Retain the 9 | Photo provided by Kevin Jones
Retain the Nine is currently working on projects both off and on campus to boost retention rates and to help students succeed.
Retain the Nine is a collaboration between Student Government Association (SGA) and Black Men on the Move and is working closely with Wright State University President Sue Edwards on several initiatives.
“Retain the Nine’s overall mission, to me, is to provide resources and opportunities to underrepresented minorities for the betterment, growth, and success of their personal and professional life,” said Kevin Jones, founder and task force vice-chair of Retain the Nine.
Mentorship program
One initiative that Retain the Nine is currently working on and hopes to launch later this semester is a mentorship program with Westwood Elementary. This mentorship program will be an eight-week program where Westwood sixth graders will come to WSU after school and work on their homework as well as work on their professional development.
“They’ll do some form of personal or professional development activity, homework, [studying] and then we’ll end off with a community relationship-building activity as well,” said Jones.
According to Jones, this mentorship program is important for the community to stop the school-to-prison pipeline system for minority students and build positive relationships with younger students so that they feel ready for college when they graduate high school.
Alert system
Another project that Retain the Nine is working on is their Alert System. This program has already been launched on campus but Retain the Nine is constantly trying to improve it for the benefit of students. With the Alert System, students who are falling behind in classes or repeatedly being marked absent in classes are given direct contact to speak with a student success coach to figure out and work through the cause of their academic troubles.
Student success coaches
Working directly with students, student success coaches are there to help students with any problems they might be facing during their time at WSU. Currently located in the Student Retention Team office, student success coaches work first-hand to improve retention rates.
“Think of it like a mother or a father or someone on campus who you can go to for any resource. Whether someone has a financial issue or academics or anything in particular, we will be there for them,” said Edgar Malcom, student retention associate for the Student Retention Team.
The Student Retention Team office and student success coaches are located in 023 Student Union.
Student ‘X’ model and data collection
Retain the Nine is in the process of restarting the Student ‘X’ Model, which is a model to identify students who might be at risk for dropping out or falling behind in their classes. According to Retain the Nine, they are currently looking through data and requesting more information in order to determine what Student ‘X’ looks like. Retain the Nine hopes to have the Student ‘X’ Model up and running by this summer semester.
Vice president of inclusive excellence
There is no current search for this position, but according to Retain the Nine, Edwards expects to begin a search this calendar year. This position would act as a voice for minority students and help improve retention rates at WSU by advocating for at-risk students.
“I think that position is just having someone with a seat at the table in the president’s leadership team who can advocate for students that don’t look like most students here. I think that it is just an invaluable asset for us to advocate and understand where a lot of these students are coming from,” said Adrian Williams, task force chair for Retain the Nine.
Retain the Nine hopes that all programs will begin by the end of this semester or during the summer semester.
“My great hope is that this student-lead collaboration from SGA and Black Men on the Move, Retain the Nine, as well as our other retention initiatives that include working on peer-to-peer mentoring programs and bringing in four new retention managers, will give these students the critical support they need to thrive at Wright State so they can get all the way to the finish line of earning their degree,” said Edwards.
