The MathPACK… A Community of Minority Excellence
Dr. Peter Eley
Time and chance happens to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Sometimes you just are in the right place at the right time. After watching him demonstrate his work at the Center for Research in Scientific Computation at North Carolina State University (NCSU), my chance encounter with Dr. Thomas Banks at a lecture he gave at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) changed my trajectory. It was the pathway to a community of minority excellence. I watched with curiosity and wondered as Dr. Banks demonstrated and recruited students to enroll in his program at NCSU. During my senior year at ECSU, I had several conversations with my mentors and advisors, Dr. Dipendera Sengupta & Dr. Johnny Houston. I was very interested in learning more about cryptography, and my goal was to work for the National Security Agency. I was unsure what graduate education would bring, and I was encouraged to apply to NC State University and a few other universities. During that time, the GRE was required–and the GRE Subject Test, which I recall being brutal. I found later that I was not alone in my thoughts on the GRE Subject Test–we all felt the same about it. My poor performance on that test led me to believe that I would not be admitted to NCSU again.
You read it right. I wrote “again.” Let me explain. Quick sidebar: I grew up about 50 miles north of the NCSU campus. Being on the campus of NCSU was second nature to me because, as a high school student, I participated in the TRIO Upward Bound Program. As a result, I frequented the campus and stayed in the dormitories from my freshman year of high school until I graduated from the program my senior year. The impact of this program and others are grossly understated, especially for producing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) scholars. For me, reflecting on it 26 years later, it was exposure to the possibilities. I credit those experiences as catalysts for my love of all things STEM. So now imagine the heartbreak for me when I applied to NCSU as an undergraduate and was denied admission.
It was January of 2000. Only by fate, I had returned to my dorm room for a quick bio break before our basketball game against North Carolina Central University (NCCU); yes, I was a student-athlete. I was in a rush because our coach had given us strict instructions on when to be in place and ready to go. While preparing to walk out, my phone started to ring. (In the year 2000, cell phones were not common, and I had a traditional landline with a tape recording answering machine.) I answered, and to my amazement, Dr. Thomas Banks fussed at me and asked me what I would decide about my Teaching Assistantship at NCSU. The conversation went like this:
Banks: Are you coming to State or not?
Me: What do you mean? I am still waiting on a decision.
Banks: I am asking you if you want this TAship or not because I have others waiting.
Me: What is a TA? Besides, how can you offer me a TAship if I have not been accepted?
Banks: Well, son, if I am offering you this TAship, don't you think that means you have been accepted?
Me: Oh, oh, my... yes! I am coming!
We beat NCCU that night, and I did not play one minute in that game, yet I was so happy… I called my parents to tell them that, not only did I get into graduate school, but I was coming home!
Later, I was accepted into a few other programs, but I was committed to NCSU. I would finally be a WOLFPack Man! In late February, we had an orientation for all the newly admitted math graduate students. The room was packed, about 30 of us starting in the fall if I recall correctly. As I scanned the room to see a friendly face, I only saw one other that looked like me. Another African American, Frank Ingram. In August 2000, we quickly became acquainted with other BIPOCs across the NCSU campus.
After having conversations with many of my classmates, I understood that many of us were from non-R1 institutions. Coming to an R1 graduate school from a non-R1 institution can be a significant challenge, especially for BIPOCs. The institutions often differ significantly in terms of the number of students, resources, access, and overall navigation. Students from non-R1 institutions often have raw talent and skills. Still, they lack confidence and struggle to quickly adapt to new situations and surroundings. Due to my ignorance, instead of participating and getting to know my classmates, I observed my classmates starting to make groups and working together to support each other. The concept of working together in groups to do math was foreign to me. I was one of three math majors who graduated from ECSU, and I usually worked alone. The lone wolf mentality hurt me badly. I did terribly that first semester at NCSU, and I was not alone. I noticed that our incoming class was becoming smaller and smaller each week throughout the semester. I remember having conversations with classmates as they informed us that this was where the journey ended for them. After failing to assimilate or make more meaningful connections, I earnestly contemplated doing the unthinkable… I was going to quit!
Some weeks ago, NFL football giant John Madden passed away. While several people know him as a coach and a great commentator, my passion is for his video game John Madden Football on Playstation 2… In hindsight, Madden contributed to my problem. Instead of studying, I spent that valuable time figuring out a way to beat Frank and that loaded Tampa Bay team he loved to play with. Then it happened... the conversation that changed my perspective on everything.
Me: Frank, I think I am done, dawg.
Frank: You leaving?
Me: Yeah. I been struggling, and I been trying to get help, but it's not working out. On top of that, I am getting these massive headaches too.
