S'A'A'B' Student African American Brotherhood

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African American Male Students Exercising
Power and Responsibility to Shape their
Education n ACPA-NASPA JOINT CONVENTION
2007 April 2, 2007
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ABOUT ME

• Native of Mississippi (MLK, Teal)
• Single Parent for the past 9 years
• Past, Assistant to the Vice President of Student
  Affairs at Morehouse College
• Past Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,
  North Carolina Central University
• Past Vice President for Enrollment and Student
  Services, North Carolina Wesleyan College
• Past Vice President for Student Life, University
  of Toledo
• Past, Special Assistant to the President,
  University of Toledo
• Aspirations to become a College
  President/Chancellor
• Merchant of Hope/Social Innovator

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S.A.A.B.Student African American Brotherhood

• Started in 1990 at Georgia Southwestern State
  University by Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe to address
  academic challenges of AA males.
• National Headquarters housed at the University of
  Toledo
• More than 140 collegiate and 10 high school
  chapters to date primarily at PWIs
• Designed to Empower Black and Latino males---
  enabling them to become positive catalysts for
  societal change
• Designed to bring African American Males (Latino
  Males) together regardless of background,
  socieo-economic status, religion, affiliations
  (i.e., Greeks, non-Greeks, Athletes)
• SAAB IS NOT A FRATERNITY----ITS A BROTHERHOOD!
• No Stepping
• No Parties
• No Secrets
• 3-Prong Mentoring Transactions
• Collegiate to Collegiate High school to High
  School
• Collegiate/High School, middle elementary
  schools
• Faculty/Staff-to-Student

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BLACK BOYS ARE FALLING BEHIND
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BLACK BOYS FALL BEHIND

• African American boys are falling behind in
  almost every measure compared to other ethnic
  groups.
• African American boys are twice as likely to be
  diagnosed with a learning disability and twice as
  likely to be place in special education classes.
• African American boys have the worst grades, the
  lowest test scores, and the highest dropout rates
  of all students in the country.
• The number of African American boys who said they
  hated school rose 71 between 1980 and 2001.
• (Kunjufu, 2003)

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HS Graduation Rates for African American
Boys2005 2006 Cohort

• Los Angeles - 45
• (R. Smith American School Board Journal,
  9/2005)
• Ohio - 39.6
• (Harvards Civil Rights Project, et. al. (3/2005)
• Chicago - 35
• (Schott Foundation, 2006 Report Card)
• Florida 31
• (Schott Foundation, 2005 Report Card)
• New York 26
• (Schott Foundation, 2006 Report Card)
• Indianapolis - 25
• (Indianapolis Star 5/2005)

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Only a few African American boys who finish high
school actually attend college

• And of those few African American boys who enter
  college, nationally, only 22 of them finish
  college
• (Chattanoogan.com, 3-27-07)

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Has America Lost A Generation of African American
Males?

• Is this the first time in American History That A
  Generation Will Not Exceed Their Parents
  Educationally?

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THE GOAL IS

• TO GRADUATE!

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SAVING LIVES.

• SALVAGING DREAMS

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To Save Lives.. And Salvage Dreams

• There must be a
• CONSISTENT POSITIVE FORCE

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To Save Lives.. And Salvage Dreams

• There must be a
• CONSISTENT POSITIVE FORCE (CPF)

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SAABS MISSION

• Promote the value of education and success
• Men of Power, Prominence and Progress
• Develop and maintain Black and Latino male
  leadership, discipline and accountability.
• Create strategies and tools for renewal, revival
  and resurrection for a population often written
  off as LOST.
• Graduate our participants
• Create Merchants of Hope
• Create a Spirit to Care
• We focus on the FLIGHT not the PLIGHT of men of
  color

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The S.A.A.B. EXPERIENCE Creates
Culture??Shapes Values ??Forms
Beliefs??Transforms Behaviors
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(No Transcript)
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SAAB LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
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SAAB OFFICERS

• President
• Vice President
• Recording Secretary

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WORKING COMMITTEESPart 1

• ACADEMIC
• Provide academic support and services to members
  to include study skill sessions, test taking
  seminars, time management strategies, note taking
  strategies, reading comprehension strategies,
  writing workshops.
• PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
• Provide educational and developmental
  opportunities to members to include, resume
  building, public speaking, 5-year personal
  development plan (PDP).
• SERVICE LEARNING
• Provide opportunities for members to engage and
  contribute to their campus and greater community.

