The major fire regarding the need for a full time African American counselor at Skyline College is still burning. We the staff of The Skyline View feel that it is important a full-time African American counselor is hired.
For the past seven years, students have approached Mr. Chester Jones (supervisor of the Co-Op Ed. Dept.) and Prof. Pat Deamer (ASTEP Math teacher) in hopes to solve this problem. Many African American students feel that this is not a problem that should be quickly acknowledged and tossed to the side. Mr. Jones, Prof. Deamer and other teachers on campus have dedicated their lives to the advancement of their students and are prepared to do whatever it takes to see this change in the counseling dept. With years of experience under their belts, they know how effective it will be to the students to see a counselor that can personally identify with them.
The students appreciate Mr. Tim Dupre for taking the time commuting from San Francisco to the Skyline campus to offer his services. However, two days out of the week is simply not enough.
“I’m not comfortable with talking to other counselors,” said BSU President Teal Bourne. “He’s [Dupre] my counselor Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, but I only see him in class.”
A common reason for the failure of African American students in community colleges is the lack of guidance with picking classes, as well as having to deal with the real-life issues in their communities.
Marcus Hagwood, another concerned student, thinks the role of this counselor should be “to help African American students receive a plan to get out of college. It will make college success more approachable.”
African American students at Skyline feel there is a need for cultural representation in the area of counseling at Skyline. The students want a person they can relate to, someone that understands what it’s like to be black, and live through the culture’s experiences.
“African American students should have that outlet to receive counseling,” said Skyline student Timothy Washington. “Somebody with the same ethnicity, with their best interest in mind. Diversity is a necessity.”
The counselor should be equipped to go deeper into the lives of the students, a person to aid them in their educational success as well as their advancement. The goal of the counselor should be to “recruit, retain and graduate African American students,” said Dupre. “Some African American students don’t even know about community colleges because of turfs and gangs.”
The African American community on campus only makes up four percent of the overall population. With these statistics in mind, new questions are raised about the counseling issue at hand. With such a small percentage, why is one part-time counselor not enough? Are the students utilizing Mr. Dupre?
One reason is the process will take a long time because of funding issues and the need for the campus administration to find this matter as a priority, and not just another want from the students.
“It took me five years to get this many African American students in class,” said Dupre, while pointing into the small crowd of predominantly black students in the Career 650 class.
The students need a counselor that is culturally sensitive and is willing to bond all “under-represented” cultures together. Success is the main goal. A goal, unfortunately, that may take a long time for the students to see accomplished.