“I am my brother’s keeper and together we shall rise!” is the motto of Brother 2 Brother (B2B), one of Central’s newest clubs, and is a direct reflection of the chapter’s goal of taking young students and molding them into men who can grow to be both academically and professionally successful.

Part of the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB), the organization was originally founded in 1990 and has since expanded into 364 chapters across 34 states.

This past spring, Dr. Keith Champagne, Central’s associate dean of Student Success, and Dr. Raymond Hall, associate professor of anthropology, worked together to establish Central as the first SAAB chapter in the northwest.

B2B is open to members of all races, but its roots are tied to the SAAB, whose founders built the organization with a focus towards assisting men of color in reaching academic success.

Central’s needs are no different; only 34% of African American students succeed in graduating.

B2B plans to improve that statistic in part by imbuing its members with the following core values: accountability, proactive leadership, self-discipline and intellectual development.

“This will provide us a vehicle for engaging men of color in a positive and proactive manner outside of the classroom,” said Champagne.

While the focus of SAAB is on African American men, B2B is inclusive to males of all races. This is evident when observing Central’s chapter, whose members come from a diverse range of backgrounds.

While each brother has a unique history and story to tell, each one of them is united in the fact that they are all striving towards excellence while supporting each other and their community.

“Our plan is to make a significant improvement in male students’ satisfaction, academic performance, campus engagement, retention and graduation rates,” said Champagne.

The chapter will also be attending a national B2B conference in Detroit this April. They are striving to ensure all of its members attain a 3.0 GPA before that time in hopes of winning the award “New Chapter of the Year”.

Besides its emphasis on its members’ personal development, B2B has extracurricular plans to engage in both community outreach and volunteer work.

Last week’s meeting showcased the brothers’ eagerness for helping others. A community potluck was confirmed that will function as a fundraising event, while feeding those in need throughout the local community.

They then took turns standing up and speaking passionately in support of an idea that would involve members returning to their high schools and speaking to those students about college life and the benefits of joining a club like B2B.

This plan would benefit kids back home by informing them that it is possible to succeed, and that going off to college doesn’t have to be an intimidating process when they have the support group that B2B provides.

This strong aspiration to inspire others is just one of the reasons that Central’s B2B chapter president, Armando Ortiz, first joined.

He said that his desire to become a strong male role model for younger students was one of the driving forces behind his decision to take a leadership role.

One of Ortiz’s goals as president is to reach out to all students, regardless of their background.

Many people aren’t even aware of the chapter’s existence. Of those that are aware of it, some aren’t aware that it’s open to any and all males.

Ortiz said that word of mouth is really how the chapter plans to expand.

“We want to make Brother 2 Brother approachable to every man on campus, regardless of their backgrounds,” Ortiz said. “The word ‘brother’ has sort of a racial connotation. We want to make everybody who comes into this chapter to truly feel like they have a brotherhood, regardless if they’re black, white, or brown.”