The office, a part of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, is located on the second floor of Plemmons Student Union. The Black Student Association Advisory Board, which is advised by the Office of Multicultural Student Development, was founded in 1974. It is an organization that addresses the concerns and interests of the African-American student body through cultural programming that promotes cultural awareness. The BSA serves as a support system, surrogate family network and voice for African-American students at Appalachian. The Peer Mentor Program assists incoming African-American students in adjustment to college life.
Students sometimes have difficulty adjusting to social and academic changes in a new environment.
The Peer Mentor Program pairs the new students with an upperclassman who is a recognized student leader, both academically and socially. The pairings are based on majors, interests, career goals and age. As advocates for a multicultural community, the office provides students advisement in the area of leadership and organizational development. In addition, the other Center for Student Involvement staff members are available to provide workshops on leadership skills, being effective members of an organization, time management, member recruitment and retention, etc. Students are invited to develop their theory of African-American leadership and plan how to implement the theory.