Abeyomi Adekahunsi said he wouldn’t be able to get any work done for his classes if books weren’t available for free at the African American Male Resource Center at Chicago State University.
The freshman received a book voucher for the fall t
Abeyomi Adekahunsi said he wouldn’t be able to get any work done for his classes if books weren’t available for free at the African American Male Resource Center at Chicago State University. The freshman received a book voucher for the fall term, but was unable to secure one for the spring. In a large room inside Chicago State University’s student union, the walls of the center are lined with images of powerful African American men such the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., activist Malcolm X and comedian-activist Dick Gregory. In between the images are African masks, African proverbs and the seven Kwanzaa principles. “Engage. Enlighten. Empower, has become our mantra. The ambiance draws them in and we don’t let them go. The young men need to see reflections of themselves. Everything is set up for them to succeed, not fail,” Ronald Harris, director of the African American Male Resource Center at CSU, told the Defender. He said “Operation Graduation” is the primary focus. Paying tuition doesn’t guarantee graduation. If they want to graduate, they must “put some skin in the game.” “We will do all we can to get you to the door, but you must be able to get in the door,” Harris said he tells the male students. The center, aimed at attracting and retaining Black males at the university, opened last year thanks to a $1.1 million federal grant secured by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-7th. It operates as a division under the Enrollment Dept. Chicago State is the oldest independently accredited public university in the city. There are an estimated 7,200 students at the predominantly Black state institution; about 1,100 are males. The center’s male students are offered a multitude of resources at their fingertips: computer center, free printing, free books for their courses, peer mentoring and tutoring, among other services. “Making sure you have all the books you need is half the battle at school. I was lucky to receive some financial assistance last year, but it fell short for this term. Being able to sign out the books I need, for free, helps me a great deal,” said Adekahunsi. Harris said the center gets a list of every course the student’s are enrolled in and gets two books for each course. If problems arise where a student isn’t able to buy the books they need, they can come in and check out the books daily. The student must leave their university identification card when taking out a book, he said. While the students are able to do needed research and papers for their classes, there’s also many forms of fellowship they can partake in through the center. Philip Craig, a recent graduate and member of the center, now works as a retention coordinator for Harris. “If there’s any issue they’re facing, I’m here to help. Whether it’s funding, identity issues where they have to project that aggressive male image or tutoring, they can come see me. I’m available to make sure things are as smooth as possible for them to stay in school and part of our family,” said Craig. Male speakers are scheduled regularly for the student. Recent speakers included the Rev. John Porter for an in-depth discussion about Black male violence and Olympian John Carlos. The center also lends its students out as mentors in a book club for boys at Mayo Elementary, Nicholson Elementary, Robeson High School and Williams Multiplex. The African American Male Resource Center also helps with transportation funding. “Sometimes everything can be in place, financial aid for classes and books, but then there are many that aren’t left with a way to get to school each day. While we do have nearly 300 students who live on campus, we’re largely a commuter school. Our students travel from all over the city and the suburbs,” said Harris. The center refuses to let anything get in the way of its males succeeding, said the university’s president Wayne Watson. “There’s absolutely no way they can walk in here and fail. To do so, they’d have to want to fail,” said Watson.
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