UAF launches Nanook Brotherhood Project

October 3, 2018

The University of Alaska Fairbanks this week launched its new Nanook Brotherhood Project. The project will include the establishment of a local chapter of the national Student African American Brotherhood organization.

The Nanook Brotherhood Project, spearheaded by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Keith Champagne, aims to improve the educational outcomes for men of color at UAF. That means more men of color going to college, getting good grades, graduating and finding jobs in their field.

“We want to create a diverse environment for our students,” Champagne said. “Part of that is meeting these young men where they are, rather than trying to force them into a mold that the university creates. We are trying to shape the institution to meet the needs of the young men who choose to attend UAF.”

UAF has chosen to establish a SAAB Brother To Brother chapter, also known as a B2B chapter, which is open to students of all ethnic backgrounds. The hub of the Nanook Brotherhood Project is the chapter, which will provide a peer community for young men of color on campus, along with mentorship from chapter advisors and community leaders.

Among the founding members of the UAF chapter, establishing that sense of community is a high priority.

“My hope for this chapter is to create a family among diverse males within the student population,” said Joseph Egbejimba, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. “I believe UAF students will benefit from the creation of this chapter by gaining inspiration from peers within the student organization, motivation from being part of something larger than themselves and support from the resources the club plans to offer.”

The chapter will serve as a gateway to formal and informal support systems on campus, Champagne said. Chapter members can direct each other to campus resources such as the Writing Center or the Student Health and Counseling Center, based on their own experiences.

In addition to the support provided by the chapter, the Nanook Brotherhood Project team will work to help units throughout UAF understand the unique needs of young men of color, Champagne said. Those efforts might include training for staff, workshops that encourage networking with students and stronger safety nets for students who are struggling.

Beyond any institutional efforts, the Brother To Brother chapter will be its own safety net and accountability system, according to James Little, a founding member and junior petroleum engineering major. “We are going to push each other. When someone believes in you, that is powerful. That pushes you.”

Members of SAAB and Brother To Brother chapters nationwide also work with students in local K-12 schools to encourage college attendance. Several of the UAF chapter’s founding members said professional role models — men of color who earned college degrees — were rare when they were in high school.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t really know any engineers. I thought it was cool to be a basketball player or a rapper,” said Bangaly Kaba, a senior petroleum engineering major. “Reality hit when I got older; that is not what I really want to do. And now I can be a positive influence by showing younger students that I was able to succeed in college and so can they.”

If successful, the chapter will benefit more than the students and UAF, said Raymundo Lopez, a senior petroleum engineering major.

“Companies that are more diverse are typically most successful,” he said. “If we can create that kind of diversity in professional realm, we are going to be a successful nation.”

ON THE WEB:
https://www.uaf.edu/student-affairs/student-success.php
http://www.saabnational.org/

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Keith Champagne, 907-474-2600, kmchampagne2@alaska.edu.