The Briggs Multiracial Alliance
The Briggs Multiracial Alliance (BMA) was formally founded in the spring of 2004 when a handful of motivated LBS students took an independent study class with Dr. Alice Dreger.  The class, LBS 490E, focused on the recruitment and retention of minority students in LBS and studied LBS admissions patterns from years past.  LBS was planning to undergo an expansion of its student body, and this class served as a means to project what minority enrollment might look like in LBS after the expansion took place.

Through rigorous admissions studies, the students found that an expansion of the LBS student body was not likely to lead to a proportional increase in minority enrollment.  Furthermore, they found that minority students – although well-qualified – were dropping out of LBS at an alarming rate, largely due to a general discomfort with the lack of diversity in the Holmes Hall learning environment.

Thus, the seven students in this class set out to create a student group that worked with LBS faculty, students, and staff to increase the recruitment and retention of minority students.  In its first year, BMA student leaders had marked success in their pursuit of a more diverse student body.  They accompanied LBS professors and admissions counselors to high school forums for prospective students in the Detroit area and spoke about the benefits of an LBS education.  They also began the annual tradition of hand-writing personalized letters to diverse high school students who had already been granted admission into LBS, encouraging them to make the commitment to attend LBS and MSU, sharing with them many of the advantages of MSU, and offering their assistance with any questions or concerns that the high school students or their parents may have had. 

Within its first year, BMA became the largest and most vocal student group within LBS, and that tradition continues to this day.  In addition to broadcasting issues of diversity, BMA also held community service events in the Greater Lansing area, broke down barriers between LBS students and faculty by introducing "LBS Fireside Chats," and held social events within Holmes Hall. 

With the full support of the LBS Director, Dr. Elizabeth Simmons, the influence of BMA in the LBS and Holmes Hall communities has grown exponentially each year.