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WORKING COMMITTEESPart 2

• SPIRITIUAL SOCIAL
• Provide opportunities for bonding, fellowship and
  collaboration within and outside the group by
  planning regularly social and spiritual events
  for the entire group.
• FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
• Provide financial management and consumer
  information to members along with assisting the
  organization in generating revenue. Financial
  literacy, budgeting, investing opportunities,
  credit card counseling are some of the topics
  introduced to the group.
• MEMBERSHIP/PUBLIC RELATIONS
• Develops and implements a recruitment and
  retention plan that allows for a robust
  membership and image for the group along with
  intentionally Connecting the members internally
  and externally.

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SAAB SYSTEMIC IMPACT MODEL
Renew, Lift up, Comfort, Enhance and Inspire both
themselves and those with whom they interact."
gtgt
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SAAB IMPACTS

• SAAB provides thousands of young African American
  and Latino male leaders who are trained to
  provide Care to a community that has been
  marginalized, abused and written of in many
  cases----Thats what SAAB is all about
• We strive to provide leaders to institutions, a
  community, society and nation that are starving
  for leadership from men or color.

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SAAB IMPACTS

• Everyone in SAAB may not be deemed a leader in
  the traditional sense, however, we have created
  a system that ensures that all SAAB leaders will
  know what it means to care for ones self and
  others along with being a positive and consistent
  contributor to our nation and beyond-in other
  words- EVERYONE can be a leader behaviorally!

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The SAAB Perspective

• We recognize that men of color find it difficult
  to express themselves by saying the following
• I Need Help
• I Am Sorry
• I Need Love
• We recognize that men of color will search for
  and/or create and Alternate Family to
  compensate for the disconnects in their
  immediate biological families.

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WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE POWER OF GANGS- AN
ALTERNATE FAMILY

• Gangs provide a code of behavior, a value
  system, direction, and advice that may be missing
  in the home.
• Gang involvement also provides excitement-and
  probably drugs and alcohol. (Research suggests
  that much of the group connection is based on
  status, protection, membership, guaranteed
  friends, activities, structure, mentors,
  excitement, leadership opportunities, outlets for
  frustration, and power.
• Teens are further attracted to gang leaders
  because they appear to be powerful and in
  control.
• However, once they are full-fledged members, they
  can lose themselves and their moral direction in
  the process of belonging to and sustaining the
  gang.
• Gangs in many cases replace the support,
  relationships, affiliations, protection, and care
  that are missing in the immediate family.

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How does SAAB Achieve success versus programs
that do not work?

• Promote and embrace independence and personal
  responsibility
• Promote career exploration with a 5 Year Plan and
  promoting entrepreneurship
• Increase students self-esteem and assist them in
  developing a sense of purpose and self-identity
• Require each start-up chapter to complete a
  3-month planning module

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How does SAAB Achieve success versus programs
that do not work?

• Require each chapter to have a STRATEGIC PLAN
  given many colleges and universities are looking
  for a strategic initiatives designed to improve
  the status of men of color in higher education
• Connect and engage within the community through
  active service
• Students in SAAB participate in results-oriented
  initiatives to increase their Persistence and
  Graduation rates

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S.A.A.B. Conference 2007-08
Saving Our African American Males... Brother to
Brother Shaping our Future

• Register

• Hotel Info

• Pre-Conference
• Workshop

• Call for Programs

• Schedules

5 Regional Conferences University of Kansas (Oct.
25-27, 2007) San Diego State University (Oct.
5-6, 2007) University of Texas (Nov.
2007) Chicago-Tinley Park (April 11-12,
2007) Newark-New York (TBA)

• Exhibits

• Highlights

S.A.A.B. Organization
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DR. MICHAEL CUYJETAssociate Dean of the Graduate
School Associate ProfessorDept. of
Educational Counseling PsychologyUniversity of
Louisville
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(No Transcript)
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SAAB Focus Group Research

• At the 2004 SAAB Institute, several focus groups
  of current SAAB members were asked to respond to
  three open-ended statements
• What attracted me to SAAB was/is
• What I get from SAAB that I cannot get elsewhere
  on campus is
• The most important element of the SAAB
  organization for me is

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• The most common thematic responses were
• Brotherhood and camaraderie
• unity uplifting not like fraternities
• Providing a place for Black men to come together
• venting home away from home
• SAABs contribution to the community
• something positive reaching out

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• Additional themes mentioned
• Mentoring, role models, advisors
• Spirituality
• Academic support
• Leadership

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• At the 2006 SAAB Institute, a focus group of
  senior SAAB members and alumni were asked to
  respond to four questions
• What aspects of campus life have had the greatest
  positive impact on completion of your college
  degree?
• What aspects of campus life have served as
  obstacles during your college matriculation?
• From where do (or did) you draw your strength to
  succeed in college?
• What experiences positive or negative outside
  the classroom had the most impact on your college
  experiences?

