Despite the odds, Kolade Adeyemo is not a murderer, a criminal or a victim of a crime. He is employed. He is in school. And he wants to know why.

Adeyemo is a graduate student conducting his own research about black males, specifically about their roles in higher education. At the end of the semester, Adeyemo will hand in his master’s thesis, ‘Challenges in Higher Education, The African-American Male Experience: Impact and Success at Binghamton University.’

According to findings reported by Harvard University professor Dr. Pedro A. Noguera, in 2002, black males led the nation in homicides, both as victims and perpetrators. They had the fastest growing suicide rate and HIV and AIDS contraction rate. They were at the top of most charts for incarceration, conviction and arrest rates in the United States.

They were the only group declining in life expectancy, and were the least likely to be hired in the labor market and most likely to be unemployed. Between 1977 and 2002, male African-American enrollment in colleges declined continuously.

But Adeyemo has decided to go beyond the studies and do his own research.

‘I’m just curious [about] how education is valued in the black community,’ said Adeyemo, a Nigerian native and graduate assistant at the Educational Opportunity Program.

‘This issue of education hits home for me,’ he said. ‘African-American males are not enthused about higher education. I see it affecting my peers. I see it potentially affecting my brothers, my cousins ‘ whoever is not at the post-secondary level yet.’

Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, handing out questionnaires and even conducting interviews with students, Adeyemo has arrived at a few conclusions.

He’s noticed that for many black male students, the adjustment from an urban environment to a college campus has been challenging and may be a cause for feelings of insecurity.

He’s also observed that student organizations like black greek organizations and the Black Student Union have fostered a sense of support and created opportunities for leadership.

But Adeyemo is still drawing conclusions, and will have more concrete observations when he hands in his thesis to Jane Connor, chair of the College of Community and Public Affairs, at the end of the semester.

And while over the past decade the majority of black students have completed their degrees at BU, Adeyemo still has concerns about those students that don’t finish their degrees. They’re the ones that could be ending up in those crime statistics, Adeyemo said.

According to data from the NCAA, Binghamton University ranked second in successfully graduating black students of flagship state universities in 2006. BU’s graduation rate was 72 percent, while the national average was 43 percent. This data didn’t differentiate between males and females.

‘Binghamton is doing pretty well,’ said Adeyemo. ‘It could be doing a lot better.’

Adeyemo’s goal is to highlight the causes for success for black males at BU and then offer ideas to the University in order to spark initiative for change.

He has studied ‘the factors that are helping them succeed and how can we apply those to those who aren’t succeeding.’

‘I’m not trying to impose ideas,’ he said. ‘I’m just offering suggestions.’

His interest has extended outside his thesis topic.

Adeyemo, with the help of faculty and the EOP, put together an on-campus symposium on April 28 about recent trends in higher education and the absence of black males in academia to ‘raise consciousness,’ he said. Panelists included the founder of the national Student African American Brotherhood, a former NAACP president for Broome and Tioga counties, and other scholars and experts.

According to Adeyemo, the program caused WHRW 90.5 FM to host at least one Open Air Symposium related to his thesis.

Adeyemo also believes that one positive idea would be to integrate black males into Broome County’s recent efforts to revitalize the economy.

But one finding from his research is also a factor in Adeyemo’s life ‘ role models.

‘If you are a white male, how many role models do you have here on campus and how often do you see them?’ said Dr. James Pogue, director of EOP and an African American. He markets that he has a doctorate to inspire students.

Adeyemo hopes for the improvement of faculty/student relations so students have people to look up to. It worked for him.

‘Talking with Dr. Pogue cemented my aspirations to go beyond a master’s degree,’ said Adeyemo.

After this semester, Adeyemo plans on working for a not-for-profit advocacy group for African-American issues and then moving on to law school.

Perhaps, Adeyemo will be a role model for future students.

‘This is going to be an ongoing crisis,’ he said. ‘I’d like to see more engagement from black males to raise awareness.’