Frank: Who you working with?
Me: Nobody. I am doing my best to get it.
Frank: Why are you not working with the group?
Me: Group?
Frank: We meet over in the office space. Tyrone, Jason, Tracey, Paddy, and Farrah come through too sometimes. You can quit if you want to, but they will have to kick me out…
Me: Cool. I am coming through tomorrow. Kick me out? I never thought of it that way. You're right. They are going to have to kick me out too…
It was this conversation that changed my entire graduate career. I was invited to be a part of a family at this moment. A family that I did not know existed. I could not wait to meet them the next day. I was introduced to my BIPOC family! They did their best to help me, and they cared! It mattered! I was not going to let them down. For the last 20 years plus, I have connected to this family of people I affectionately call the MathPACK!
The MathPack started as a group of first and second-year students sharing common interests. We found in time that we shared many things and that our intersectionalities were significant in scope, and we had the same desire to navigate the academy. The MathPack provided support. It was a community that supported each other mathematically, but we also acknowledged and encouraged each other’s humanity. It was our second year together when we experienced 9/11. We lived and supported each other through that together. We usually met daily for lunch or pick-up basketball games and then used our afternoons for study and homework math sessions. We often took classes together, which made it easier when it came to doing homework because we shared the assignment and addressed the questions to each other for clarity and understanding. The MathPack community was thriving because of the sense of community, mutual respect, embracing our intersectionality, and understanding our individual boundaries.
Everyone in this group found their path and completed their Ph.D. at NCSU. While my passion for teaching and working with students led me to complete the Doctorate in Math Education like Tyrone, the rest of our crew finished in the math department. As I reflect on this piece, I have been blessed. Our organically created community mattered. It still matters that we all are alive, well, and contributing significantly to our society and to the math/math education community.
I hope that you left reading this piece wondering how to support and foster the development of organic math communities where no one is left behind. Let me recommend a few things that you can do:
Be intentional towards reaching others outside of your comfort zone. I will never forget that we had a fellow classmate who loved hockey and often wore hockey jerseys to class at least once a week. I would often comment to him that we needed to go to a hockey game in passing. One day, we did go to a Carolina Hurricanes game together. Over 20 years later, it's still the only hockey game I have attended. I loved it, and it mattered greatly to him that I acknowledged him and what he liked. I made a friend that day, and he still reminds me of that hockey game.
Be vulnerable toward others; nobody is perfect. To our students, we are mathgods; we do no wrong, make no mistakes. We all know that is very far from the truth. Demystify yourself and show vulnerability. One of the things the MathPack did was make it safe for us to be vulnerable. If we did not know something, it was ok to say so. If you bombed a test, it was safe to say so. The first step to solving a problem is admitting that one exists. Therefore, be first to show that the space is safe… Houston, we have a problem…. or I have fallen, and I can't get up… by myself, that is.
Be Present! Hopefully, living in a covid–or soon, a post covid (fingers crossed)–world has been very isolating and distant. The MathPack had interactions at least 2 times a week. Create inviting environments where BIPOCS feel safe, wanted, and know that you are present. Being present does not necessarily mean answering a text that you receive at 3am, even though for some, it might. We must have our limits, but knowing that I can depend on someone when I need them or have a place to go when I need it is critical and has always been the foundation of our group. I can still call on the MathPack to get the support I need, and the support is mutual.
Being a member of the MathPack, I always saw myself being the outlier–and not in a good way–but the community held me accountable, they inspired me, and they provided a hand up and not a handout. Over the years, we have all participated in each other's weddings (Frank was my best man), baby showers, and professionally and personally supported each other. I could not ask for a better community. That is why I finished; it was not for me–it was for the community that depends on me.
Please know that there were many others inside and outside of the class who helped me, but the MathPack was my saving grace. As the saying goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together." The MathPack goes together!
The MathPack NCSU (2000-2011) and what they are doing in 2022…
Dr. Tracey Tullie, Quantitative Analytics Senior Manager, Wells Fargo
Dr. Harry (Tyrone) Washington, Associate Professor, Millersville University (tenured)
Dr. Frank Ingram, Associate Provost & Associate Professor (tenured), Winston-Salem State University
Dr. Padraic Taylor, Associate Professor (tenured), Youngstown State University
Dr. Jason Osborne, Lecturer, Appalachian State University
Dr. Farrah (Jackson) Ward, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, Elizabeth City State University
Dr. Peter Eley, Associate Dean and Professor of Math Education 2020 UNC Board of Governors Award on Teaching Excellence, Fayetteville State University