The class of 1990; Central State grads say knowing where they came from has made them confident about their futures - Central State University - Special Issue - The New Generation of the '90s

Ebony, August, 1990

THE CLASS OF 1990

Central State grads say knowing where they come from has made them confident about their futures

If the new decade has ushered in the promise of change, then the graduating class of Central State University, in Ohio, is in step with the times.

In the words of CSU President Arthur E. Thomas: "The students reflect the heritage of the institution while demonstrating that they have prepared themselves for the technically advanced careers of the 1990s and the 21st century." The more than 300 class members who received their degrees in June possess the enthusiasm, idealism and restlessness of any group of newly freed students. It is their sense of purpose that belies their youthful spirit. Here is a class that yearns for a return to traditional values--a class that is committed to reversing the dangerous course that threatens Black existence on the planet.

A survey of the seniors of the Central State University Class Of 1990 reveals that, like most of the new generation, they believe themselves to be better equipped when it comes to educational training than the previous generation. Many students are the first in their immediate families to realize the college dream, while a few are second generation alumni, and fewer still have parents who have held tenured professorships at Central State.

A slight majority of the students maintain that in addition to better training, their generation possesses a determination and assertiveness that surpasses that of their parents' generation. The latter characteristic is quite apparent, and not unlike that of well-turned-out graduates from Harvard or Yale. For Central University graduates, however, it is an assertiveness that is steeped in self-pride and knowledge of their history. Racial pride is an endowment for which students say they are indebted to the faculty and administrators at Central State.

"Central has provided me with a more in-depth realization of my culture and my heritage," says Yvonne K. Turpin, a graduating psychology major. "Society tends to negate things related to people of color, but Central brought out the essence and beauty of being a person of color."

"What Central State has given me is a support system, in that practically any avenue you want to travel, there is someone or someway of pursuing it," says Catherine O. Allen, industrial technology major and student member of the CSU Board of Trustees.

One sweeping look at the Central State University Class of `90 reveals that for the most part, it represents one race. Hidden behind a first glance are multitudinous backgrounds. This class reflects trends found on college campuses across the nation. Students are older, many of them, in their late 20s and 30s, worked full-time while earning their degrees. And there are more than a few single parents.

Faye A. Taylor, her silver-flecked hair marking a dignified, yet conspicuous contrast to the other students, is the most senior member of this graduating class. The 54-year-old mother and grandmother graduated with honors and a degree in business management. She also works full-time as a manager of the Veterans Administration Center in Dayton--a job she has held for more than 25 years. "School was a joy," she beams.

Another graduating mother, Melissa N. Harris, has earned degrees (with honors) in biology and chemistry. The single parent of a three-year-old daughter is now on to medical school. Parenting and attending school fulltime were not as difficult with the support she says she found at the university. "My department definitely pushed me to pursue scientific goals and aspirations that I hadn't set for myself previously," she says, "because I didn't even know they existed."

Learning about the existence of so many Black historical leaders was something CSU students say not only has made them proud, but committed to teaching others, particularly those left behind in disadvantaged inner-city communities. Several students believe that a pervasive lack of self-knowledge is just as threatening to Blacks as drug abuse and poverty.

"We don't know our culture and we don't know all of the things that African-Americans have done as a whole," says David M. Johns, an honors graduate in manufacturing engineering. "If you're not proud of your people as a whole, how can you pick yourself up?"

Going a step further, Richard R. Boykin says a lack of education is the biggest threat to Black America. "An educated person is not going to commit an atrocity on his brother or sister because they understand they have some linkage there," says Boykin, a political science honors graduate.

Looking ahead to their own futures, many members of the CSU Class of 1990 want to work to make the world a better place for their children, but they agree it's going to mean a shift in values. "Our values have definitely gone astray," says Yvonne Turpin. "When we look to past generations, our values were centralized--it was the home and the church. Now, people have steered away from religion, and the attitude is `What's in it for me?'"