Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) held a “Rally for Retention” on March 26, in the Ceddia Union Building.

The rally, which is an event to inspire students to succeed academically, featured speakers, an award ceremony and refreshments. More than 50 people attended the event between classes.

“It’s a way to keep minority students active and to not drop out,” Madeline Kwarteng, a sophomore who attended the rally, said. The different skills and lessons the speakers shared with students were valuable, she added.

Shippensburg University’s social equity director, Cecil Howard, spoke about how to reach academic P.E.A.C.E., an acronym he used to help guide students in a positive direction while attending college.

“P” stands for getting engaged with your professors; “E” is for being engaged at SU; “A” recognizes the importance of advisers; “C” represents continuous studying, not cramming; and the last “E” is for early warning, which is a way of saying not to wait until it is too late to get a good grade in class.

“It is my desire that you have a very, very rewarding experience here, and that you take away something from here that’s going to be with you, forever,” Howard said. “You are in the best years of your life.”

Kapri Brown, a graduate assistant for MSA, introduced Howard as a man who “likes to be down in the trenches.”

“My role here is to make sure all of you have as fair an opportunity to matriculate into the university as anybody else,” Howard said.

He withdrew from the podium to allow Valerie Palmer, an MSA graduate assistant, to present certificates to students who earned a grade point average of 2.5 or higher. More than a dozen students were awarded for their academic success.

“Don’t let anything get in the way with what you have to do,” Diane Jefferson, director of MSA, said. “Keep pressing.”

Jefferson asked every award recipient to stand up for recognition of their achievements. She stressed that the students’ accomplishments are a serious matter that deserve to be noticed.

Lavell Simpkins, president of the African American Organization, gave a short and powerful call to action at the conclusion of the rally to keep students motivated as they went on their way.

“Every generation, we all have a mission,” he said. “We can either live up to it or destroy it.”

“No legislation is coming to save us. No politician is coming to save us. No administrator at Old Main [in SU] is coming to save us. We can only save ourselves.”

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