By Dave Groves, staff writer
Starting a college education can be an overwhelming experience in many ways, and often, students will succeed or fail depending on how well they can adjust to a new and very demanding lifestyle.
The good news for underrepresented students enrolling at Oakland University is that a tremendous array of resources is available through the Center for Multicultural Initiatives.
Many first-year students learn about academic programs, support services, college life and financial aid programs through CORE (Collectively Oakland Retains Everyone) – a robust orientation initiative that has the opened doors of campus resources to hundreds of underrepresented students primarily from the city of Detroit.
Once they’re introduced to the university environment, CORE student and others can take advantage of
Students First – a Michigan Select Student Support Services Grant funded initiative through which CMI helps entering freshman feel more a part of the campus community. The center achieves this through additional orientation, counseling, peer mentoring, student activities and a variety of other support services.
“We know from the research that individuals who have a connection to the university have a much greater chance of being successful at the university,” said CMI Director Omar Brown-El. “We help them to transition into a new academic mindset they’ll need to have here on campus.”
Many CORE and Students First participants have adopted that mindset with the help of support services closely modeling those of the highly successful Oakland University Trustee Academic Success (OUTAS) scholarship program. The mission of OUTAS is to engage ethnically and culturally diverse students in scholarship and leadership programs, and it has encouraged roughly 40 percent of its participants to become student leaders on campus.
In addition, the cumulative grade point average of OUTAS students is 3.27, which compares favorably to the 2.75 cumulative average of all OU students. Over the last decade for which statistics are available, these students also have achieved four-year graduation rates as much as 23 percentage points higher than the general student population.
“That is just exhilarating for us,” Brown-El said, referring to this model of success. “We’re so encouraged by that because we see the potential for all of our students to excel.”
Roderick Caldwell, a junior from Detroit majoring in biology and pre-med, is one student who is harnessing that potential. He said the support he has received through the CORE and Students First has been invaluable.
“When you’re transitioning from high school into college, it’s a whole different experience. Students First gets you involved in campus life, which really helps,” Caldwell explained. He added that program administrators and counselors are there to help students make better decisions about priorities, time management, social issues, personal concerns and more.
“It helped me just to have a counselor to talk to. I don’t think I would have made it without that,” Caldwell said. “Coming to college pushes you to perform at the best level you can. Students First has always helped keep me on track, no matter what I’m doing.”
Students First program coordinator Arthur Hampton said many students who start with CORE and move into Students first participation are the first in their families to go to college. Also, many had high school experiences less demanding than what they’ll find at the university level. As such, being aware of all the services available to support them is the first and most crucial step to successfully making their way through college.
“First and foremost they know that CMI is a resource for them here on campus, and that’s critical” Hampton said. “What we’re really doing is providing a bridge to whatever academic or personal needs they have.”
Those wishing to learn more about academic opportunities at Oakland University and support services offered through CMI should visit
oakland.edu/cmi or call (248) 370-4404.
