MEN OF COLOR INITIATIVE

Seattle University Office of Multicultural AffairsNUFP Student Development Interns 2014Joseph Hahn & LaDarius DuPree

OVERVIEW

This presentation will showcase: A 3 year plan for implementation of the Men of Color Initiative Common practices at other universities Examples of events, services, and mentorship for the initiative.

THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF MEN OF COLOR

Collegeboard Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA_kpQJ_Vm8

PURPOSE

By providing the Men of Color at Seattle University support through partnerships with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Student Development Departments, and Faculty and Staff from all departments.

A companion document has been created to aid with this presentation and provide further information on how to begin the initiative.

COLLEGES USED FOR REFERENCE

Men of Color programs are found in a few schools throughout the United States

Loyola Chicago, DePaul, and University of Notre Dame are religious institutions with MOC Programs

Many public universities and community colleges were also referenced

WHY HAVE THE PROGRAM?

Many universities with a large population of Men of Color have a Men of Color program

Being in Seattle, the Men of Color program could be more successful then other locations in the Pacific Northwest

DePaul’s and Loyola Chicago’s programs are successful in part to Chicago’s high black population.

SU can succeed with persistence

STRATEGIC PLAN

The Men of Color initiative falls in line with the holistic goals of Seattle University

Goal 1: Strengthen our capacity to provide a high-quality and transformational education rooted in the Jesuit tradition

Goal 2: Prepare our graduates to lead meaningful and successful professional lives.

PROGRAM GOALS

Provide male students of color with satisfaction and mentorship covering four student development needs: spiritual, mental, physical, and social.

Provide transitional support for male students of color as they enter the university

Bridge the gap for men of color with other university resources and programs: housing, leadership opportunities, athletics, academics, etc.

Involve students, faculty, staff, and alumni to create a Seattle University Men of Color Network

PRINCIPLES

The program should adhere to the following principles:•Academic Excellence•Identity Development•Inclusion•Leadership Development•Opportunities for Upperclassmen of Color to Serve as

Mentors•Professional Development•Retention Maintenance •Support Services

BENEFITS

The following organizations and populations will benefit from the initiative:

Seattle University: Showcasing the program in every way possible (website, JASPA, etc.) we can effectively show our community that this student population with a history of challenges in higher education can help bring more Men of Color and their families to join the Seattle University community and other institutions will follow SU’s example

Male Students of Color: Develop these men into holistic beings that will represent the university proudly in the greater global community.

Faculty and Staff: Provide enriching opportunities for non-client members through pathways of mentorship, access, and transformative involvement in the lives of youth.

BENEFITS CONT.

Academia: Access for men of color to explore their backgrounds and learn about the historical challenges their population has faced and strive toward empowering others.

Campus departments can aid in developing leaders which will help provide more male and people of color leaders on campus to ensure students of all backgrounds are represented

Ex: More students seeing Men of Color as Orientation Assistants, Resident Advisors, etc.

BENEFITS CONT.

Non-Students of Color: The creation of the program will contribute to the critical analysis of non-students of color by increasing the visibility of MOC and reinforcing the Jesuit mission of acceptance and social justice.

Community: Establish a connection with men of color from around Seattle as well as a state and national connection. Can help form connections for students who may have career goals that do not match MOC at Seattle University.

YEAR 1: FOUNDATION | FALL

Establish a steering committee to ensure the following: Research Practices that MOC need to succeed Focus Groups Budget and Facilities

RESEARCH PRACTICES

The initiative will succeed with additional research: Historical trends at SU and other colleges What Modern MOC need Traits of successful MOC Retention efforts for MOC across the nation

FOCUS GROUPS

Designed to find: What MOC students want from the program What Faculty and Staff envision for the program Provide a safe space for discussion amongst MOC,

help simulate how the initiative will work during the pilot

BUDGET AND FACILITIES

How will the group be funded? Who will advise the students? Where will they meet? How often?

YEAR 1 | WINTER

Student Development Involvement: The formation of different materials needed for program

implementation. How will each department play a role in the development of this

program? Use the research from Fall term to see what and how the

different departments can aid the program

YEAR 1 |SPRING TERM

Recruitment of GAs, student volunteers, professors, university staff that are interested in getting this program off the ground

Visioning for Pilot year. Identifying mentors and student coordinators for the pilot year

IDENTIFYING MENTORS

What men of color faculty/staff can dedicate time to mentoring students?What do they want to get out of the experience?Meet regularly with each other to express goals, concerns, etc.Determine what role you want mentors to serve

MENTOR ROLES

Meet with a small group of students monthly Create time to meet with student 1-on-1 Actively seek ways to interact with mentees Attend Men of Color program events and meetings Provide mentees with support to succeed inside and

outside of the classroom Work alongside Student Coordinators to create

workshops and other services

STUDENT COORDINATORS

To run the pilot program, a few student coordinators are crucial

Spring Year 1 (or earlier) identify MOC students that would like to assist in the program

Potentially include in work for a Graduate Assistant or Intern

STUDENT COORDINATOR ROLES

Organize different events and programs Actively involved with recruiting events Have “office hours”—time available to meet with students

whenever they are needed Facilitate Men of Color meetings Work alongside Faculty/Staff Mentors to create workshops

and other services

YEAR 2 |THE PILOT PROGRAM

The Pilot year takes the research, committee, and work from Year 1 and prepares it for the first set of students in the program

Designed to allow students to join in at any time, but recruitment focused during the first few weeks of Fall term (when students are looking for involvement)

YEAR 2| BY TERM

Fall: Implementation (smaller version than what the actual program will look like), more recruitment efforts for current cohort

Winter: Continuation of Services Spring: Assessment, recruitment for next year,

solicitation for peer mentors

SUMMER IN SEATTLE

The recruitment begins with Summer in Seattle. While a separate session time just for Men of Color

might not be possible, there are other ways to interact with students:

Brochures available Mentioned in OMA presentation Mentioned to parents and families during their session

WELCOME WEEK

Welcome Week is crucial for recruitment Upperclassmen facilitation Men of Color Social can include:

Welcome Address Program Information Men of Color Panel MOC in Seattle information Info on various services in Seattle that can help Men of Color succeed.

