In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question “What kind of man are you looking for?” She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye and asking “Do you really want to know?” Reluctantly, he said, “Yes.” She began to expound…

As a woman in this day and age, I am in a position to ask a man what he can do for me that I can’t do for myself. I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man…or woman for that matter. I am in the position to ask, “What can you bring to the table?”

The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money. She quickly corrected his thought and stated, “I am not referring to money. I need something more. ”

“I need a man who is striving for perfection in every aspect of life.” He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and asked her to explain.

She said, “I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection mentally because I need conversation and mental stimulation. I don’t need a simple-minded man.”

I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection spiritually because I don’t need to be unequally yoked… believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster.

I need a man who is striving for perfection financially because I don’t need a financial burden. I am looking for someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded.

I am looking for someone who I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn’t taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive…he just has to be worthy. God made woman to be a helpmate for man. I can’t help a man if he can’t help himself.

When she finished her spill, she looked at him. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face. And said, “You’re asking a lot.” She replied, “I’m worth a lot.”

I was excited to check MSNBC.com today and find this article that states that the black athlete graduation rate is up 24 points over 20 years (from 1984-2004) for all NCAA Division I Sports. At a time when black athletes are generally praised for their work on the field moreso than their work in the classroom, it’s good to see that the performance gap between blacks and whites is narrowing.

What I also found to be interesting was the statement in the article that black athletes tend to graduate at higher rates than black students in general. While we all know “those athletes” at our school who are more focused on their sport than their academics, it’s good to see that overall, athletes are contributing to the academic and athletic climates of universities.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I feel that we should encourage athletes to be academically successful also. There’s a book written by Dr. Billy Hawkins, a professor at UGA, entitled “The New Plantation: The Internal Colonization of Black Student-Athletes” that discusses the colonizer/colonized relationship between sport coaches/administrators and black student-athletes. It’s an interesting read, and Hawkins implies that the trend with predominantly white institutions is to give the black student-athletes superficial academic assistance with the goals of only keeping them eligible to play their respective sport; as opposed to academically preparing them for a life outside of the world of collegiate athletes.

At any rate, it’s good to hear some positive news about black student-athletes, and hopefully those graduation rates will continue to rise. There’s always room for improvement- it’s the biggest room in the house.