About the African Students Union at Michigan State University

Founded within the constitution of the African Student Union (ASU) (1986) as amended and adopted at the special sitting of the Executive Board on September, 01, 2003 at Michigan State University, East Lansing, the mission, vision and goals of ASU are as follows:

MISSION STATEMENT

African Student Union is an innovative student organization at Michigan State University born out in a grand mission of preparing future leaders that will serve the African continent and help relieve it from the socio-political and economic crises that ravaged its member states for a period of more than 300 years.

VISION

Realizing that African problems surpassed the political liberation from colonial occupation, we, the students of African descent, studying at Michigan State University, believe that the real liberation of the continent is vested in the mindset of the youth and prospective leaders. To this end, our vision of a peaceful, prosperous and healthy Africa can be nurtured by actively engaging in the war of the mind seeking to change attitudes of self-hatred and encouraging pan-African unity within the spirit of African Renaissance and self-sustainable development.

GOALS

The objectives of the ASU are to foster pan-African unity, promote Afro-centric intellectual orientation and to direct our energies in shaping intellectuals who will in future work toward socio-economic, politico-cultural and spiritual rebirth of the peoples of Africa. In order to achieve these objectives, ASU shall execute the following specific tasks:

Provide a forum for exchange of ideas and development of common interests among its members.
Organize social and cultural activities to promote good leadership and comradeship among its members. Further, it is ASU’s duty to promote and project an authentic image of Africa and/ or Africans.
Provide for publication and dissemination of reliable and wholesome information on Africa to members of the public within and beyond the Greater Lansing area.
Advocate for academic excellence, intellectual freedom and integrity in African scholarship and research at MSU (This also applies to research conducted in Africa by MSU faculty and students)
Promote and support programs and projects aimed at enhancing social, political, economic, cultural,spiritual and intellectual growth for sustainable development of the mother continent.
Provide “African hospitality” for newly arrived African students and visiting scholars and support them throughout their stay at MSU.
Foster maximum cooperation with African diplomatic missions in the USA to solve problems of the continent.
To engage in activities aiming at liberating the African mind from stereotypes of self-hatred and instilling self-worth and pride, which are necessary among our future leaders who will emerge from our student body.

CONSTITUTION

Click on the thumbnail to view the constituion in pdf form.*

*requires Abobe Reader.