A Man 2 Man experience
TU’s support group for men of color gives them space to talk and grow
By Kyle Hobstetter on November 28, 2021
During his tenure, Raft Woodus, the former director of Towson University’s Student Success Programs, saw a need for a space where men of color can come together and discuss issues that affect them as a community. He partnered with the Counseling Center to create the Man 2 Man program.
The program serves as a support group that provides a confidential space for male-identifying students of color to develop a better understanding of themselves and others in the context of gender, race, culture and social pressure.
“This provides a place to be uplifted by other men who can identify what you’re going through, who can say ‘I feel you, and understand what you’re saying,’” Woodus says. “It was a satisfying experience to watch young people share themselves, grow and say ‘this space helped me to become a better person.’”
Woodus retired in 2019 after 40 years as a TU staff member. Roodinz Vital, TU’s assistant director of leadership, and Rafael Cordwell, director of university affiliated housing at Millennium Hall have taken the reigns of the programs, facilitating the sessions each week.
With the end of the academic term coming up, Man 2 Man and Student Success Programs are holding a special edition of Man 2 Man, titled “Leaders of Color.” This discussion will feature special panelists from across the university. Along with Woodus, Vital and Cordwell, panelists will also include.
- Vernon Hurte, Towson University’s Vice President of Student Affairs;
- Vincent Thomas, Professor of Dance at Towson University;
- Craig Scott, Coordinator of Campus Programming at Towson University.
The panel discussion takes place on Monday, November 29 in University Union Ballroom E starting at 3:30 p.m. The support group currently meets every Monday from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in the University Union, Room 325A.
When asked to help facilitate the program once Woodus left TU, Vital says that he was happy to step in, especially since he sees the what the program is teaching the students and how those same lessons helped him through college.
“Coming to college I learned a lot of what it meant to be a man by watching the other male leaders on campus,” Vital says. “It got to the point where I wanted to get involved in student affairs, and I made a career out of it. I want to continue to build the legacy that was built for me with this group of men.
“I want to give them the same sense of belonging, avenues for success and resources that will help develop them, not for the now, but for the future.”
Along with helping students, the program has also helped Vital and Cordwell reestablish the reason they started careers in student affairs. Cordwell says one of the best parts of Man 2 Man is when students, who start off a little apprehensive, finally open up and share their emotions.
“One of the biggest emotional moments I have is when we see them open up, and then in our facilitator meeting I’m always say ‘They got this, what else can we be even more real with them about and what else can we help them to navigate,’” Cordwell says. “For me, I’m always thinking what is the next thing that we can help them understand, what is the next thing that we can help them navigate.”
Hurte has been a regular guest at Man 2 Man meetings in the past and continues to enjoy participating and interacting with students. He says program like Man 2 Man are important because while students are here to get an education, they also come to college to find themselves as well.
“Programs like Man 2 Man are equally important to anything that happens in a classroom,” Hurte says. “Having these, whether they are communities, programs or spaces for students to be able to come together as peers, with mentors and staff, that’s part of providing that wholistic education experience.