Student Government granted club status to Men of Distinction, a support group, at its general body meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
“We’re trying to create an empowerment group, similar to WILL,” said senior mechanical engineering major Jimmy Estrada, president of the club. “We’re focusing on minority men, and we want to discuss the issues that minority men have.”
Estrada hopes the club will foster academic and social success for its members. He said the club’s members plan to establish a mentoring program, hold fundraisers and volunteer at inner-city schools.
The club will encourage its members to “stay presentable at all times,” Estrada said.
“To hold an executive position, you need to have a 2.5 GPA,” Estrada said.
The club currently has about 62 members, according to senior interdisciplinary business major Bryan Stewart, who helped give the presentation.
Many SG members liked what they heard, discussing the club’s altruistic goals when deciding whether to grant it club status. Others questioned its focus.
“One of our big problems was that it’s really focused toward men,” said Chris Morris, junior political science major and senator of Culture and Society. “But just like the College Democrats, it doesn’t mean that Republicans can’t join, but it means it’s focused on them.”
Lynette Barnes, vice president of Equity and Diversity, liked that the club presented itself as a support group.
“PRISM is a safe place for the LGBTQ community, Black Student Union is a haven for the African Diaspora in general, and this is for minority men,” Barnes, senior psychology and women’s and gender studies double major, said.
Men of Distinction was granted club status by a unanimous vote.
Emily Brill can be reached at brill3@tcnj.edu.
