Universities reach out to African American students

After her father’s sudden death, Tanisha Washington, her sister and her disabled mother moved from Indiana to Los Angeles. Her mother, who suffered two heart attacks, believed the doctors in Los Angeles could help her condition. But when they arrived in Los Angeles, they could not find affordable housing and instead lived in motels or shelters for several months. At one time, Washington and her family ended up on Skid Row.

Attending college and earning a bachelor’s degree remained a goal for Washington. She started her college career at Los Angeles City College and graduated as class valedictorian with an associate’s degree in computer science and information technology.

Now, Washington, 24, is a senior at California State University, Long Beach with a 3.9 grade point average in information systems. Her next goal is to obtain a master’s degree in computer science. For now, she spends much of her free time raising awareness about the importance of a college education.

“It is never too early to get your children involved,” Washington said. “A college education is more important now than ever before.”

This message echoed during Washington’s speech at the Price Chapel AME Church in South Los Angeles on a recent Sunday, but also resonated at more than 100 African American churches in California over the course of several Sundays. For the past five years, university presidents, the chancellor and other speakers from the California State University’s 23 campuses have hosted outreach efforts, called Super Sunday.

“When you are working with diverse communities, you want to be respectful of what systems are already working in that community, what programs are already out there and what ways you can interact with that community,” Erik Fallis, CSU media relations specialist, said. “We found churches to be one of the strongest ways to reach prospective students in this community.”

Speakers from CSU campuses watched church services with members from the community and spent the next hour answering questions about how to prepare for college and what to expect during the process.

“This personal contact we have with prospective students leaves a huge impression on them,” Nancy Wada-McKee, assistant vice president for student affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, said. “We also try to bring a student speaker with us to show these future college students a living example of what is possible.”

As the speakers reached out at these churches, the community responded.

Last year, the number of African American students applying for freshman admission at CSU campuses increased 30 percent, Washington said. But, she added, “Even though the numbers sound encouraging, we need to prepare these students and continue to inspire more African Americans to go to college.”

Systemwide, the percentage of African American students as of fall 2009 is about 6 percent, Fallis said.

But with the ongoing budget cuts to CSU campuses, Fallis said the CSU system will do one thing differently this year.

“We put an increased focus on early college preparation, especially starting at the middle school level,” Fallis said. “If we are doing things like cutting down on enrollment and expecting students to meet transfer requirements when they come out of community colleges, students will have to be more prepared and know exactly what the CSU requirements are going to be.”

But for Elmer Redding, a resident of Los Angeles, attending college is not just a goal he set for himself. His mother, who passed away in 2002, inspired Redding to further his education.

“I also realized I did not want to live paycheck to paycheck for the rest of my life,” Redding said.

Anthony Seaborne, a resident of Los Angeles, agreed. As a freshman at View Park Prep High School, he feels he should already begin to prepare.

“I will probably take classes over the summer at a local community college,” Seaborne said. “Starting early will prepare me for the next couple of years.”

Though Washington pushes for early preparation, she also stresses the importance of community support.

“These students need support from their friends, siblings and families,” Washington said. “Please continue to do that and everything will fall into place.”