Program supporting Black transfer students comes to CSUB

University is first CSU affiliate of statewide Umoja program

By California State University, Bakersfield

October 28^th, 2024

Blake Burton felt a strong sense of belonging while attending Bakersfield College. He was a member of the Umoja Community program there, which supports African American students through a mix of academics, services and cultural enrichment.

“It’s an amazing program. It provided a lot of support and gave me a boost in confidence,” he said. “It feels like you have another family on campus.”

Then Burton transferred to CSUB and that sense of community he had from the program was gone, as Umoja wasn’t being offered there.

“It was hard to find friends, to find my niche,” he said. “I was really missing Umoja. It felt like I had separated from my family.”

CSUB is working toward facilitating those types of connections on campus by partnering with the statewide Umoja Community Education Foundation to bring the program to the university. CSUB will be first affiliate Umoja program in the CSU system, pending final approval of an agreement between the university and the organization.

The CSUB program, which started in August at the beginning of the academic year, is focused on serving Black transfer students. The goal is to help them transition to university life by establishing a welcoming community of Black students, faculty and staff on campus as well as providing access to scholarships and on-campus jobs, academic support, cultural trips and more.

“I think it’s really important for transfer students to have an Umoja program,” said Dr. Paula Parks, coordinator of both the CSUB and Bakersfield College (BC) programs. “After they graduate from the community college, they come here to CSUB and they’re juniors, but they’re new. I’d hate for students to struggle, feeling lost and without a community and not really take advantage of their time here because they don’t have the support that they need to be successful.”

Umoja — a Kiswahili word meaning “unity” — is guided by several practices, including being intentional and deliberate in making decisions, creating an ethic of love that provides a foundation for interactions and “manifesting” — having programming that is relevant to students’ lives outside of the classroom.

“What's really important is the philosophy behind Umoja, because that's really the strength of the program,” Dr. Parks said. “When everyone has that foundation of the practices, then when you get together, everyone can instantly connect due to shared values.”

CSUB has long lacked a program designed for Black transfer students and Dr. Parks hopes that Umoja can fill the gap. Many of the students who transfer to CSUB find that the university doesn’t offer the same level of support they’ve received at their community college.

“They’re used to an Umoja experience where they’re loved, where they’re supported, where their educational and career objectives are nurtured, where they have a space to study and have friends. Then they come here and it’s harder because all of that is missing,” she said. “My goal is to help all Black transfer students who are here to make that transition, to have that support and to form community and then take that next step in their education or career.”

Dr. Parks believes that sense of community and belongingness is crucial to these students reaching academic success and ultimately graduating.

“Students who are more engaged are more likely to graduate and transfer,” she said. “When you have people that you're accountable to, you're less likely to just drop out. The students are connected, and it just it makes a big difference in their success and in their retention.”

President Vernon B. Harper Jr. has long been an advocate of the Umoja program and is excited to see it come to CSUB.

“We are elated that Alumni Hall of Fame member Dr. Paula Parks is bringing the Umoja program to our university, which will make us the first CSU campus to offer this transformational opportunity to students,” he said. “Dr. Parks founded the Umoja program at Bakersfield College, where her students transfer at an impressive four times the rate of Black students not in Umoja. We know that affirming our students culturally nurtures a sense of belonging, and we are working to create that connection for all of our Roadrunners.”

Forging connections

Dr. Parks first considered bringing the Umoja program to CSUB around five years ago after hearing from several former BC students who said they were struggling with their transition to the university.

“They would tell me, ‘I miss my Umoja family. I miss the study groups. I miss the relationships, the friendships,’” she said. “They would come back to BC, you know, for that. And they’d say, ‘The work is harder, but I have less support.’”

Dr. Parks brought up the idea several times to faculty and staff over the years, eventually garnering interest and support from former President Lynette Zelezny and then-Provost Vernon B. Harper Jr. After conversations with Dr. Harper last spring, he asked if Dr. Parks would commit to leading an effort to bring the program to CSUB, which she did.

Since then, Dr. Parks has been working to launch Umoja at CSUB. She is still in the midst of laying the foundation for the program and reaching out to students, but a few activities have already been held, including orientations and workshops on campus resources.

There is also a statewide Umoja conference that a group of students will be attending later this month.

“It’s happened really fairly quickly, but I'm just very hopeful and excited for what this program can offer students. Those who have already shown up to events seem glad that Umoja is here,” Dr. Parks said. “I have the full support of the administration, which I really appreciate. I know this is a source of pride for Dr. Harper to be president of the first CSU having an Umoja program.”

Black faculty and staff have also been very supportive of the effort and have volunteered to assist with the program, Dr. Parks said.

“I feel like, in general, the Black faculty and staff are interested and engaged and very supportive, so that makes a big difference,” she said.

One such staff member is Darius Riggins, director of the Student Access and Support Department. He has helped with recruitment and connecting students with resources related to the program.

“Establishing an Umoja program is a good thing for students. It will help them as they navigate the educational system and make sure they’re on the right path to graduation,” he said. “It sends that much more of a message that the university is sensitive to their needs, the challenges they face. It will give them a place to be able to deal with those challenges and talk to people who know what they’re going through.”

Riggins said he hopes the program will convince more Black students to transfer to CSUB. He also hopes it will help strengthen the campus community.

“They need a place where they feel accepted and can connect with people,” he said. “When you have a program that takes that aspect into consideration in an educational environment, it’s just that much more supportive and relevant to who they are as individuals.”

While the CSUB program is still in its infancy, Dr. Parks already has ideas for how she would like to see it grow in the future. She hopes the program can get its own physical hub on campus where students could meet, study, hang out and listen to guest speakers.

She has seen the difference a study space has made in the growth of BC’s Umoja Community program.

“If we could get to the point here at CSUB when there's a space where all of those things can happen, that would be great,” she said. I’m really excited about the opportunity and excited to see the program grow and make a difference in the lives of more and more students.”

Burton, a junior majoring in communications, has already begun getting involved with the Umoja program on campus and is also excited to see how it develops over time.

“I’m happy that the Umoja program is here now so I can have that space and support that I had at BC,” he said. “It’s amazing to have a program that represents all of us and being able to be comfortable in our own skin, in a sense. It’s a lot of fun and it offers a lot. You just have to jump in.”

To learn more about the Umoja Community at CSUB, contact Dr. Parks by email at pparks@csub.edu or by phone at 661-232-0191. An interest form can also be filled out here.