Meet NYU’s ‘Gentlemen of Quality’

“We, the Gentlemen of Quality are a brotherhood dedicated to the principles of leadership, service and scholarship.” So reads the first line of the mission statement of the Gentlemen of Quality. The Gentlemen of Quality, or GQ, is an organization founded at NYU in the year 2004. The organization was founded as an outworking of the Academic Achievement Program (AAP), a larger umbrella organization which seeks to build community among the school’s underrepresented students as well as enhance their academic and leadership abilities.

GQ was created to address a distinct need at the university, that of an organization in which young men, particularly those of color, could congregate and discuss their particular concerns. According to NYU’s website, black students account for a mere five per cent of NYU’s total student population with obviously less than that comprising of men. As such, young men of color face unique circumstances as students at NYU. While the membership consists primarily of black students, the organization heavily values inclusiveness. The second sentence of the mission statement reads, “We seek the academic, social, and cultural enhancements of our communities irrespective of race, color, creed and religion.”

The Gentlemen of Quality are largely devoted to service which most often takes the form of the mentorships they conduct on a weekly basis. The organization facilitates several mentorships to better allow for all of its members to participate. Through these mentorships GQ seeks to have a positive impact on students of color who are earlier on in their schooling. GQ provides these boys with mentors from similar social and cultural backgrounds as themselves, mentors whom they might not have had otherwise.

These similarities enable the organization’s mentors to connect with these students in a substantial way, providing them with role models in whom they can see themselves. The mentorships allow the organization’s members the chance to impart knowledge and practical advice gained from their own academic and professional experiences. This is a particularly important function as often the boys who they mentor might not be aware of the wide range of opportunities available to them through academic success.

The Gentlemen of Quality host various events throughout the year. Their marquee event is Get Acquainted, one of NYU’s largest functions which the organization puts on every fall semester. Additionally, in the spring semester GQ organizes Golden Rose, an award ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of the women of color on campus, be they student leaders, faculty or staff. Also in the spring is GQ’s Hope Weekend, a series of charity events designed to raise money for Grand Street Settlement, an organization which works closely with Marta Valle High School, where the gentlemen mentor. The highlight of this weekend is Hoops for Hope, a three-on-three charity basketball tournament.

GQ will often partner with various other organizations in community service and fundraising initiatives. The most recent of these initiatives is a fundraising drive for the residents of Flint, Michigan who are currently dealing with the adverse effects of a poisonous water supply.