MINORITY PANEL URGES COOPERATION

Southeast Missouri State University should enlist the help of the business community to provide a more welcoming environment for minority students, the school's Commission on Minority Affairs said Friday.

In its second and final meeting for the academic year, the commission offered suggestions for improving the racial climate in Cape Girardeau.

Twenty-three of the 37 commissioners attended the meeting in the University Center Ballroom.

"We cannot completely spoon feed them," said commissioner Carol Daniel, who works for KMOX Radio in St. Louis.

Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast's president, said the university would work to implement the commission's suggestions.

He said the university would explore the idea of holding open forums to get input from the general public about how to do a better job of reaching out to minorities.

The idea was first raised at the meeting by John Mehner, president of the local Chamber of Commerce.

Mehner said the forums should focus on positive suggestions rather than serve as "giant complaint sessions."

Dr. Kimberly Barrett, dean of students, said the university plans to work to improve the retention and graduation rate of Southeast's black students.

From 1990 to 1996, nearly 70 percent of first-year Southeast students returned for a second year.

But for black students, the retention rate was 58 percent, she said.

Overall, 36.7 percent of Southeast students graduate in six years. But for blacks, the rate is only 23.5 percent, she said.

The university needs to focus on closing the graduation and retention gap, Barrett said.

The commission heard from a five-member panel of community representatives about ways to reach out to minorities.

Mehner served on the panel. The other panelists were Tamara Zellars Buck, a Southeast Missourian reporter; black students Joe Guyton and Sedrick Martin; and Howard Meagle, general manager of KFVS-TV.

Buck suggested that the university consider establishing a cultural center on campus for black students.

The former Southeast student said black students don't have an area on campus that they can call home.

The university should provide minority students with information about black churches and businesses in the area.

Meagle said KFVS has increased its minority hirings in recent years. The number of minority employees at the station has grown from four to 18.

The first black was added to the anchor team in 1994.

Meagle said such hiring changes take a concerted effort on the part of employers.

Martin said black students feel there is little to do in Cape Girardeau on the weekends.

"I have nothing else to do but sit in my room and study," he said.

Guyton said the university doesn't provide a lot of hands-on assistance for minority students once they arrive at Southeast.

He said many of his friends dropped out of school.

Guyton said the university needs to focus on ways to keep minority students in school.

Following small-group discussions, the commission offered some suggestions for Southeast:

* Hold an event to welcome the community to the campus.

* Involve minority students more in planning events.

* Work with the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce to provide workshops on starting minority-owned businesses.

* Start clubs for minority students to help recruit students from their high schools.

* Include community representatives on student organizations and university advisory boards.

* Include a scavenger hunt as part of the student orientation process to help new students at Southeast learn about the businesses, churches and resources available in the community.

* Make greater use of minority graduates of Southeast in the recruiting of minority students.

* Do more to encourage minority high school students to take the preparatory sessions to help them score well on the college-entrance ACT test.

* With the chamber's help, provide students with a reference guide of local businesses and services.

* Encourage black parents in the area to open their homes to minority college students on weekends.

* Establish a telephone network to better inform minority students of upcoming activities and programs.

* Involve the chamber and the business community in nurturing minority students.

* Encourage faculty to be mentors to minority students both in and out of the classroom.

* Encourage minority students to be more involved in university and community life.