A sepia-orange spotlight cast a shadow over a single microphone at the Black Student Union’s (BSU) open mic night Sept. 30 in the basement of the UC East.

Students gathered to express their creativity through poetry, comedy and music. The event intended to support the “creative interaction between people,” said Dewayne Watson, BSU’s former vice president and host of open mic night.

Spectators and performers crowded the room. Some joked with friends, others focused on notes or the paisley carpet, muffling laughter with ear buds.

As the clock struck 7 p.m., the lights dimmed, and Watson took the stage. After introductory messages, the first performer volunteered for the limelight.

A geometric brick wall served as a backdrop for the performers. Current BSU Vice President Kurtis Kelley was the first to the microphone.

He spoke of oppression and hardship. He said in his poem “truth is bittersweet.” He sat outstretched in a red cafeteria chair, tongue articulating each stressed syllable with a click and a nod.

Junior creative writing major Warren Stokes II performed a stand-up routine for the crowd, speaking of Long John Silver’s, social awkwardness and a robot apocalypse.

“If restaurants were in high school, Long John Silver’s would be like the smelly kid,” Stokes said in his performance. “Nobody’s happy there.”

Some people read directly from paper, some read from Androids and some spit improvised freestyle prose. The papers and phones rattled in the hands of the performers as they paced, sat or stood still on the gray stage. The crowd clapped, snapped and stomped with the rhythmic verses flowing from the stage.

Missteps were conquered through laughter, and more comedic breaks filled the space between poems, rants, and raps of hardship and heartbreak.

Freshman undecided major Dodge Heard and senior education major Quill Watson practiced harmonizing to the ABCs and later retook the stage to sing “More than I can bear” by Kirk Franklin. Heard and Watson have been singing together for about a year and a half.

“We love music,” Heard said. “When you grow up in a family that sings and plays music, it’s hard to not take up.”

After the show, the room was relit and emptied. Kelley said the basement of the UC East was chosen for its “intimate” space.

“We had a better turnout than expected,” Kelley said. “Events and organizations like this add to the culture of USI.”

Sophomore dietetics major and BSU President Courtney Hoskins said the hardest part of her job is organizing an event such as the Open Mic Night because of advertising.

“We are currently have not selected our committees,” she said. “We want to give more people a chance to sign up before we break up into committees.”

Once BSU is divided into their respective committees, advertising events will be easier, she said.

Hoskins said anyone can join BSU. Students need only to fill out an application, have a minimum GPA of 2.0 and contribute a membership fee of $20. BSU meets at 3 p.m. Wednesdays in room 206 in the upper level of the UC West.

“Our goal is to enhance student development and academic achievement in the African-American community of USI,” Hoskins said. “Our motto is ’Help me, help you, help us together.’”