A number of student groups and departments came together Wednesday during an academic fair to inform new students of the resources Binghamton University has to offer.
The event was held by the Men of Color Scholastic Society (MCSS), a student group dedicated to building up the retention and graduation rates of minority students.
“We’re not just in Binghamton; the group began in [SUNY] Brockport,” said Jahumi Harrigan, a graduate student in the Decker School of Nursing and MCS2 graduate adviser. “We had our first annual summit there last year, and we’re in other schools around the country.”
After an introductory speech made by a member of MCSS, approximately 10 students who were attending the fair broke up into a variety of workshops and tabling focused on the resources that the school offers.
The group’s focus has been to educate freshman students, of all ethnicities, on how to avoid common pitfalls that occur after leaving home for the first time.
“You’re here to get that 4.0. People start to get wild, and when they try to get a job or even transfer into a specialized school, they find they just don’t have the grades,” said Edwin Torres, a senior attempting a master’s of science from Decker with a double degree in sociology and MCSS chair committee member. “The GPA is cumulative, it doesn’t forgive what you did in the past.”
Among the participants of the academic fair were representatives of Academic Advising, the McNair Scholars program and the Multicultural Resource Center. Each representative was there to advertise the various aid and scholarships that their group offers.
MCSS members believe that the school increases its retention rate by offering these resourceful programs.
“A lot of people don’t realize that Sodexo has scholarships or that the CDC [Career Development Center] can help them out with their professional career,” Torres said. “These opportunities open up the horizons for all of these students.”
MCSS holds meetings at least once a week, often bringing in lawyers, doctors or professors and guest speakers. Among the programs offered will be those on business dress, etiquette and even golf lessons.
“When you know golf, it really helps in the professional world,” Harrigan said.