Black students packed the Union Ballroom on Monday night to voice their concerns about unity and minority retention.
With a seven-member student panel and an open mic, about 200 students and administrators aimed to target problems and facilitate discussion during the two-hour event.
The students discussed the number of black faculty and staff members and the Task Force on Student-Police Relations. The students also discussed ASMSU Programming Board’s funding of conservative activist David Horowitz and how it chose not to fund the Black Celebratory, MSU’s first graduation to celebrate minority retention. ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
Tameria Warren, an environmental studies and applications senior and a State News columnist, was a panel member at the event representing the planning committee for Black Celebratory. The event has been criticized for causing separatism between races and ethnicities.
“The major issues are those that always affect minority communities, as far as student and police relations, issues behind the African-American celebratory,” she said, “general things students may have a problem with and need to get prepared for.
“Instead of talking among themselves, get involved to get facts. Black Student Alliance is doing good things. They are trying to get minority students involved, and students just need to step out and do their part.”
At the event, administrators and panel members responded to student comments and questions, such as lack of support from The State News.
Raena Ingram, a mechanical engineering freshman, said she attended the town hall meeting to help increase minority retention on campus.
“Before I came up here, I didn’t know I was a minority,” the Detroit resident said. “I found out we had a low-retention rate. I go back home, and people are doing the same things they have been doing. We need to be united. We don’t seem to be helping each other out, but we are bringing each other down.”
Lee June, vice president of student affairs and services, said he and other faculty members are working to solve problems affecting minority students. A recent study said MSU’s black retention rate is about 45 percent.
“We constantly try to monitor the graduation and retention rates,” June said. “The hope is, our numbers will remain the same or improve. We have a variety of programs to make sure students are satisfied and graduate.”
Darren Lamb, panel member and Black Student Alliance programming director, said his organization attempts to be a resource for students.
The journalism senior said minority retention was the most important issue discussed at the event.
“We’ve got too many brothers and sisters graduating in seven or eight years,” he said. “There hasn’t been an effective measure to counter that, get at the general mentality of the student community.
“More than progress, we need to hit the pavement and talk to people on the street and at the bus stop. The most effective way to get at people who aren’t here today is to get out and hit the streets.”
Camille Spencer can be reached at spenc105@msu.edu.
