The Central Brother to Brother club teaches young men of all backgrounds to develop good study habits in school and professional demeanors outside of it. The club aims for all members to achieve at least a 3.0 GPA, according to Armando Ortiz, club president and sociology major with a minor in ethics.

The B2B club is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and  according to Ortiz, this year they have increased attendance at weekly meetings from eight members to over 20.

This year, Ortiz wants the club to participate in more community outreach and service.

Ortiz said he has received calls in the early morning from his brothers, and he is always receptive.

“I just want everyone at Central to know there are men’s and women’s clubs available,” Ortiz said. “It doesn’t matter your race and skin color or anything. I let my brothers know that I’m always here for them, and some have taken me up on that.”  

Serving as advisors and counselors are Raymond Hall, a professor of anthropology and museum studies, Saeed Mohammed and Patrick Coffee, academic advisors, Alejandro Lee a professor of world languages, and Keith Champagne, associate dean of student development.

They advise and mentor members in their academic pursuit of excellence.

According to Champagne, members who used to sit in the back of class now regularly sit in the front. Additionally, he said, there was one student who came in with a 1.6 GPA who now is getting over a 3.0.

Brother 2 Brother at Central is the first collegiate chapter in the Northwest. It is part of the university’s Male Success Initiative, which aims to improve male students’ satisfaction, academic performance, campus engagement, retention and graduation rates, according to a press release written by Central’s public affairs office.

“In terms of a campus climate, the club has had an impact in that men of color and men of all backgrounds who are coming to Central, we have gotten them to move beyond that ‘cool pose’ who believe that it is uncool to be academically talented and engaged in academic excellence,” Champagne said.

The club meets every Thursday at 5 p.m. in SURC 301 and is open to all young men of all backgrounds.