Cafe Nia
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
From the 2004 Ruby yearbook, Cafe Nia was an event held to celebrate and remember ancestors and black history. Cafe Nia is an event where primarily students of color at Ursinus College come together for a meal and host speakers and performances. Campus events like Cafe Nia help in building and sharing community on campus, aiding in retention of the students.
Ursinus College
Ruby Yearbook
Ursinus College
2004
Ursinus College
English
"Bridging The Gap" Grizzly Article, 1988
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
This Ursinus Grizzly newspaper article from September 23, 1988 coincides with the release of the first official Ursinus College Bridge Program report describing and assessing the Bridge Program. The article goes on to explain what the program is and why it is significant, pointing out that “ethnic and cultural diversity has not been a hallmark of the college,” and calling the Bridge Program “one of the most innovative endeavors Ursinus has taken.” It details the courses taken by the “Bridgers” and some of the field trips and side programs as well. These included introduction to the college community, practice in the Word Processing Lab and video-taping lab, trips to the Batch Institute for Ethnic Studies in Center City, and to Eagleville Hospital for Personality Disorders (as the main course taught was introductory Psychology). The article finishes on a positive note, mentioning the contentedness of the students who participated and plans from the administration to expand funding for the following year.
The Grizzly Staff
Ursinusiana Archives of Myrin Library
Ursinus College
September 23, 1988
Jean M. Kiss, Michelle L. Grande, Richard P. Richter, Karen Singhofen, Lora L. Hart, Peggy Hermann, Veronica Algeo, Robert Carmignani, Chuck Smith, and Lorraine R. Zimmer
Ursinus College holds the right to this resource
English
text
"Bridging the Gap" Grizzly article, 1988
Ursinus College campus, 1988
Minority Student Affairs Memorandum
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
Richard Richter memos the Senior Staff about his recent hiring of two black faculty members and a recruitment counselor in the Admissions Office for their plans to create the Bridge Program. This memo exhibits the progress being made on a strategic approach to having a more culturally diverse campus. Richter suggests questions for everyone to ask themselves about the sole purpose of the program and if the college has all the materials needed to properly handle any social and academic matter involving minority students. This is to pull together the right people and resources together so the program can smoothly go into motion.
Richard Richter
Ursinusiana Archives of Myrin Library
Ursinus College
January 25, 1988
B. Branker, Flamer, Richard Richter
Ursinus College holds the right to this resource
Bridge Program; Flamer
Printed memo, includes penmanship at top of first page
English
Text
Bridge Program, 1990
Ursinus College campus, 1990
Bridge Program Advertisement
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
The document gives a summary of what the Bridge Program is about and the types of students that would benefit the most from it. It explains when the students will arrive, where they will reside for the four weeks, and how all expenses will be covered. The courses offered will not only help lessen the workload for their first college semester but it will also provide an understanding to how things are run on campus, academically and socially.
Bridge Program Committee
Ursinusiana Archives of Myrin Library
Ursinus College
1990
Jack Cobbs and Jenneen Flamer
Ursinus College holds the right to this resource
Bridge Program
One page; typed & printed
English
Text
Bridge Program
Ursinus College campus 1990
Tradition vs Change
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
In this newspaper article, the author writes about the initial treatment that black students being admitted to Ursinus were facing. In specific, he argues about the age of the student and the rights that they have earned and continue to earn. However, Jackson talks about how to more effectively recruit black students, whom recieve a large white shock when they come to an administration like Ursinus. Additionally, Jackson emphasizes that the institution not only "lure" black students into their institution, but that they also carve a path to a degree for prospective black students. He talks about the necessity of the student in general to not stagnate, and to continue to make themselves better off. He lastly mentions programs like Upward Bound that would help the culturally deprived and disadvantaged black students.
The Ursinus Weekly, Byron Jackson
The Ursinus Weekly
Ursinus College Digital Commons
December 2nd, 1968
Byron Jackson
English
"Strategic Approaches to Multiculturalism in Higher Education"
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
A one-page typed document encouraging the school to adapt new strategies for minorities to be able to obtain a higher education. The document begins with exhibiting the effects of having a diverse strategic approach influenced by a conference at Villanova University attended by the contributors of this document. The document brings up the suggestion of having a three-credit course that deals with racism. There should also be a new faculty member to take the role of a Minority Adviser to head up this new approach to a more diverse campus. This is an important position because it will not only help with working exclusively with students of color but also as a push for student programs to mature and evolve in a respecting and appreciating the merit of diversity on campus.
