White people are getting paid to go to HBCU's

As an HBCU attendee, I couldn’t help but wonder why I often see white students on campus. With the history of historically black colleges and universities, it confuses me why white students in particular, choose these schools. My curiosity upon arriving to the Mecca, led to me doing some investigation. I asked every white student I met why they chose Howard, (which wasn’t peculiar because I ask everyone this) and their answers didn’t surprise me. Although many of them gave artificial reasons why, the location, opportunity, etc, they all shared one common incentive—scholarships. Every single white person I asked was given a scholarship to attend Howard. I, myself am not on scholarship but that’s not what I’m bitter about. I would be less unsettled if those same scholarships were given to qualified minority students. Here’s why: Howard University has an average tuition fee of about $23,000 a year. With an acceptance rate less that 50%, students who actually do consider coming to Howard, struggle with finding the means to do so. 93% of students at Howard receive some sort of government financial aid. Only 2% of students receive state aid. Howard grants freshman scholarships to nearly 46% of newcomers . This translates to millions of dollars donated in scholarships—which is great! It is amazing that our school is taking some of the financial toll off of students for attending. Although there are no demographics that specify how many of these students are white, I can’t help but imagine that it is a very large percent, based off my own research. Refund season is a great time for most students, mainly those with student loans (66% at Howard). Many ignore the fact that the money received will have to be paid back in full, with interest, but are excited to get a financial boost for the semester. Refunds are not only granted to students on loans, however. Students with total financial coverage from scholarships, receive a refund for the remaining balance on their bill. This is highly unfair, especially considering Howard’s financial status as of now. Most students who receive scholarships from Howard also have other means of financial relief, such as federal grants, financial aid, book vouchers, work study opportunities, etc. Money is flowing in the direction of those who scored exceptionally on their SAT and had reasonable GPA’s in high school. There is nothing wrong with this, until it loses its moral purpose. After all books, dorm and housing fees, tuition fees, and any other mandatory expenses have been covered, there is no reason why students will THEN receive a refund. I wonder what the exact amount Howard scholarships promise to students is? I feel as though these scholarships should be conditional; meaning they should promise to cover all necessary costs and nothing more. If the main recipients of these scholarships are white, that means that they are essentially being paid by Howard to attend. HBCU’s were established initially to divide whites and blacks. Since the end of segregation, we have reconstructed these schools to empower black people and help them attain useful knowledge in a safe and comfortable environment. HBCU’s teach young black students how to be successful in the business world in comparison to their white counterparts, without conforming or selling themselves short. I appreciate being able to experience this at Howard and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I just feel as though, HBCU’s are still in existence for the betterment of African Americans. By giving mostly white students all we have to offer in scholarships, we still feed into the stigma of helping them advance more than us, even on our own turf.

#Howard #Money #AfricanAmericans #WhitePeople #Government #Scholarships #HBCUs