Before you are about to “try it” with HBCU administration, think of that fun, strict parent: they support you, especially if you handle your business, but when you start to slack off and fall short of expectations, you will be punished.. and it will not be pretty. HBCU administration is no different. Your education is worth more than momentary satisfaction. Do not try it.
There are 5 major “no-no’s” that will get you thrown off campus:
Disturbing the peace
Are you a rambunctious, short-fused hot head that can’t control your emotions and reflexes? Find your chill before you make your way to a college campus because HBCUs are not the place to be a “pop-off Patty”. Fighting, instigating, and inciting violence are probably the easiest (and dumbest) way to throw your HBCU college career down the drain. Disturbing the peace is not limited to physical things, just ask Samuel Jackson who was expelled from Morehouse College in 1969 for locking board members (including the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s very own father, Martin Luther King Sr!) in a building, and holding them hostage for two days!
Puff Puff, Pass
Do you enjoy partaking in illicit drug-related activity? Pills, cocaine, heroin, acid, mushrooms, and even marijuana, which is decriminalized in some states, have no place on a college campus. Though these drugs have the reputation of enhancing party life and relieving stress, the truth is, anytime you inject, snort, sniff, puff, or ingest one of these substances, you put your life and the lives of others at risk. Puff Puff PASS on the drugs. You have been warned.
Cheaters Never Prosper
Cheating is not only the easy way out, it is in direct violation of every HBCU’s code of conduct. If you are lucky you will be placed on academic probation (which will limit your on-campus activity in clubs, organizations, campus politics, divine nine organizations,social events, and more). Cheating is also damaging to your personal brand: Say you have dreams of being a doctor and you’re studying biology, but you are a cheater and people know this. Do you think when you graduate med school years later, people will line up to your medical practice trusting you with their newborn infant? Chances are, they will employ the hard worker known for studying with a record of integrity. The same goes for plagiarizing. Plagiarism is actually punishable by law. Does copyright infringement sound familiar? Behoove yourself to be original. Plagiarizers and cheaters never proposer. You have been warned.
Less money, more problems.
Paying for college is expensive and can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life thus far. Do yourself a favor and be prepared. The bottom line is, if you do not have the money, scholarship, grant, financial assistance, etc., at some point, your status as a validated “student” will be revoked and you will kindly (or not) escorted out of your dorm room and off campus. It is nothing personal, it is business (this is a great phrase to get accustomed to by the way) Less money, more problems. You have been warned.
No means no
Understand this. No means no, yes means yes. Sexual intercourse without mutual consent is rape, and it is not something to play with. Cases like Brock Turner‘s – where an athlete was sentenced to 6 months for raping a young lady – will never happen at an HBCU. Men and women alike will be held accountable. There are no blurred lines here. If you blur these lines, understand that there is no amount of money in the world you can pay, no excuse you can come up with, or no parent-connection or favor you can cash in. Nobody wants to hear that you didn’t hold your liquor and nobody cares what you thought you heard. No means no. You have been warned.
Ready for college but not sure what to expect, or even bring? Before you say goodbye to your parents and friends, check out this ultimate guide to surviving your first year in college, and in particular at the country’s 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We created the #HBCUFreshmanBible to help build a bridge for students to make a successful transition from high school to black colleges, you can read more here.
