ISSUE 3 S p r i n g This Issue 2 0 2 0 It’s Not Funny Afterall P.1 College Men & Residence Life P.2 You Earned Your Wings P.3 THEY EARNED Making the Grade Went Viral P.4 THEIR WINGS Blue Devil in Orange Tiger Country P.5 The following Differences Between Men and Women P.6 registered participants 5th Annual Dads Matter Too Conference P.7 of the Brotherhood Ropes to Courage P.8 Initiative earned a 3.0 In the Spotlight P.10 or better for the fall Bassett Update P.13 2019 semester (p. 3) Bassett Humanitarian Award Recipient P.14 Mr. Anas Alomari IT’S NOT FUNNY AFTER ALL and/or disparaging them for their gender Miss. Edith Anger by William Fothergill was accepted and seen as humorous. We all Miss. Tara Brooks Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, I laughed, and probably never really thought Mr. Cameron Clark had the opportunity to catch up on my about the power of the hidden message. We Mr. Eric Desmarais television viewing. I am not sure if this was a laughed when Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) good or bad thing, but it provided me with was called a “dingbat” by her tv husband Dr. Byron Dickens the opportunity to do what social scientist Archie on the sitcom All in the Family. We all Mr. Mahmoud Elassy loves to do – observe. It only took a few days laughed at Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), on the Mr. Joseph Gohar to remind myself about the biases that exist show Three is Company, when she was depicted as the embodiment of a “dumb in the media. I grew up in an era where Miss. Sarah Goodell television had very unhealthy and blond”. Even the iconic Lucille Ball played to Mr. David Johnson Jr. stereotypic images. the stereotypes about women and was belittled by her real and television husband Mr. Justin Merville There was a significant contrast between Desi Arnaz. how men and women were portrayed in the Mr. Duku Nyarko media. Sitcoms on television was flooded The humor I once found watching these Mr. Andrew Olihan with images of women who appeared as television programs was replaced with Miss. Amber Paluck buffoons, stupid, silly, submissive, and/or “ouch” moments. The overt messages Mr. Rachney Sainval dependent. Male characters appeared as appear as innocent humor, while the covert leaders, courageous, decisive, providers, and messages (e.g., microaggressions, biases, Mr. Mike Sanon protectors. Whether intentional or etc.) exist as oppressive acts that stifle Mr. Jonathan Smith unintentional, the hidden massages on personal growth and opportunities. Mr. Cade Snow television were powerful and provided girls Subjecting girls and women to unhealthy and women with very few images that images of womanhood and using derogatory Mr. Dequan Williams demonstrated their capacity to be generalization can negatively impact how Miss. Shwar Zaidi courageous, adventurous, independent, society sees women and how women see intelligent, and capable. Images like my themselves. mother and sisters who were strong Today we acknowledge the significant impact examples and models of healthy these negative messages have on the womanhood. esteem, confidence, and the life pursuits of Sadly, calling women stupid, exploiting their young women. To address the impact of these unhealthy messages, several national inadequacies, using broad stereotypes, (Continued on page 11) 1 College Men & Dorm Life When I pointed out how women fought for By Justin Merville the Women’s Center, the women in the room Word of the month For those that live on campus, dorm life holds appeared to understand the need for a Men’s a significant value in life-long development. Center. You are influenced by various opportunities such as the activities on campus and the new faces you acquaint yourself with. As a man myself, I understand why it is necessary to find independence in living on campus. Unfortunately, most men struggle achieving this asset in life. Providentially, this is one of the things the Brotherhood Initiative In my opinion, we have yet to gain our own specializes in. In order to target these men, whether freshmen, sophomores, juniors or center because male students lack the seniors, I went directly to them by eagerness to fight. The participants realized approaching them in their dorms. that the Brotherhood Initiative is not just a club singling out gender, but it is movement My first outreach experience to men took that has an influence on all students. What is most relatable about the Brotherhood place in Beecher Hall. I was given the opportunity to speak with 25 students at a Initiative is the stories of each of its members. Hall Council meeting on February 18th. Our individual stories about our struggles, During the meeting, students discussed successes, and our ability to overcome allows current events on campus, residence hall us the opportunity to share a message that we issues, and campus are here for our brothers’ and sisters’ academic success. Whether mentally or Resources that could serve beneficial to physically, the Brotherhood Initiative is here student success. I spoke briefly about the for students to lean on and directed them Brotherhood Initiative’s “Making the Grade” towards a healthy and rewarding life. Study Sessions held every Friday at the Africana Center. I spoke about health and wellness tips we provide and informed them about the “Real Talk” conversations. His was my first experience networking with other students and collecting them to upcoming Brotherhood Initiative events. I was impacted most by the women in the Hall Council meeting who were interested in our services. 