BAS to focus on student retention

A lot of students don’t know why the Black Action Society exists.

Black Action Society… A lot of students don’t know why the Black Action Society exists.

Black Action Society President Mario Dones said that Friday night at the annual Indaba Ceremony in the William Pitt Union.

“We are having a serious, serious problem with black retention on our campus,” Dones said.

Pitt’s graduation rate for black students was 48.4 percent last year, according to Dones.

He drove this point by asking all of the freshmen and sophomores in the audience to stand. About 70 percent of the crowd got out of their seats.

When he asked the seniors in the room to stand, about 30 of the 350 audience members stood up.

Black retention isn’t the only issue BAS members are facing.

“The black community is in a place of leadership crisis,” keynote speaker Jeff Johnson said.

Johnson, an activist and TV personality for Black Entertainment Television, said young black people are calling on artists, entertainers and athletes to lead.

“What makes you think going platinum gives you the intellectual abilities to be a mentor?” Johnson said.

Johnson used “Shine Glow Go,” the theme of the BAS annual Get Acquainted Weekend, to encourage students to discover who they are by studying history.

He said black history isn’t just about the Civil War and civil rights movement, and students need to learn about all aspects of their rich ancestry. Johnson said this knowledge is the source of their “shine” because it defines who they are.

“I’m going to shine, and not because I’m Puffy, but because I know who I am,” Johnson said, causing a stir of cheers in the audience.

Ester Bush, president of the Urban League of Pittsburgh, also spoke about leadership and uniting black students to improve graduation rates.

“A fist is more powerful than a single finger,” Bush said.

Indaba, the African Zulu tribe’s word for an important discussion or meeting, is held annually to introduce BAS leaders and their goals for the year. The ceremony kicked off the weekend’s activities, which included a post-Indaba party and a Saturday cookout aimed at attracting freshmen.

The 22 members of the steering committee, who lead BAS, were sworn in and then talked about plans that include getting 300 black students to register to vote and an October rally in support of National Affirmative Action Day.

Dones also wants to address black male recruitment with administrators. Last year’s female-to-male ratio for black undergrads was six to one, a figure displayed by the primarily female audience.

Musical performances of the night included Some of God’s Children Gospel Choir, the Black Dance Workshop and Anointed Steps of Faith, a Christian organization that worships through step dance.