To enhance and promote the well-being of minority students in the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), undergraduate students have founded a student organization called Promote 360: A Cycle of Minority Empowerment and Support. The group, which is open to all, is seeking additional members.
Promote 360 is dedicated to supporting the social, academic and professional well-being of minority and underrepresented students within SESP, according to its mission statement. Although there has been considerable discussion campus-wide this year about diversity and minority recruitment, SESP provides a rich environment for hosting the organization, says president Cassandra Chen, a senior in social policy. "Because we are such a small and tight-knit community, we have a community to build from," she notes.
Chen traces the roots of Promote 360 to the fact that "a number of people all felt this need that something tangible had to exist." After she and vice-president Tabitha Bentley initiated conversations with their advisers because of their interest in race and diversity issues, an initial meeting was held. The organization took off under the sponsorship of SESP.
"I think the mission of Promote 360 is closely aligned with the mission of SESP -- to improve people's
lives," says Susan Olson, assistant dean of student affairs at SESP. "This is a very talented and motivated group of students who are coming together to enhance the lives of minority and underrepresented students in the school."
Freshmen took an active role in launching the group. "This group of freshmen felt a little more lost than comfortable," says Chen, who notes that so far most of the members of Promote 360 are freshmen, whom she describes as "a pretty impressive cohort." To get next year's freshmen off to a strong start, Promote 360 wants to create long-term big brother/ big sister mentorships that outlive the peer adviser relationships during New Student Week.
Major plans for the future include developing programs related to career exploration and skill building. The group's goals also reach beyond academic and social support for SESP students. For example, members want to work with Evanston and Chicago schools to mentor grade school and high school students and develop interest in the SESP disciplines. At the same time, they'd like to develop connections with Northwestern alumni, faculty members and community leaders. In addition, minority recruitment, both for students and faculty, is an issue at the top of their agenda.
Recruitment of minority faculty and students was one topic of discussion at Promote 360's first major event, "A Discussion with Professors of Color." This panel discussion on April 11 featured Mary Pattillo, professor of sociology and African American studies; Jelani Mandara, assistant professor of human development and social policy; Krista Thompson, assistant professor of art history; and Patrick Johnson, associate professor of performance studies. The faculty members discussed their career experiences and academic life as a member of a minority group.
Another recent event hosted by Promote 360 was a "Grassroots Party" on April 13 with dinner and music by deejay G-Los . Events are being held spring quarter to advise students of this new resource and to encourage involvement.
Chen says she'll judge the program successful if she sees more students using SESP as a home base and hears that SESP minority students are feeling a closer sense of community. "We want to make sure that students can find community here," says Chen.
In addition to Chen and Bentley, the founding officers of Promote 360 are Kaitlin Barancik and Keenya Hofmaier, networking; Aaron Beswick, advocacy; Shari Lewis, mentoring; Lauren Walker, leadership and professional development; Monica Guerrero, secretary; Alex Sims, community building/home base; Corey Winchester, treasurer/fundraising; and Jeremiah Tillman, outreach. Anyone interested in joining the organization or attending their events will find news of happenings on the SESP web site.
Photo captions
TOP: Officers of Promote 360 include (front) Shari Lewis, Alex Sims, Tabitha Bentley, Monica Guerrero, Keenya Hofmaier, (back) Jeremiah Tillman, Cass Chen and Corey Winchester. Officers not pictured are Aaron Beswick, Kaitlin Barancik and Lauren Walker.
MIDDLE: Promote 360's first event, "A Discussion with Professors of Color," featured a panel discussion with faculty members (from left) Mary Pattillo, Jelani Mandara, Krista Thompson and Patrick Johnson.
BOTTOM: At the April 13 "Grassroots Party," SESP Student Affairs Assistant Yashiva Edwards and students Tabitha Bentley and Chizelle Rush enjoy dinner and music.