Outreach to African American
Male College Students
Dwaine S. Campbell, Ph.D.
Wayne State University
drcampbell@wayne.edu
2008 National Outreach Conference for Counseling Centers

Agenda
! Introduction and Overview
! The Experiences of African American Male Students
! Attitudes Towards Mental Health Services
! The Crisis Afflicting African American Male Students
! Recommendations to Address the Issue
! A Case Example . . . Brother’s Keeper
! Questions, Comments, and wrap-up
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Personal Stories
Michael Jamal Tony
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The Unique Experience of African American Men
on Predominately White College Campuses
! Some African American men are excelling in college. A
2005 article by Harper highlighted the experiences of
several high achieving African American male students.
Collectively, the group had been awarded nearly
$500,000 in merit-based scholarships and awards and
were campus leaders.
! It is important to keep in mind that African American
male students are a diverse group. The experiences of
these few do not reflect the experience of the majority of
African American men.
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The Unique Experience of African American Men
on Predominately White College Campuses
! On college campuses across the nation, the African
American male student population is the smallest in
comparison to White males, White females, and African
American females (Wild & Wilson, 1998).
! African American male college students experience a
significant number of difficulties and they do not succeed
as well as others do on predominately white college
campuses. Yet, African American males tend not to
seek mental health services on white college campuses.
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The Unique Experience of African American Men
on Predominately White College Campuses
! African American students on predominately White
campuses (PWC)
\" perceive the campus more negatively (Gloria, et al. 1999).
\" suffer culture shock their first year at a PWC
\" deal with pressure to conform to White standards
\" face discrimination
\" often feel that activities don’t relate to their interests
(Feagin and Sikes, 1995).
\" feel marginalized (Gossett et al, 1998)
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African American Men on PWC:
Concerns and Attitudes Toward Counseling
! 2005 Study on African American men at two mid-western college
campuses. As part of the study they were asked about their
concerns and attitudes about counseling. Both assessed with the
Personal Problem Inventory (PPI - Pounce and Atkinson, 1989)
! Consists of 40 items
\" On the first 20 items participants are asked to indicate to what
extent the items are a problem.
\" On the next 20 questions participants indicate their willingness to
seek help from mental health professionals for each of the
problems
\" Participants indicate their response on a 6 point Likert-type
Scale: 1 -being, \"Not a problem at all\" to 6 being, \"Very
significant problem.“
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African American Men on PWC:
Concerns and Attitudes Toward Counseling
! Items on the PPI
1. General anxiety 11. Drug use
2. Alcohol use 12. Inferiority feelings
3. Shyness 13. Test anxiety
4. Sexual functioning 14. Difficulties making friends
5. Depression 15. Trouble studying
6. Conflicts with parents 16. Academic performance
7. Speech anxiety 17. Financial matters
8. Dating difficulties 18. Alienation –- not belonging
9. Career Choice 19. Adjustment to college
10. Insomnia 20. Loneliness/isolation
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African American Men on PWC:
Concerns and Attitudes Toward Counseling
! Top Concerns Experienced by Students
\" Financial 85.3%
\" Academic Performance 72.4%
\" Trouble Studying 71.3%
\" Shyness 62.6%
\" Career Choice 62.1%
\" Test Anxiety 57.8%
\" General Anxiety 51.7%
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African American Men on PWC:
Concerns and Attitudes Toward Counseling
! Concerns participants were most willing to seek help for:
\" Academic Performance 74.8%
\" Financial 73.0%
\" Career Choice 71.9%
\" Test Anxiety 67.8%
\" Trouble Studying 66.7%
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African American Men on PWC:
Concerns and Attitudes Toward Counseling
! Concerns participants were least willing to seek help for:
\" Sexual Functioning 38.1%
\" Drug Use 45.2%
\" Dating Difficulties 45.6%
\" Difficulties Making Friends 46.5%
\" Loneliness/Isolation 48.7%
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African American Men on PWC:
Concerns and Attitudes Toward Counseling
! Summary:
- Of the top 7 concerns noted by African American male
students, 5 were academic/financial in focus and 2 were
personal/relational in focus.
- Most willing to seek help for academic and financial
concerns and least willing to seek help for
personal/relational concerns.
- For some issues the percentage of African American
males willing to seek help was lower then the percentage
that indicated the issue was a problem (e.g., shyness,
trouble studying and financial problems.
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Applied implications of this Study
! There may be a distinction between the problems African
American male students experience and the problems
for which they are willing to seek psychological help.
! African American men may be suffering and will not seek
out psychological help (especially for personal/relational
concerns like loneliness/isolation or difficulties making
friends).
! Positive note, African American male students appear
willing to seek help for academic and financial concerns.
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Pulling It All Together . . . .
! As a result the aforementioned personal and
environmental factors, differences can be seen in
educational attainment and graduation rates on PWC for
African American males compared to White students and
African American female students.
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The Crisis Afflicting African American Men on
Predominately White College Campuses
! Headlines in the early 1990’s espoused good news
about the increase in the number of African American
students enrolled in college. In 1992, over 25 percent of
all African Americans ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in
higher education, compared to only 18 percent in two
decades earlier . . .
However, this increase reflected an improvement for
African American females, not males. In fact, rates for
males had declined (U.S. Department of Education data
cited in Slater, 1994).
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The Crisis Afflicting African American Men on
Predominately White College Campuses
! Graduation rates for this population from 1977 to 1991
reveal a depressing trend. Over a 13 year period no
progress was made increasing the number of African
American males attaining college degrees. In fact, there
was a slight decline (National Center for Educational Statistics cited
in Austin, 1996)
! In 2004 the American Council on Education reported that
the African American male graduation rate is the lowest
of any population.