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• The most predominant theme was the access to
  mentors and role models
• Roles of mentors is to help students test ideas
  and themes and
• Mentor shares experiences someone to really look
  up to
• Mentors are not always African-American Look at
  people who want to help regardless of their race
  and receive help wherever you can find it
  Could be a white guy mentor should be genuine
  a local businessman
• Develop a model of new expectations not same
  programs and same problems

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• The importance of support from family and friends
  (on-campus peers)
• Its about whats going on in the home
• Camaraderie peer support people with the same
  interests need to bond together
• associate with winners
• get strength from our women they believe in
  you
• strength from other leaders like ourselves

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• Achieving a sense of community on the campus
• Support of groups like SAAB SAAB prepared me to
  think critically about problems
• Finding support within the campus Black community
• Seeking people like me (athletes)
• part of a singing group
• assimilating to the campus dominant culture
• Build relationships administrators know who I
  am

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• Overcoming negative influences
• hip hop culture They stress bling-bling, the
  fast life the hip-hoppers bring the drug-pushing
  mentality into the music they do what sells
  records underlying mental enslavement you
  repeat what you hear you play out what you hear
  and see, such as on BET Guys live out what
  they see on the idiot box
• divisions among Black students on campus lack
  of communication confrontation at every event
• over-involvement of a few students let some
  folks go, if they are not helping you

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• Giving back
• groom successors
• help other people think for themselves break
  the cycle
• go talk to freshmen
• lift others up as you go be sure to reach back
  to help others
• Coming to campus with the seed of success
• Importance of faith when we took spirituality
  out of our lives, we began to fall

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SAAB Focus Group Research

• Summary Analysis
• Current underclassmen recognize the importance of
  brotherhood, camaraderie, peer support, and
  making a contribution
• Seniors and alumni recognize the importance of
  mentoring (whether they had it or not) and of
  connectedness to the campus, their family, and
  peers
• Themes common to both groups Peer support,
  mentoring, reaching out to others, spirituality

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DR. KEVIN ROMEVice President for Student
Services Morehouse College
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S.A.A.B.Student African American
BrotherhoodThe Effectiveness of Black Mens
Support Groups A Research Report

• Does participation in a campus organization
  focused on African American men enhance identity
  development?
• Are there any perceivable differences in identity
  development between participants in campus
  organizations focused on African American men and
  non-participants?
• Are there any perceivable differences in
  environment comfort between participants in
  campus organizations focused on African American
  men and non-participants?

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S.A.A.B.Student African American
BrotherhoodResearch Questions

• Does S.A.A.B. have a positive effect on the
  retention of African American males on
  predominately White college campuses?
• What affects the persistence of African American
  male college students on predominately white
  college campuses?
• What are important factors of mentoring to
  African American male college students on
  predominately White college campuses?

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S.A.A.B.

• Retention Strategy
• Create less threatening environment
• Ample opportunities for exploration of racial
  issues
• A supportive and nurturing environment
• Accountability/Commitment
• To personal goals
• To S.A.A.B. (I Am My Brothers Keeper)
• To institution/school
• Leadership opportunities through active
  committees
• Ongoing academic success initiative
• Mentoring

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S.A.A.B.Student African American
BrotherhoodWhat makes S.A.A.B. work?

• Black males uniqueness is recognized
• Issues germane to Black males are addressed
• Mentoring
• Leadership Opportunities
• Male Bonding Experience
• Committed and dedicated advisors
• High Standards/Structure

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S.A.A.B.Student African American
BrotherhoodApplied Implications

• Faculty/staff mentors make a difference
• AA males want support/connections with other AA
  males
• AA males want to be campus leaders
• Mentoring works
• Recommendations
• Other concerned faculty/staff/students utilize
  this study on their campus

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PRESENTATION TEAM
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S.A.A.B.AFFIRMATION

• The Forgotten Journey
• In order to empower ourselves and promote
  brotherhood,
• We the brothers of the Student African American
  Brotherhood, embrace the principles of
  accountability, proactive leadership,
  self-discipline, and intellectual development.
• Through our beliefs and convictions, we uphold
  this mission at all times.

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SAAB PANEL

• BRANDON TUCKER
• University of Toledo
• MIKE MARION
• Former Advisor, San Diego State University
• JUSTIN GRIMES
• University of Arkansas

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A DIALOGUE WITH THE PANEL
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SAAB MOTTOI AM MY BROTHERS KEEPER AND
TOGETHER WE WILL RISE
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• VISIT THE S.A.A.B. WEBSITE
• www.2cusaab.org
• (LEAVE CONTACT INFORMATION ON INDEX CARD)
• SAVING LIVES.SALVAGING DREAMS!