At a glance
Men of color, particularly Black men, face systemic barriers in higher education that contribute to lower graduation rates and… Read full summary
- Funding received
- 2020-2021
- Mini
- Awarded
- $3,000
- Funding partners
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- UW Resilience Lab (UWRL)
Men of color, particularly Black men, face systemic barriers in higher education that contribute to lower graduation rates and adverse mental health outcomes. To address these challenges, the Brotherhood Initiative (BI) at UW plans to host an off-campus retreat fostering mentorship, community, and mindfulness among new and current BI scholars—advancing both academic success and well-being.
From early childhood to graduate education, men of color have been graduating at lower rates than their White and female counterparts for over two decades (Buchmann, 2009). Lower persistence and completion rates have often been attributed to a hostile campus climate, serving as a significant barrier for students of color in community college and university settings (Bonner & Bailey, 2006; Hurtado & Ponjuán, 2005). At PWIs, the lack of peers and faculty of color can elicit feelings of isolation, alienation, invisibility, and disengagement for minoritized students (Harper & Hurtado, 2007; Sáenz & Ponjuán, 2009). Men of color, and Black men in particular, face a set of conditions that place them at a distinct disadvantage in educational spaces. Over time, the culmination of these environmental stressors leads to a long list of harmful, chronic psychological, and physiological symptoms including anxiety, depression, emotional withdrawal, ulcers, high blood pressure, and extreme fatigue – all negatively influencing academic outcomes (Smith et al., 2011). Research suggests that creating a sense of belonging and community for men of color can promote positive identity development, improve environmental conditions for success, and increase persistence (Strayhorn et al., 2015; Brooms, 2018; Person et al., 2017).
The Brotherhood Initiative (BI) is requesting funds to support an out of classroom opportunity for our incoming cohort of scholars (cohort 5) and our current cohort of freshmen scholars (cohort 4). We intend to host an overnight, off-campus, retreat for 45-50 BI scholars in fall quarter 2021, to engage in critical conversations needed for them to be successful students and members of the University of Washington (UW) community. Through panels, activities, and storytelling, BI scholars will share about their background and future goals, and how they hope to obtain that through attending the UW. Current BI scholars, who will serve as mentors to the new group of BI scholars, will facilitate some of the activities and sit on a panel that will allow them to share their navigational capital through their experience at the UW. They will share best tips and practices to utilize campus resources to access student leadership positions, internships, and research. They will also discuss struggles they’ve faced in transitioning to the UW and how to get the most out of the BI to make that transition easier. Since cohort 4 scholars did not have a retreat because of COVID-19 pandemic and the virtual learning that took place in Fall 2020, we will include them in this overnight retreat, usually focused on the incoming cohort of first-year scholars.
Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 3: Good Health and Well Being
Throughout the duration of the retreat a focus is the strength that can be achieved through relationships with fellow scholars. As has been seen in previous cohorts during these retreats, it is these relationships that scholars rely on the most when they are facing a challenge with school or other personal challenge that is impacting their mental health. With the added component of the introduction of mindfulness activities at this retreat, we hope to build scholars skills that will assist them during high stress times throughout the academic year.
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
The mission statement of the Brotherhood Initiative (BI) is to empower undergraduate males of color to thrive on campus and graduate prepared for a lifetime of leadership, service, and success. This retreat is one of the many opportunities within the BI where staff, junior and senior scholars share with new scholars tips and tricks to successfully navigate the university, get into their first-choice or back-up major, obtain scholarships, internships, and research opportunities, that will not only help graduate, but also lead to successful lives after graduation.
Paul Metellus
Project lead
- metellph@uw.edu
- Affiliation
- Staff
- Affiliated groups
- Brotherhood Initiative
Request amount and budget
Measure the impacts
To determine whether our project met the intended goals, we will administer a survey immediately after the leadership retreat. The survey will contain a mixture of likert scale questions and open responses. Questions will focus on students’ self-reported increase in sense of belonging, knowledge of tools and resources to support their mental and physical well-being, and overall satisfaction with the experience. Feedback will be used to inform future events throughout the year, as well as retreats for following years.