Dreams Deferred?

A recent event highlighted the lack of black men in college--and ways to raise the rateby Denai BrownAlpha D. Sesay, an economics major at CCNY, had challenges that sometimes made his undergraduate career difficult. “I took a year off between my second and third year of college because of financial challenges," says Sesay. "Because of financial incentives [GI bill], I was able to return to school. But I found my second time around at school more challenging, primarily for the year off, and also for the intensity of the workload. But I was able to commit and finished it out.”Sesay was able to tough it out, and remain in school, but many young black men don't make it. This challenge was highlighted last month at an event co-sponsored by the Black Studies Program called, “Minority Males: Beyond The Failure Syndrome. ”Also sponsored by RAP- SI, the Retention Achievement Professionalism Success Institute, the program offers mentoring and is a subsidiary of CUNY BMI (Black Male Initiative). The mission: to increase, encourage, and support the retention and educational success of under-represented groups in higher education.National statistics point to a lack of black male students in college. In 2010, only 37 percent of black college graduates were men, compared to  63 percent women. Among other ethnic groups, the gender ratio is not as dramatic. The underrepresentation of black men in higher education is not a new phenomenon, but today the gap is much wider. In 1988, when the overall gender split was roughly even, there were still more black females than black males among college graduates (53 percent vs. 47 percent).Numbers also tell the story at CCNY. In 2001 the black male non-Hispanic undergraduate population at CCNY was 1,370 or 34.7 percent. Last year, though enrollment was up, the number of black male undergraduates had dropped to 20 percent.Men of color have trouble staying in school for a number of reasons, notes Gordon Thompson, the director of the Black Studies Program, who spoke at the event. “Men of color have abilities that are hidden between bad habits academically,”says Thompson. “Black male students do not negotiate when turning in a paper if they cannot turn it in on time. [They] do not have the skill set for best student practices.”Other circumstances can also lead to college challenges. “Men of color may have had poor high school preparation and also financial difficulties play a role in their success,” adds Thompson. “They do not take care of depression and mental disorders. They do not seek advice from professors for graduate schools or advice in general.”Mayor Jeffrey Jones of Patterson, New Jersey, says he can relate to these struggles. Speaking at the event, he noted that he lacked the skill set for college and did not have a teacher who motivated him. He ended up in the Air Force, which, along with the church and his family, put him back on track.“Destiny brought me back here to understand corporate America,” says Jones, who eventually received his master's degree. He advised the crowd of about 50 attendeees to take chances and dare to succeed. “Free yourself from yourself," he says. "It’s okay to make some mistakes as long as you know how to correct those mistakes.”