BSA house currently has seventeen residents and more rooms available for future residents.
The BSA house aims to unite the Black community and celebrate Black culture and heritage. As an extension of the BSA, the housing option was “founded on the mission of devotion, service and uplift to the Black community,” according to the University’s Theme Housing website.
BSA house RA Moyo Odugbemi said she seeks to make the house a satisfying home for the residents. Moyo works with the other staff to put together fun programs for the residents, such as the Black Out Weekend Party with a DJ and snacks at the beginning of the fall semester.
Odugbemi said that one of the most meaningful programs to her was the Goodie Bag Giveaway hosted by the Emory Police Department on Nov. 16, 2022. The event was hosted in the BSA house kitchen, where BSA house residents had the opportunity to talk with three members of the police force, according to EPD Communications Director Moreika Johnson.
“It was a very enlightening conversation,” Odugbemi said. “It was a safe place for people to express their opinion and a good experience.”
BSA housing attracts residents for many reasons, according to BSA house resident Maya Joseph (24B). Joseph said she was most drawn to the single room option and a more intimate housing experience. The community is small enough for her to know everyone who lives there.
Resident Matthew Sharp (22Ox, 24C) said he chose to live in BSA Housing because it allows him to immerse himself in the culture, stay in a good location on campus, live in a spacious room and have easy access to a lot of events.
“There are a lot of events that are going on over here,” Sharp said. “If you want to host an event, it is not that difficult. You can easily reserve the living room or kitchen if you want to host something.”
The living room, study room, dining area, open room and back patio are all available for reservations to host events that fit up to fifty people. The spacious house enables residents to connect and uplift each other and celebrate Black culture through events.
Joseph recalled the Start of Year Dinner as one of the most memorable events, in which residents enjoyed tasty foods and played fun games, including an intense game of musical chairs.
“One of the reasons that I would recommend BSA Housing for other students is that we have fun events here,” Joseph said. “You can get to know everyone and have a fun time with them.”
Sharp said that he has found the housing to be a supportive place.
“My friends live a floor below me; they are right there,” Sharp said. “I can talk to them easily and often hang out in the living room and the kitchen with them.”
