After graduation, NIU leaves a lasting impression in graduates’ minds. However, bad memories are causing problems for university officials as they look for support from black alumni.

“It is a challenge trying to get graduates involved,” said Michael Pattrick, NIU Black Alumnae Council vice president. “They forget the trials and tribulations they went through as students. They don’t realize how much we can benefit from their cooperation and help.”

NIU Black Alumnae Council offers graduates events like the Gospel Concert and the annual December Bowling Party.

“We also try to raise money for minority scholarships,” Pattrick said.

Pattrick said there are not a large number of participants in the council.

“It’s like pulling teeth,” Pattrick said. “The day you graduate, as a black student, you are automatically a black alumnus.”

Since graduating NIU with a degree in finance in 1991, Reginald Brutus said he has done his part.

“I donate money,” Brutus said. “Even though I had a wonderful time at Northern, the last thing I’m thinking about right now is the alumni association.”

Van Amos, program coordinator at the Center for Black Studies, said he knows for a fact that when certain minority alumni think of NIU, all they remember are the bad experiences.

“There is a bad taste in their mouth after graduation,” Amos said. “Coming from a stressful environment — it takes a while to get over that. Especially when, at the time, the university was doing very little outreach to these students.”

But the dilemma reaches beyond NIU.

Ivy League schools, like Harvard University, are reported to be courting their black alumni, but graduates say they’re not interested in re-living their college experience, according to the New York Times.

Brutus said a reminder might encourage giving.

“Maybe I’d be more interested if I received more than the occasional flier from the alumni group,” Brutus said.

According to Sheryl Coon, UIC Alumni Associate Director of Chicago Area Programs, at UIC all alumni-orientated programs are advertised in the Alumni Magazine, e-mailed to the campus community and mailed to alumni that have most expressed interest in the topic of the program.

“At most events the audience ends up being closely related to the UIC student population,” Coon said. ” We are working on getting our Black Alumni Association up and running.”

At NIU, the main alumni association carries no statistics on the race of the former students that donated their time, talent or treasures after graduation.

“If I were to say anything at all, it seems the programs hosted by the BAC are the best received on our campus,” said Lee McCauley, Alumni Association director.