Real Reaction to MEAC Mixer

I was going to write this article for the chapter website, but I'm just really annoyed right now.  So I think I better get this off of my chest before I start writing something foul on the chapter website.


On May 17, 2012, the Washington DC Chapter of the North Carolina A&T State University hosted a MEAC Mixer.  All of the school in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference were invited and representatives from each school showed up.  Of course, since A&T hosted the event, a great deal of the people there were from A&T.  There were people from Hampton, a few from Howard, a few from SC State, some from NC Central, don't remember seeing any Bethune, Norfolk State, or Delaware State people, and far too few FAMU people.  I know I've sent out the information for this event time and time again, but the number of people that showed up made me think that I only sent out the message once to a few friends.

If you take your average DC FAMUan and ask them to do something, they will not do it unless (1) it is something that they want to do or (2) it is something that will directly benefit them.  How is there a mixer with all the schools and I'm the only person on the executive board to show up?  This is the same executive board that does not understand why young people will not show up to the gala.  The answer to both conundrums is quite simple; most people do what they find interesting to them and are not willing to sacrifice their own interests in a consistent way to benefit the chapter as a whole.

I'm getting all these messages on Twitter and Facebook: "I didn't come because I had to work", "I forgot", "I wish I had known sooner".  To me, this is all just a bunch of foolishness.  I guess all of the A&T people quit their jobs today because they could find time to meander down to this event.  I hope that all the FAMU alumni that were hard at work this evening will hire these newly unemployed A&T people.  There were not 15 people from FAMU at this event over a 4+ hour stretch.  The email went out to over 700 hundred people!!  How does this happen?  I live way in Columbia and DESPISE going into DC during the week, but I can come to an event where we are supposed to be trying to come together as a unified MEAC alumni body.  People that live IN DC can't come?  That's some foolishness.  I don't have things to do?  You don't think my wife would have loved for me to be home with her instead of out and about?  Our people only do what they feel is important to them, refuse to stretch out and do something in the best interest of someone other than themselves, and our organizations and universities suffer.

©  Stephen D. Roberson, 2016