Five young men crowded in the Tighter Grip student group room to share their secret to staying motivated in an increasingly stressful environment.
“When I looked at anyone who ran things on campus, they started at Tighter Grip,” said Ashton Reynolds, vice president of Tighter Grip, a student group that strives to recruit and keep African-American males in college.
The group started in 2002 as an attempt to increase the graduating rate for African American males.
“We have a space to talk about things that are relevant and create a support system,” Reynolds said.
Through friendships and an incentive system set in place, Tighter Grip has succeeded its goal—Georgia State is now the number one university in the country for graduating African-Americans, according to Diverse magazine. In 2012, Georgia State had a 17 percent one-year increase in the number of bachelor degrees given to African-American students.
“We are extremely gratified to see our programs working and our students flourishing,” Georgia State President Mark Becker said in a press release, after Georgia State’s ranking was announced.
After this, the choice to join Tighter Grip was clear to the board members.
“I saw it as an organization that produced student leaders and academic excellence,” said Darrius Cooper, the secretary to Tighter Grip.
His decision led him to meet new friends that would change his college experience.
“We all have the same goal, but we’re really different,” said Amen-Ra Mackey, the community service director for Tighter Grip.
The board alone displays a wide variety of interests, ranging from President Markus Malone’s work at the YMCA or Cooper’s musical inclinations, to Membership Director Camryn Bradley’s leadership de-velopment work or Reynolds’ religious work.
“I feel like, as a Minister, my whole purpose in life to is help people get where they’re going,” Reynolds said. “We groom our members to be leaders, ultimately helping a larger [Georgia State].”
Tighter Grip members can be seen everywhere on campus, with members involved in Greek Life, the SGA and Resident Assistant programs in the dorms.
“Groups formed within Tighter Grip become lifelong friendships,” Cooper said.
Different ranks have different roles within the organization.
“Older members reach back to help current members. We encourage each other to keep going when we’re down,” Bradley said of the connection between members who haven’t worked alongside each other.
According to Malone, Tighter Grip’s hold on the students is its strength.
“We can look out for each other, hang out with each other, and build that bond,” Malone said.