! What does it all mean . . .
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The Crisis Afflicting African American Men on
Predominately White College Campuses
! African American male college students (in general) are
not succeeding as well as others on predominately White
college campuses. Despite the lack of success, this
population is not known for seeking services from
counseling centers as a way of increasing their chances
for success.
! Past research has found that students who utilize
counseling center services have better academic
performance and better rates of retention (Berry & Turner,
2000; Grogan, Kaddoura, Ochoa, and Schwitzer, 1993).
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Recommendations for Reaching African
American Men
! Based on these results university counseling centers
should look at the ways their services are marketed and
consider the following:
\" Bringing African American men in by using services
they find less threatening (e.g., career counseling and
educational counseling).
\" Use material that reminds men they are not weak for
seeking help
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Additional Recommendations
\" Utilization of the seeking-mode of service delivery
\" Using an aggressive outreach approach
\" Having a diverse staff
\" Applying knowledge of multicultural counseling and black
psychology
\" Constructing positive vibes in the office environment
\" Developing relationships with the community and,
\" Working to destigmatize the counseling process
(Based on the writings of June, 1986; Bonner 1997; Bell, 1996; Greer, 2005;
Thorn & Sarata, 1998; and Okonji, Ososkie, & Pulos, 1996)
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Applying research and theory to Practice:
Brother’s Keeper
! What is Brother’s Keeper?
\" Monthly seminar/luncheon organized for African American Men
at The UM Ann Arbor (Winter semester of 2007).
\" Seminar involved African American men on campus getting
together over lunch to discuss topics pertinent to the success
and retention of African American male college students.
\" The men at the seminar came from all levels of the university
(students, faculty, and staff).
\" Topics of discussion included: The African American male
experience on campus and African American Male identity.
! The Idea for seminar came out of research and
observations of what has worked and not worked over
the years.
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Development
! Establishing connections with the stakeholders
\" General students, student leaders and student groups
\" University departments that typically support African
American male students
\" African American male faculty and staff
! A needs assessment was completed with the
stakeholders:
\" Is there an interest in the seminar?
\" What concerns and topics should to be addressed?
\" When and where should meetings take place?
\" How should the meetings be structured?
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Development
! After connecting with stakeholders and assessing needs:
\" Proposal developed with budget
\" Funding secured (from several departments)
\" Seminar topics were selected, and speakers
chosen (with input from all stakeholders)
\" Location for the meetings secured and dates
chosen
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Publicity
! Advertisement for the Seminar
# Student leaders and seminar facilitators developed material
# One tool used to get students to attend . . . Free Lunch
# Information was disseminated via:
! African American student groups (e.g., NAACP, BSA)
! Student leaders
! University departments and programs
! CAPS
! Email
! Social networking websites (Facebook)
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Publicity
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Publicity
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Publicity
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Successes and
Challenges of the Seminar
! Successes of the Seminar
\" Good student attendance and participation
\" Student were able to normalize their struggles, and
hear ideas for coping and improving their chance for
success.
\" Students able to connect with various resources on
campus that they may have been hesitant to reach
out to or may not have known about already.
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Successes and
Challenges of the Seminar
! Sub Topics Discussed:
\" Being a role model for younger men and having older men as
role models.
\" The importance of community
\" Racism and ways to cope with it
\" Adversity and perseverance (Coping and asking for help)
\" What it means to be Black
\" What it means to be a strong Black man
\" Maturity and Accountability
\" Support/Resources on Campus
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Successes and
Challenges of the Seminar
! Comments from Participants:
\" Enjoyed being able to build community with other Black men
\" Liked meeting Black men from all levels of the university
(“Generational Mix”)
\" Great Conversation
\" Liked the “realness” of the discussion
\" Like the “thought provoking discussion.”
\" Liked the relaxed atmosphere and interaction
\" Liked the faculty and staff involvement
\" Enjoyed hearing the different perspectives and personal stories
\" Liked the suggestions being discussed
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Successes and
Challenges of the Seminar
! What participants took the from sessions:
\" Plan to open up to other people of color, trust more
\" Learned that they can count on others (support)
\" Need to be more of an asset to other black men (support)
\" Learned more about CAPS and Career Resources
\" Plan to work with other organizations, rather than against them
\" Importance of being open to using all their resources
\" Importance of interdependence and community
\" Importance of being involved with students
\" The need to be consistent
\" How to deal with negative people
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Successes and
Challenges of the Seminar
! Challenges
\" Getting the program started
\" Advertisement
\" The Seminar was attended mostly by Juniors, Seniors
and Graduate students, very few 1st and 2nd year
students.
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Brother’s Keeper ~ Successes and
Challenges of the Seminar
! Challenges (comments from participants)
\" Group size too large at times
\" Participants desired more time to talk and interact
with others
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Suggested ideas for future research and
programming include:
! More research on African American male cultural
values and how they impact help-seeking attitude
(exploring what factors keep these men from
considering counseling)
! Qualitative research, on the experiences of African
American male students in college (exploring their
successes and struggles and how these men cope).
! Continue using the seminar model to reach African
American men who don’t come in for traditional
counseling.
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Personal Stories (Revisited)
Michael Jamal Tony
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Questions, Discussion, Comments and
Feedback . . .
What other ideas do you have for addressing the
current situation for African American men and
applying information from this presentation to your
outreach work?
What specifically can counseling centers do to make
services more attractive for African American men?
(important to attend to their multiple identities)?
What ideas do you have for improving Brother’s
Keeper and other programs like it?
Campbell 2008