Friday, February 17th 2006 (Part 3)
Mariel Blake
Love. Pride. Loyalty. These three words are the first to come to mind when alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities - HBCUs - are asked how they feel about their alma mater. Alumni of HBCUs have a top to bottom, all encompassing passion for their schools that is second to none. The rivalries of, say, Duke and U.N.C. or Harvard and Yale are mere tiffs compared to Howard vs. Hampton or Grambling vs. Southern.
Wanna start something? Dare to say that any band can outperform FAMU's Marching 100. Dare to say any choir can outdo the musical legacy of Fisk University. In fact, if you insinuate even in the slightest to an HBCU alum that a degree from an HBCU is in any way seen in a lesser light than a non-HBCU institution, then be prepared to be inundated with a flurry of facts, statistics and a A-list roll call of famous and powerful graduates who attribute much of their success to their time spent as a student at an HBCU.
However much competition there may be between students of differing HBCUs, we are all united in our feeling that choosing to attend an HBCU was one of the best decisions we have ever made. We all understand and share the love, pride and loyalty that we feel when we identify ourselves as HBCU alum. We know that what we received by attending and HBCU extends far beyond the topnotch education that is represented by our diplomas.
So why do we love our schools so? What do they offer us besides an education that produces such feelings of pride and loyalty?
It begins with the environment. Whether they are in the middle of a major city, suburban are or deep in the country, most HBCUs are smaller, self-contained campuses. They are little cities, little communities within themselves. You can spend weeks on campus without venturing out to the surrounding local area and have all your needs met. From socializing to grocery shopping, it's all there within walking distance. Which is good because you probably won't be able to have a car, at least not if you live on campus and not until your sophomore or junior year.
The student body is not large. You get to know your fellow classmates. You aren't attending classes with 100 or 200 other people so you get to know your professors and they get to know you. It's rare to walk around campus and not see a familiar face. You can walk into the cafeteria alone and always find someone to share a meal with you. You can establish yourself as part of the school and not be treated like just another Social Security number. The faculty and staff know you, the person, and truly care about you and work with you to make sure you take full advantage of your educational opportunities.
Going to an HBCU makes you feel like you are a part of a family. There is a sense of belonging. There are traditions specific to your school that connect you to other generations of students.
Most campuses are built on or have buildings that are actual historical sites. I can say to just about any Hampton University alum, "Gravy, baby?" and they will crack up laughing. The mere mention from me of a Union party, water fights during Senior Week will bring that blissed out look of shared remembrance and recognition.
If any HBCU student says they don't know how to play either spades, tonk or bid whist and you question whether or not they really went to an HBCU. Each school has those homespun moments and places that link its students.
Because the school takes such a vested interest in you, you feel a strong connection and commitment to it. Beyond just your little clique of friends, whether you lived on or off campus, you find yourself interwoven into the tapestry of history and progress of your school.
Little things like knowing the school's song or the school chant (HI-U!) stick with you long after you leave. When I was little, we used to travel from Athens, Ga., to Orangeburg, S.C., several times a month to visit my grandparents and cousins. To keep us occupied, my mother taught my sister and me the South Carolina State College alma mater. I can still remember the emotion and reverence in her voice when she sang the song. It is how I feel when I sing the Hampton alma mater to my son.
Going to an HBCU makes you feel connected to a history that is so much bigger than you. It makes you feel like you are contributing to the richness of your culture at the same time that you are benefiting from it. The beauty of it is that it can make you feel that way even if you aren't African American.
It is the nature of an HBCU to nurture its students and that creates a love, pride and loyalty that never dies.
Mariel Blake is, a Daily News contributing columnist, is a HBCU graduate. This is part three of a four-part series on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
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Saturday, February 25th 2006 at 7:44AM
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