BALTIMORE — Shaune Payne is a Morgan State University student who also serves as president of SMOOTH.
It stands for Strong Men Overcoming Obstacles Through Hard Work.
Their goal is ensure men have the support they need to graduate school.
"We just want you to stay in school. We create the brotherhood surrounded by fellowship, followed by community engagement," said Payne.
Nationwide, HBCU's have seen a decrease in Black male enrollment.
The American Institute for Boys and Men also saw a 25 percent drop since 2010.
At nearby Morgan State, Black male enrollment numbers declined from 43 percent in 2015 to 37 percent during the fall of 2024.
"I think we need to go into these communities and ask these type of questions and engage students from high school and middle schools and see what's being taught," said Payne.
Concerned about the sagging numbers, Morgan State formed the "Presidential Task Force on the State of Black Male Enrollment at Morgan."
They're tasked with examining the underlying causes of declining enrollment.
Dr. Michael Sinclair, an Associate Professor of Social Work at Morgan, and Dr. Mark Barnes were named co-chairs of the task force.
"What I hope to accomplish is really to do the research to see why aren't Black men enrolling in the numbers they used to be, and how can we properly support Black men while they are matriculating at Morgan," said Sinclair, who believes financial barriers play a role.
WMAR-2 News spoke to some students who told us positive Black male representation is key in addressing the issue.
