A line of people snaked around the Seavers skating rink Saturday, Aug. 29, as volunteers rushed around to put finishes touches on the African American Organization’s first Crabfest.
The African American Organization usually hosts a party to start off the year, said Rasheed Dandridge, president of the African American Organization.
The meal cost SU students $5, but there was not only crab to eat. Fish, ribs, chicken wings, pasta salad and much more were all served along with the crab. The organization also gave away gift cards to Giant, Amazon and Visa, along with giving away some of the baskets on the tables. The line kept getting longer as the event proceeded. There were so many unexpected people in attendance that the crab ran out.
Madeline Kwarteng, the secretary of the African American Organization, and Jaelin Smith, the vice president, both agreed that it was a nice way to start the new school year.
“This exceeded our expectations,” Smith said.
The African American Organization sold more tickets at the door than it expected, Smith said.
“This was a way to reach out to the community,” Smith added.
Diane L. Jefferson, Director of Multicultural Student Affairs, also agreed with Smith and Kwarteng.
Jefferson explained that they got the crabs for a discounted price, which was paid for by the ticket sales. The organization also used the campus dining services for the other food.
“The dining services on campus are truly committed to diversity,” Jefferson said.
The event also helped students find common ground with food, she said.
Since the organization plans on holding the event again, Jefferson wanted to encourage students to buy their tickets ahead of time so they do not run out of crab.
But SU’s African American Organization was not the only one who was pleased with how the event turned out. Symphany Jones, a member of Multicultural Student Affairs who was also helping hand out food, agreed with the others.
It was a successful event and she was happy to help, Jones said. She explained that even though she was with MSA and not the African American Organization, these organizations try to help each other out.
Katara Lewis, an attendee, said the event and food were good. It was a great way to kick start the academic year, Lewis said.

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