The Urban Male Initiative will begin its first year at the Pleasantville campus this semester.
Starting this semester, the Urban Male Initiative (UMI) will now be at the Pleasantville campus as well as the New York City campus. The organization was founded at the Pace New York campus, which is in its second year, with a creation committee of roughly 20 people mainly of staff from New York, but with a few Pleasantville members as well.
“I wasn’t able to take advantage of a lot of things as student,” Director of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs Cornell L. Craig said, “and now working in student affairs I see that many males don’t take advantage of the opportunities here at Pace.”
The main goal of the UMI is to facilitate the retention, scholarship, graduation, and leadership of historically underrepresented Black and Latino males. The focus is on creating strategies for success, prompting students to take advantage of the opportunities on campus, and emphasizing the opportunity of mentorship and connecting with other students on campus.
“I was always interested in what’s happening with men of color at a predominantly white institution and really wanted to facilitate in raising the bar for students,” Craig said. “It isn’t enough anymore for students to just do their time at college and graduate. In this day and age, being involved on campus is what gets you a job after you graduate.”
As part of the program, the UMI has a group of mentors that are designed to encourage men of color to meet with them, in order to express their feelings about life on campus, look for help with the scholarship and internship search, and have an opportunity to have someone to speak with that can relate to their situation.
“I wanted the UMI to be a one stop shop,” Craig said, “a place for personal, social, and academic growth…a place to discuss the ridiculous and the sublime as well as relationships, perception, home life, representation, and opportunity.”
Mentors have personal experiences of their own that allow for the connections and similarities to the lives of the student members. Some of the current mentors are Duran Taylor and Robert Thomas Jones. The majority of the mentors are staff members and fellow organization members, but the hopes are that soon Pace alumni can also become involved.
“We are really just trying to get the ball rolling,” Craig said “but I can see the possibility of working with other organizations and institutions in order to have better experiences for men of color. There are always new possibilities with networking.”
The first meeting will be Wed. Oct. 23 in conference rooms C and D at 5:00 pm and will be an informational meeting that will discuss the plans and ideas for the year. Students will be encouraged to express their opinions on future events and the direction that the organization will take on campus. The incorporations of internships, scholarships, and other scholarly aids will be influenced by the needs and wants of the members to help them succeed.
“I don’t want any competition with other organizations and events,” Craig said. “The idea is to create a community that is built to have as a resource as well. Students have a lot of power and it is important for them to realize that and use organizations to their benefit.”
Craig explained that he wants the organization to be there as an aid, and he hopes that students take an active role in choosing what they will do because the events and guest speakers are for them. Students that are interested in the organization can attend the upcoming meeting or contact Cornell Craig and ask him about how to become a part of the organization.
“Success wears different hats,” Craig said, “I want to help students find the one that fits.”