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Image Is Everything

By Eddie R. Cole Jr.
Black College Wire

Eddie R. Cole Jr.

You can whine, cry, complain, stomp and scream about it, but image is everything.

Perception is 99 percent of getting your foot in the door.

I spent the week before classes leading the fall workshop for The Meter, the student newspaper at Tennessee State University, recruiting for the publication and meeting with different campus constituents. In almost all these settings, I noticed a common thread: image. I also noticed a concerted effort by the university, intentional or not, to stress image.

During a lunch with Tennessee State President Melvin N. Johnson and some members of his executive cabinet, he spoke of the university's image.

When students do not score well on the rising-junior or senior-exit exams, the scores paint a portrait of poor academic performance at Tennessee State. By contrast, the university's image was perceived as stellar when researcher Frank Fekel visited the Czech Republic in August to vote on whether the solar system will gain three planets or lose one.

It got me thinking. What part does Corporate America's opinion on image have to do with us? I mean, we're just students.

Well, professionalism is exciting to me. I dress the part and have fun doing it. I've interned and networked in real-world settings. Whenever I walk into a room full of corporate recruiters or sit on a panel, employers do not see my resume first. Nor do they see that I am the editor-in-chief of the Tennessee State University student newspaper. They notice image. Through the image I portray, they see the excellence of the TSU product.

The same can be said for the Sankofa program, which is designed to mentor, guide and monitor students in transition from high school to college life. A small group of male members of the university's staff, faculty and administration have made an effort to rectify what they see is a problem.

Several male freshmen are suffering disciplinary setbacks early in their collegiate careers, tarnishing both their individual images and that of the university. During a meeting with some 150 new male students on Aug. 22, image was emphasized as a top priority for the newest Tigers.

Later that week, Dewey English, managing editor of the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register, met with The Meter staff. In short, he gave a seven-point series of suggestions for young college students beginning careers. What was English's No. 2 point? The idea of image came up: Dress professional.

At some point, we have to step up and take responsibility for that which we call our own, whether it is embracing the university, taking pride in the things we do for our communities, or doing on a personal note what is necessary to take ourselves to the next level.

Therefore, in the words of Johnson, "As we develop our image, we need to own it and protect it."

Eddie R. Cole Jr., a student at Tennessee State University, is editor in chief of The Meter.

Posted Sept. 5, 2006