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Brotherhood Brings Together Black Males for Support, Bonding |
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Vicki L. Kroll and Kimyette Finley |
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Feb 26, 2003 |
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| Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe shared a laugh with members of the Student African-American Brotherhood at a recent meeting. |
Every Thursday, sophomore Chauncey Alcorn gets up around 5:45 a.m., takes a shower, dons a dress shirt and tie, and heads to campus for the Student African-American Brotherhood (SAAB) meeting.
“The whole thing about getting up for a 7:30 meeting separates the men from the boys,” Alcorn said with a laugh. “I’m more trained now. I used to be late — but this has taught me discipline. Now I’m on time for all my meetings.”
That’s the kind of story that brings a smile to the face of Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, vice president of student affairs. He founded SAAB in 1990 while associate dean of students at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus.
“At the time, there were about 150 black males on [the Georgia Southwestern] campus. I did an analysis of their GPAs,” Bledsoe said. The numbers weren’t good. “I called a meeting and we talked about the state of the black male on campus and their challenges — academically, socially, financially, spiritually, you name it. From those meetings we kept meeting and then formed the group.”
News of SAAB spread, thanks to conferences. “People wanted chapters on their campuses,” Bledsoe said. “It’s a powerful, structured model, and we shape it to the needs of each campus because the dynamics are different on each campus. Our overall goal is to enhance the experiences of African-American males. It’s fulfilling a real need on campus.”
There are more than 40 SAAB chapters across the country. Shortly after arriving at the University last year, Bledsoe started the UT chapter, which has 62 members.
“The students come to take care of business,” Bledsoe said of the weekly 7:30 a.m. meetings. “We’ve changed the meeting place four times because of the size of the group. We have yet to send out an e-mail or flyer — it’s all word of mouth.”
Students are required to dress in business attire for the meetings and be on time. “I believe dress links to image and helps shape attitudes,” Bledsoe said.
SAAB has four core values — proactive leadership, intellectual development, self-discipline and accountability. The organization helps prepare members to enter the professional work force. In addition, SAAB members are expected to serve as role models for black males in the community.
“We really stress the importance of being leaders on campus and getting involved around campus and in the community, and to strike a good balance of that involvement with academics and leadership,” Bledsoe said.
Alcorn personifies this part of the SAAB mission. He is an assistant news editor for the Independent Collegian, a member of the Black Student Union, and a member of the Student Government Cabinet Recruitment and Retention Committee. “I dibble and dabble in everything,” Alcorn said. “I keep in touch with all the students I can to give me a good perspective of all racial points of view.”
The student majoring in pre-law said SAAB has been very helpful. “It gave me a chance to hone my professional skills, and that’s something I think every college student has to develop,” Alcorn said. “It gave me a chance to interact with people who look like me. It’s a positive environment for people who want to do positive things.”
Other SAAB members echo those sentiments.
“It’s actually helped me develop my organizational skills, speaking skills, and being more responsible,” said Ron Briggs, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.
While working for the UT receiving department last summer, Briggs made a delivery to Bledsoe’s office. The vice president took the opportunity to tell Briggs about SAAB; he later became chair of the UT chapter.
For freshman Joel Todd, joining SAAB led to a job. “First of all, it helped me to meet people. Right out of the box, it puts you out there. I got to know faculty and the vice president of student affairs,” Todd said. He was hired as the student assistant for academic success initiatives in the Student Affairs Office.
Todd, who is pursuing a degree in education, said SAAB also has improved his public speaking skills. He and his friend Antonio Davis gave a presentation at a meeting; these presentations are called teachable moments and can be just about anything. “We talked about steps toward academic success and outlined how to change your ways to facilitate success — get some sleep, don’t party all night, get to know your teachers, use the Writing Center,” Todd said.
In addition to learning from each other, the students learn from professionals. Bledsoe said, “We expose them to a lot of area leaders.” Last week, the SAAB meeting was held in the office of Dr. Eugene Sanders, superintendent of Toledo Public Schools. Students also have visited Toledo Mayor Jack Ford’s office, and UT alumnus Jim Findlay, co-founder of Impact Products in Toledo, has been a guest speaker at a meeting.
What do the students think of SAAB meetings? Feedback is instant. At the close of a meeting, each member must use a word or phrase to sum up how he felt about the session. Some of the words Todd has used: “Informative. Empowering. Memorable.”
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