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For Stanigar, the heart of the program is Paul Metellus, BI’s student success coordinator. He is a pipeline to resources, a newsletter writer, an advocate, an advisor, a mentor and a friend.
Metellus builds trust from the start by giving every new BI student a mobile number. “If they’re on good terms with me and really trust me, it’s easier for them to come to me when they’re stressed,” he says.
That stress is real. Black men are more likely to juggle full-time jobs and classes, be the first in their families to go to college, and have no cushion of intergenerational wealth. Metellus works with students to overcome all obstacles, big and small, on their way to graduation.
Paul Metellus (far left) and Joe Lott (far right) celebrate BI’s newest graduates at the 2022 Commencement.
“If there are life issues going on, it’s definitely affecting them academically,” he says. The same goes for money troubles. He has a network of contacts across campus that allows him to send students to friendly departments as well as the right department. “I always say, ‘Take a deep breath and let’s get through it together.'”
Metellus was essential in Staniger’s way through his first year. “It was my first midterm,” says Staniger, explaining the poor grade he received after inadvertently skipping a page on the exam. A subsequent discussion with an academic advisor made him feel even more uneasy. “Like all was lost”. “Learning that you can make mistakes in college really boosted my morale.”
Metellus said: He is passionate about creating spaces on campus for men of color to thrive and thrive.”
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