Nine male CMU students and employee panelists shared their stories
about what it’s like to be a man Tuesday night.

“You never get to be a man unless you see a man,” said panelist
Kevin Williams, associate director of admissions and minority
enrollment.

The discussion, which took place in the Bovee University Center’s
Lake Michigan room, was the third installment in the Realistic
Education About Life (REAL) series.

The series is sponsored by Minority Student Services’ Student
Enrichment Mentor Program.

Panelists answered questions such as what defines a real man, what
advice do they have to stop negative male stereotypes and what’s a
woman’s significance.

“A girl can communicate to guys in a way that other guys
can’t,” said Detroit sophomore Sam Prater, another panelist.

Williams said women must recognize their influence on men.

“If you’re saying you want a soldier, then don’t be mad when he goes
to war,” he said.

The program stemmed from a similar program for women last semester,
said Rian Carkhum, Minority Student Services student assistant.

“There’s a lot of stereotypes men face specifically at Central
Michigan University,” the Detroit senior said. “We feel as students who
are put in a position to educate we need to do that.”

One suggestion panelists offered to combat stereotypes was educating
male freshmen early. Almost all groups have low male membership, said
Saginaw graduate student John Johnstin.

Students enjoyed the topic and the different perspectives offered.

If this program is presented next semester, Oxford junior Andrew
Neeson recommends it to others because “there are a lot of stereotypes
out there that are not true, they may have been but not now and now is
the time to break them.”

Rebecca Thornton, Romulus sophomore, said she would have put someone
who she doesn’t view as a campus or community leader on the panel.

But she liked the panelists anyway.

“They were a group of amazing men and had a lot to offer,” Thornton
said.

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