Ursinus College Minority Affairs Committee of 1990
Ursinusiana Archives of Myrin Library
Ursinus College
May 1, 1990
B. Briggs, K. Connelly, B. McCallough, R. Ruiz
Ursinus College holds the right to this resource
One page; typed document
English
Text
Minority Affairs Committee, May 1990
Ursinus College campus, 1990
First African-American Graduate to be Honored
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
In The Grizzly, published February 3rd, 2011, Joshua Walsh wrote “First African-American graduate to be honored,” recognizing and awarding William Robert Crigler who was the first African-American graduate of Ursinus College in 1956. After an interview with a scout from Ursinus College, who was looking for an African-American student to enroll, Crigler ended up enrolling at Ursinus College. Crigler was very involved on campus; he studied several hours a day, played two sports, and sang in the school choir, to name a few. Crigler was devoted to helping children and young people and suggest to them “to take every opportunity. There’s room for everything.” The ceremony for William Robert Crigler took place on February 4th and 6th. He delivered an address in Bomberger Meditation Chapel as part of Ursinus College’s celebration of black history month. Since early efforts to recruit students of color, the recognition of Crigler is one of the ways Ursinus College has continued to work towards becoming more inclusive.
Joshua Walsh
The Grizzly
February 3rd, 2011
Ursinus College
English
What's Going on with Exposure?
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
In The Grizzly, published February 1st, 2007, Jon Gagas wrote “What’s going on with Exposure.” One evening the semester prior, Exposure had a potluck dinner where students of every color came together for a communal meal. Exposure is a group that gives students a faculty a forum for exposing their experiences of harassment and discrimination, as well as exposing people of different backgrounds. President Heather Saunders of Exposure believed the dinner was an achievement where it gives people of all “religious traditions, races, and sexual identities a place to dialogue.” Exposure is a response from students at Ursinus College that have created a designated time and place for all people of color to come together and build relationships with one another.
Jon Gagas
The Grizzly
February 1st, 2007
Ursinus College
Ursinus College
English
The Black Stereotype - A Dead Era
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
In this article of the Ursinus Weekly, Byron Jackson goes into small detail about the movement for student rights. The article attempts to bridge the gap between the acquisition of student rights, and the striving of black people towards their deserved place in society. Essentially, Byron Jackson tries to debunk the idea that black students fighting for their rights are all Black Nationalists. Simply put, the scenario described had involved Black Nationalists fighting for their rights under the guise of being students. However, Jackson attempts to falsify this claim, because as he states "each individual black person is his own person." In other words, Black Student Activism had been given a bad look as it related to black peoples movement in general towards equality, this stereotype reached black students, and Jackson here attempts to remove it. This would effect black students for generations, as they would be seen as parts of the Black Power movement, taking away from their fight for individual freedom.
The Ursinus Weekly, Byron Jackson
Ursinusiana Archives of Myrin Library
Ursinus College
December 5th, 1967
Ursinus College holds the right to this resource
Newspaper Article
English
Text
"The Black Stereotype - A Dead Era", Ursinus Weekly, 1967
Ursinus College campus, 1967
Confrontation: Black vs. White
Recruitment and retention of students of color at Ursinus College
The article is a brief recounting of black students at Swarthmore College in their fight for acceptance. In their protest, they ask for programs of education and to promote the realization of the Black struggle. The Afro-American students Society of Swarthmore sets goals to increase openings for black youth, expose and realize the history of Swarthmore and its connection to racism, and to create educative programs regarding black people, their history and struggle, and to increase even black staff. This event, as Byron Jackson writes, connects directly to the Ursinus College Black Student Alliance, in their quest for approval or denial. The two groups share the goal of increased black participation, even by black women as well, in their educative process and furthermore talk on the existence of black students on campus, and how the organizations future will affect it.
The Ursinus Weekly
Ursinusiana Archives of Myrin Library
Ursinus College
January 23rd, 1969
Byron Jackson
Ursinus College holds the right to this resource
Newspaper article
English
Text
"Confrontation: Black vs White" Ursinus Weekly, 1969
Ursinus College campus, 1969