Barbershops, the International District, churches, etc. Board games, icebreakers, and other activities

ESTABLISH MENTORSHIP

Establishing Mentorship is important during Fall term

3-5 Mentees per mentor Meet 1-on-1 and as a group Some pairing can be through pairing

Ex: DePaul has juniors match up with faculty mentors from their department (and preferably major)

INVOLVEMENT FAIR

Tabling event Work with other multicultural groups Co-recruitment

Ex: BSU

KEY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS

• Leadership Development – connection to resources (i.e. assessments, Redhawk application), development of the Redhawk Experience• Career Services - Cumulate the trainings they have about skills needed for job search and adding them the Men of Color experience• Housing & Residential Life - Aid in bringing together MOC and providing programming within the residence halls, getting them active in residential life, community bonding with student different from themselves, RA selection prep• Commuter and Transfer Life - Multicultural competence training to aid collegium leaders in helping MOC• New Student and Family Programs - Inclusive programming for families of color, keeping families involved with the college journey

KEY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS CONT.

•University Recreation - Form an intermural group•Integrity Formation – Trainings on consent, Wingmen, university conduct, and the Redhawk Commitment •Health, Wellness, & Counseling – discussions on mental health, sex, sexuality, health concerns for men of color, healthy relationships •Disability Services – As needed, awareness•Student Activities – Connection to other campus clubs, and leadership roles, campus events

KEY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS

Mentorship: As mentioned before, research has shown the MOC programs do not succeed without mentorship

Retention: Students returning to campus and the program Community Building: Create a larger sense of community Leadership & Professional Development: Develop future leaders

YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS

Community | Men of Color Outings: Going out to dinner together, exploring Seattle, community events

Social Justice | Service Trips: Creating groups to go out and serve. An ongoing service program with groups of

color would also be beneficial• Wellness | Intermural Sport teams:

To encourage an ongoing relationship with one another and support values of teamwork and sportsmanship

o Or host your own athletic events like Tarrant County College’s 3-on-3 Hoopfest. Academics |Study groups:

Creation of different study groups based on majors. Especially helpful for first year students in general education courses

Columbia University

Workshops

Tackling Violence: Rethinking the Male Identity

Columbia University’s Men of Color Alliance Wings and Things program

Reclaiming Our Legacy

Male Success Alliance

California State University Dominquez Hills

Collaboration between Men of Color Alliance and SisterCircle

Gender Fishbowl

Lunch Series at University of Michigan

(Also have Women of Color series)

YEAR 3 | ROOT PLANTING

With a continuation of the Pilot year’s program (with more mentors, students, and alumni involvement) Year 3 should focus on making sure the program survives long term

YEAR 3 BY TERM

Year Three – Root Planting•Fall: Identifying key stakeholders/campus investors with this project (i.e., who’s really interested in this initiative), cutting program aspects that don’t fit.•Winter: Future Visioning•Spring: Formalized Proposal

YEAR 3 |FALL

Key stakeholders Who has contributed to the success of the program? What other involvement is needed to succeed? What programs did not work last year? What can be cut? What did students express is a MUST have?

YEAR 3 |WINTER

Future Visioning Create yearly, 5-year, and 10-year plans for the program that

are integrated within the overall plans of OMA, Student Development, and Seattle University as a whole

Document the process to ensure materials will be passed on to successors in the program

Ensure student leaders in the program are passing on the torch to younger students so the legacy does not end with graduation

YEAR 3 |SPRING

Formalized Proposal Using the work from Fall and Winter, propose how to make

the Men of Color initiative a permanent staple within Seattle University

Identify funding resources and who will oversee the program to ensure it meets its goals

CONCLUSION

For success in starting the Men of Color initiative the following is crucial:

Collaboration amongst different departments Identifying Mentors and Student Leaders to drive the programs

success Creation of a network for Men of Color Focused commitment to the advancement of Men of Color and

Seattle University

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

REFERENCES

Collegeboard. “The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, Jan. 2012. Web. August 2014.

Harper, S. R. (2014). (Re)setting the agenda for college men of color: Lessons learned from a 15-year movement to improve Black male student success. In R. A. Williams (Ed.), Men of color in higher education: New foundations for developing models for success (pp. 116-143). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Harper, S. R. (2012). Black male student success in higher education: A report from the national Black male college achievement study. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.

"Male Success Alliance Mission Statement." MSA at CSU Dominguez Hills. Web. 02 Aug. 2014. <http://www4.csudh.edu/msa/>. Mata Eric, Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Success at DePaul University, Conversation Men of Color Alliance (MCA). Columbia University. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

<http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/OMA/socialjustice/MCA.php>. "Men of Color Mentoring Program." Tarrant County College -. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

<http://www.tccd.edu/Student_Services/Student_Activities/Men_of_Color_Mentoring.html>. "My Brothers: Lunch Series for Self-Identified Men of Color." Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

<http://mesa.umich.edu/article/my-brothers-lunch-series-self-identified-men-color>. "Office of Multicultural Student Success." Men of Color Initiative. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

<http://www.studentaffairs.depaul.edu/omss/moc.html>. "Students." // Diversity at Notre Dame // University of Notre Dame. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

<http://diversity.nd.edu/students/>.