Student Orgs Spotlight: Sisterhood and Brotherhood

Sisterhood

Sisterhood Comprehensive Support Program, in collaboration with Links Inc., is a campuswide initiative to give young women an opportunity to celebrate and enhance their strengths, creativity, and intelligence. The Sisterhood empowers young women to develop a successful plan for college and their careers.

How long have you been involved with the Sisterhood?

I have been with the Sisterhood since September 2015.

Why did you get involved?

I wanted to begin my college experience in what I felt to be the "right way.” My goal was to join two or three clubs/organizations to get involved and meet new people. An opportunity to join the Sisterhood was presented to me at a Welcome Brunch, and I couldn't resist.

What is the purpose of the Sisterhood?

I believe the purpose of the Sisterhood is educating its members on life skills needed for college and career success, as well as providing mentors to the members as a way of building a support group. We attend monthly conferences on life skills. So far, I've attended workshops on financial literacy, life planning, and leadership.

Why is having a Sisterhood important?

Having the Sisterhood is important because it supports the university's incoming African American students. It is a comfortable place to meet others on campus who may face some of the same obstacles you do. There is also the help of the mentors and other university staff along the way. In addition to learning important life skills, being part of the Sisterhood has helped with writing my speech when I was running for Freshman Senator in Student Government. In addition, it helped me become a chair on the Black History Planning Committee. These are just a few ways the Sisterhood has really helped me - imagine what it can and is already doing for others.

Brotherhood

How long have you been involved with the brotherhood?

It's been a work in progress for over two years now. The organization was made official about a year ago.

Why did you get involved?

It started when several administrators came to my Co-founder, Tyler Payne, and me about a problem on campus. The problem was that our campus population was made up of less than 3 percent African American males, many of whom were not being retained for a number of reasons. The administration was looking to the students for a solution. Through a series of meetings, we decided that the best thing to do was to create a community and campus organization to bring people together and help create more of a black presence on campus.

What is the purpose of the brotherhood?

The Brotherhood brings many people, not just African American males, together to promote networking, community involvement, financial literacy, resources, and academic success.

Why is having a brotherhood important?

The Brotherhood is one of several organizations that gives minority students a voice and recognition that we would not get otherwise. It is a small piece of the plan to create a much needed change in the cultural environment on UNO's campus.