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| Graduates of the high school "Man Up" program |
That’s why Oakland Community College leaders crafted
a program whose goal is to keep young African American men in school and on track
to succeed.
The goal of “Man Up,” now in its third year, is
to engage students early in their high school and college careers, make them
aware of pitfalls they will encounter in college, and teach them how to surpass
them, says Lloyd Crews, dean of the Southfield campus and one of the program’s
creators.
“There’s a huge academic gap between males and
females and particularly, males of color,” Crews says. “What we’ve found as
educators is that it’s important for young men to be successful from the start.
If they come into a situation they are not prepared for, they often opt out
rather than ask for help.”
One of the goals of “Man Up” is to teach students
to not walk away from situations that are uncomfortable, meet challenges and
get the work done, Crews says.
“The all-male environment has many purposes and
one of them is to help them feel less apprehensive about saying they don’t know
something, because when they meet they are ‘just a bunch of guys,’” he adds.
“Man Up” offers both high school and college
students lessons that are personal and academic in nature. They include study
skills, time management, note taking, self-advocating, healthy relationships
and budgeting. It facilitates group discussions on personal responsibility and
accountability, especially toward peers. African American men who are successful
in a variety of fields are also invited to make presentations to students about
their careers and the path that led them there.
The program has helped nearly 100 students in the
last three years at high schools in Oak Park and Southfield and the OCC
campuses in Southfield, Royal Oak and Orchard Ridge. High school programs
usually last 12 weeks. The format on college campuses is that of an ongoing
club where students take on leadership roles.
Gregory Anderson was a student leader with the “Man
Up” program in the Orchard Ridge campus in Farmington Hills. He graduated from OCC in May and plans to enroll at Wayne State
University to study finance and communications this fall. He said “Man Up”
helped him improve his leadership skills and to understand that leaders must
embody the message they bring.
“Having to be on top of other students made me be
on top of my own work,” says Anderson, 28, of Southfield. “The biggest lessons
were learning what it takes to be a man, learning what my responsibilities
are.”
“The program is a bridge for students that go
from high school to college,” he added. “This is a critical time and students
are generally not very good at asking for help when they need it.”
The
program aims to teach students what expectations are in college early on, says
Jahquan Hawkins, Student Life Coordinator at the Orchard Ridge campus and an
advisor for “Man Up.”
Hawkins felt drawn to
advising the program because of his own difficulties transitioning from high
school to college, he says.
“I was an honor student
coming out of high school,” he says. “But because I didn’t establish good study
habits, it was hard for me to adjust to college. My study habits put me at a
deficit.”
He was able to recover from
that deficit and now feels he is well positioned to help others with similar
challenges.
The term “Man Up” was
chosen for several reasons, Hawkins adds.
“We want young men to
make the transition from boyhood to manhood and be accountable.
They are also
expected to pull the next man up and make sure they get to where they need to
be.”
“’Man Up” also teaches
about having a greater purpose than yourself,” he adds. “The “Man Up” program
sheds light on the fact that you have influence over other people and you have
to handle that influence responsibly.”
To find out more about “Man
Up,” contact Dr. Lloyd Crews at lccrews@oaklandcc.edu.
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