For some UI students, coming to college can be like coming to a foreign country — even though they may only be three hours from home.
But one UI group is working to make some of those students feel more at home.
The Hubbard Group was created in 2007 to reach out to an underrepresented segment of the UI population: young black males.
“It’s a fundamental part of our mission to reach out and fold these men into the community,” said the group’s cochairman Malik Henfield.
The group holds forums, offers mentoring services, and holds conferences for young black men across the state.
However, the Hubbard Group is in danger of losing funding at the end of this academic year. The program is funded by a two-year grant from the Provost’s Office, which will expire soon. But Henfield said he is submitting grants so the Hubbard Group can continue working to improve the experience for young black men living in the Iowa City community.
This weekend marked the first fall retreat for the Hubbard Group. Roughly 35 men met in the Pappajohn Business Building to participate in panel discussions, enjoy the community, and hear a presentation from UI alum Eddie Moore Jr.
The event’s coordinator, Michael Hill, rated the day a success.
“I thought it would be a success if there were 20 people here,” he said, scanning the room full of men talking, laughing and enjoying a provided dinner.
One participant in the Sept. 12 event was UI junior Jabar Norman.
When Norman first came to Iowa City from Chicago, he said, he lacked the confidence he needed to succeed in the classroom at a predominately white institution. But thanks to the Hubbard Group, he is thinking about career options and graduate school.
“You don’t have to be a football player, a basketball player, or a rapper,” the social-work major said. “There are other things black men are doing.”
Moore, the keynote speaker, has been traveling the country since 1990 promoting academia to young black men.
“We are programmed for academic success,” he said in his afternoon address.
He encouraged those in attendance to talk about diversity issues not only with those they are in conflict with, but also with each other.
“You have to understand the subject matter, and you have to understand yourself,” he said.
The Hubbard Group emphasizes mentoring to explore what it means to be black at the UI. They hold monthly discussions to connect students to community members who had similar experiences.
Henfield said he was impacted by a mentor while he did his master’s work in South Carolina, and now is happy to help black men struggling with identity issues.
“I feel as though I’m supposed to be here,” he said.
