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Not for Profit: UVI Brothers with a Cause

St. Claire Hodge heads up UVI Brothers with a Cause.Only 27 percent of the University of the Virgin Islands’ student body is male, a statistic a dedicated group of young male students want to change.

Headed by senior St. Claire Hodge, "UVI Brothers with a Cause" was developed by the students at the instigation of newly inaugurated UVI President David Hall.

There are 1,113 women enrolled at UVI, according to the university’s fact sheet, and only 467 men. UVI Brothers With a Cause is ready to launch efforts at the high school level to change those numbers.

In a statement after his first 100 days in office, Hall said in part, "The number of male students who make it to the college level and graduate is unacceptable … If there is a moral calling that we cannot ignore, it is the challenges that are facing black male students in the U.S. Virgin Islands and throughout the U.S. mainland. If we continue to lose a generation of boys and young men, then we will have charted a future of doom and not one of greatness."

Hodge attended a meeting last fall at which Hall gathered a random selection of male students to propose his idea to combat the problem locally. It was just the meat for Hodge to sink his teeth into.

A natural leader, Hodge took the reins in forming the organization.

"The lower male population is a national trend, not just locally,” he said. “I think it’s largely due to the way manhood is defined now, influenced by the hip-hop culture, bad influences, the major lack of a good role model. Just by looking, not even research, you can see young mothers here with sons they can’t control, single moms. They don’t know how to connect with their male children."
"They look to somebody who can identify with their issues, like Jay Z or Lil Wayne. One thing we want to do," Hodge said, "is to replace that kind of role model."

The group is well-organized under Hodge, with Darryl Williams Jr., vice-president,
Alvaro deLugo, treasurer, and Campbell Douglas Jr., secretary and public relations officer.

"We have excellent advisors, prominent on campus," Hodge said, "Sean Georges, the basketball coach and Curtis Gilpin, the school’s athletic director."

Hodge, who is from St.Kitts and who heads the UVI St. Kitts organization, said of his early training, "In St. Kitts, we had a disciplined school structure, no outrageous hair styles, no jewelry. We were well groomed."

However, he said, all is not well on the island today. "We still have a bad gun problem, per capita, with about 36,000 population. It’ a problem on all the islands."

Hodge said the attendance at meetings can be about 60, with 30 members registered. He runs a tight ship.

"We adhere to strict aims," he said. "It is a male recruitment, retention and graduation initiative. We want to get the young men in college, and help to keep them there."

Registered members take a pledge to adhere to the BWC bylaw and codes of conduct, which includes a strong work ethic which Hodge said "stresses personal accountability, to take ownership of their behavior."

Hodge sees this as a building block to take the message to high school seniors.

"We have to get to them before they graduate high school," he said. "It is all about this transition period."

To this end, the group will visit Charlotte Amalie High School in the next few weeks.

"We are meeting with CAHS administrators to set up an open house before Carnival. Our aim, in talking with the students will be to attract them to UVI, or, if they plan to go to school off-island, we will help them with that. We want to motivate them to attend college, and, once there, to stay in school. Our ultimate aim is to get them to graduate."

Hodge is a campus leader, a UVI senator, president of the Advertising Club and the UVI Student Government Association, and he is on the dean’s list.

Looking to the future, Hodge said, the group will work with one school at a time. With a confident smile, he said, "We are hoping our work with one school will have a ripple effect on the others,"

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