The Black Alumni Organization (BAO) upped its scholarship fund by $10,420 with an alumni-sponsored step show held in Mitchell Hall during Homecoming weekend.

Three of the alums hosting the event—Quinetta M. Roberson, BE ’92, Tony Allen, AS ’93, CHEP ’01PhD, and Jocelyn Devance Taliaferro, AS ’92, CHEP ’04PhD—say they were committed to making a contribution to the University. Admission fees to the step show already were dedicated to the BAO scholarship fund, but the three friends say they decided “to raise the bar.”

“Given our strong school spirit and our desire to give back to an institution that has done so much for us, we set a goal to raise $10,000 during the show through pledges from audience members,” Roberson says.

Four Greek-letter organizations at UD performed in the step show: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta sororities and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Dark Arts Performing Dance Company also participated.

Alumni who performed in the show ranged from the Class of 1990 to the Class of 2006. Terrance Bowman, EG ’95, organized the event, and pledges and donations were solicited after each performance.

“In addition to pledges by individuals, we collected monies during intermission,” Roberson says. “To add a touch of drama, Tony donned his Ph.D. regalia, and ‘ushers’ with offering baskets went up and down the aisles for additional donations. A wonderful moment came toward the end of the show, when three children, ages 7-10, came up to the stage to donate $20 each.”

Allen calls UD “a great story for us and for so many African-American graduates at the University who have found wonderful social networks and lifelong friends who really transcend the traditional barriers of division that confront our citizenry.”

All three friends “stepping up” to the scholarship drive hold doctoral degrees. Roberson is an associate professor of human resource studies at Cornell University, Allen is a senior vice president for communications at the Bank of America in Wilmington, Del., and Taliaferro is an assistant professor
of social work at North Carolina State University.

More than 400 people attended the step show, including approximately 50 current students. By early November, the BAO had raised about $17,000 toward its five-year scholarship goal of $50,000. UD’s Office of Student Diversity and Success will administer the scholarships.