2 YOU EARNED YOUR WINGS! The BROTHERHOOD Initiative hosted our first Earn Your Wings Honor Roll Reception. The program was created as a vehicle to promote male student academic achievement. During the reception, the Brotherhood Initiative recognized eighteen CCSU students who earned a 3.0 GPA or better for the fall 2019 semester. Two students where recognized for honorable mentions for having GPA’s above 2.8. Each of the male and female honorees are registered participants of our campus’s Men’s Initiative. “The reception serves as our way to encourage and promote Attendees: Lt. Amber Paluck, Rachney Sainval, Edith Anger, Joseph Gohar, Mike the academic success of CCSU male and Sanon, Tara Brooks, (Back row) Mahmoud Elassy, Anas Alomari, Jonathan female students who have signed on to Smith, and Mr. Andrew Fal (Brotherhood Initiative Advisor). our initiative”, said Mr. William Fothergill, Coordinator of the Brotherhood Initiative. Attendees were treated to a buffalo wing reception and HAITIAN STUDENTS HELP EXPAND were given a gold wing keychain as a symbol of their success. It is our hope to SERVICES TO COLLEGE MEN improve the overall graduation rate of college men every time a brother earns Furthering the effort to expand academic and retention resources for CCSU male students, the leadership of the HEALTHYfellows / his wings! Brotherhood Initiative decided to increase its paid student support staff. Typically operating as an all-volunteer student led initiative, For Every 3.0 or Better A the Brotherhood Initiative decided to hire six Student Success College Man Earns His Wings Advocates (i.e., student workers) to serve as retention outreach specialist. The Student Success Advocate position is not a new position but has continued to exist as a vital role performed by members of the initiative since 2010. Student Success Advocates serve as a campus wide retention agent who connects male students to on and off-campus resources, help them accomplish personal goals, and support their retention and graduating from college The newly hired Student Success Advocates brought a Haitian flare to their outreach activities. Ironically, five of the six hires are individuals of Haitian descent. In Haitian Creole… “Mwen vrema fyè de ou paske ou fè tout bagay ak siksè!” “I am very proud of you because you do everything with success.” 3 MAKING THE GRADE WENT VIRAL MAKING THE GRADE WENT VIRTUAL! Are you falling behind in your classes? Are you having difficulty remaining motivated? Do you dislike studying alone? Do you need someone to hold you accountable for getting your work done in a timely manner? For the remainder of the semester, the Brotherhood Initiative hosted a series of Making the Grade Group Study Sessions on Zoom. We focused on helping students make the grade. After the campus shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize that many of our peers were struggling with motivation and reported having difficulty completing online assignments. We set out to provide additional academic and accountability supports. The online Zoom group Student Study Sessions held students accountable for getting their work done (e.g., organization, planning, advice, managing their time, and/or encouragement). At the end of each study session, Student Success Advocate were available to review completed work and provide students with feedback. The study sessions were free and available to all CCSU students. “I feel like it is very important for men to know they have helpers and supporters in life that will keep them grounded and not lose track”, said Mike Sanon, Student Success Advocate. SUCCESS SEMINARS STUDENTS HELPING STUDENTS The success of CCSU college men is our number one priority. We believe that the most effective support programs are not created for but are created by and with students. We intentionally solicit feedback from students in order to find out what they need and Sisters joining forces with brothers in order to create a more just and equitable how we can partner with them to get their needs met. The world for all. Success Seminars existed as a series of presentations coordinated by and for students.