by Lynette Summerill
ASU Media Relations

What started as a kitchen counter conversation has evolved into a dynamic community partnership aimed at offering support to African-American students attending ASU.

The goal of the Community Alliance for Black Student Support, or CABSS, is to increase the number of African-American students choosing to attend the university and to offer support to those students to retain them until graduation, says Wendy Carter, the program's executive director.

The group was formed in October 2000 as a response to decreasing retention and graduation rates among African-American students.

"The university community was growing, but black retention rates were not," says Carter.

The kitchen conversation revealed that black students were becoming increasingly frustrated their freshman year, despite efforts within the university to ease their transition into university life. Statistically, 33 percent of African-American freshmen were dropping out before year's end.

Yvette Martin, CABSS co-chairwoman and Intel Campus Recruiting Manager, said the leading causes for the elevated dropout rate were affordability, lack of connectedness within the greater community and failure to tap university-provided resources.

"This can be a difficult time for students away from home, many for the first time, to find their comfort level," she says. The Valley is a unique metropolitan area because there is not a single black community that African-American students can connect to, says Martin.

CABSS, a coalition of corporate representatives, valley volunteers and university personnel, set out to erase the existing problem areas and offer support and encouragement to enhance the African-American ASU student experience. The program offers undergraduate and graduate students mentoring by dedicated professionals from Bank of America, Arizona Public Service, American Express, General Dynamics, Motorola, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Mayo Clinic-Scottsdale and Intel Corp. What's more, students are nurtured along with financial assistance, employment opportunities, internships and leadership training and networking opportunities.

Martin says CABSS sprang from the idea that "If students couldn't get to the community, why not bring the community to the students?"

"Students have asked me, 'Where are all the people who look like me?'" says Martin. "And when you consider many of them do not have cars, life stops at Mill Avenue. CABSS raises the odds for connecting with the greater community. After all, a college education is not just what goes on in the classroom. It is a life experience."

"The organization has grown from 30 members in 2000 to more than 100," said Elva Coor, who serves as co-chairwoman with Martin.

"CABSS offers reassurance and hope to college students who have a desire to stick to their long term goals, and their connectedness to the greater community helps them to know they are not alone in their quest," Coor says.

Carter is optimistic that CABSS is making a real difference in young adults' lives.

"For many students within the organization there is a greater feeling of belonging now," she says. "While there is still work to be done, we are making some real strides toward improving the overall university experience while preparing the next generation of leaders."

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Members of the Class of 2002 attend the Black and African Convocation in Wells Fargo Arena. In an effort to elevate the numbers of African-Americans being graduated from ASU, the Community Alliance for Black Student Support aims to increase the numbers of African-American students at the university, while also helping to retain those students through graduation.