Colleges Open Minority Aid to All Comers
Remember to read thoroughly the “Read Me First” post on this blog before responding to this post. You may discuss any—or a combination—of the following as long as it results in three (3) 5-7 sentence paragraphs.
Be sure to attach your name, and the person's name to whom you're responding, at the beginning of your responses. Comments that do not meet the minimum requirements will be deleted.
Guiding Thought: Although this information cannot be found in the article, it should be noted that—for those of you who mistake race for need—most of the people on public assistance (i.e., welfare) are Anglo (i.e., White). How might this new information change, alter, or modify your current opinion on academic financial assistance?
1. After reading and discussing, to some degree, this article, on what basis should financial aid, scholarships, and fellowships be awarded? Be sure to thoroughly explain your position.
2. There are students who receive financial aid and scholarships, but who also perform poorly in their academics maintaining low GPAs, failing classes, with some students even abusing the financial aid system. Obviously, this is the type of student who displaces someone who might use the financial aid package to their full benefit. Should there be a penalty for such low-achieving students? If not, why not? If so, then what should the consequences be and why?
3. Quote: "Our concern is that the law be followed and that nobody be denied participation in a program on account of skin color or what country their ancestors came from." (—Roger Clegg) Bearing this quote in mind, explain and discuss why financial aid, scholarships, and fellowships should not include nonminorities and men?
Prof. Ferrante
posted by Garth Ferrante @ 11/06/2006 04:38:00 PM
23 comments
23 Comments:
To Professor Ferrante
From Vienna Mouzon
I agree many students do take advantge of the goverment funded provided for college. I feel that white students should be allowed to have funding too but not from the funding set aside for minorites. Overall majority of the poor people in this country are minority. Also majority of the students attending these top university which are expensive are white students. Most of the time their parents can afford to pay for school.
I am amazed how the american system is changing. For many years minorites have been viewed as weak and uncapable. The majority of whites have made minority feel unequal to them.This is why the laws allowed for funding to be put aside for the minorites. White people loved to give hand outs as long as they are superior. Now that they are starting to see that people dont need them to make it they want their money back. I think the funds should never disappear I think that the white students should view the lack of funding as a learning experience of never under estamite anyone
Vienna Mouzon comment above
I don't feel they should do away with affrimative action yet. I think they should use it lightly. I rather they except minorites to the school because of the lack of diversity. I rather it not be a hand out but rather the student has earned a spot at the school. Also money is limited for everyone no matter the color of their skin but I feel it should be given to the ones who needed the most first.
Vienna Mouzon
To Ferrante
From Karla Quintero
I believe that white people should have the same opportunities as minorities.White people are not all rich and the stereotype that they have make us think tha they should be excluded from finacial aid programs.
I agree with Vienna and Karla when they say that white people should be included in the financal aid program, but I believe that race should not mak a difference whether or not you get aid. I think if you ned aid you should get it no matter your race.
Jean M.
To Professor Ferrante
From Johanny Rodriguez
I agree that students should be required to maintain a high GPA in order to qualify for financial aid. If students do not meet the requirements of their GPA then they shall not qualify for financial aid benefits next term. Students need to be made aware of the penalties for not mainting a good point average. There are many students who would take advantage of financial aid and get passing grades. If a student fails his class then he shall have to pay back whatever the amount was for those credits that he failed.
To Vienna
From Johanny
I do agree that a student should be excepted into college because they deserved it. The government needs to give help to the students who need it most. I feel that minorities should not be excepted in a school because of the lack of diversity. I think that this is unfair to minorities. Why should minorites get excepted just because of the lack of diversity?
To Jean M
From Johanny
I feel that white people should not get excluded from financial aid programs. Just because their white it does not mean they can qualify for financial aid. People automatically think well their white they have money. We do not know what financial problems people may have. I feel no matter what race someone may be if they need financial aid then it should be given to them.
From Karla Q.
To Johanny
I agree with you when you say that a student should not be accepted only because of the lack of diversity. I believe that is disrespectful towards minorities because it makes it seem like the colleges are not interested in our capacities as students,but as people to diversify their school.
From Karla
To Vienna
I can understand when you say that teh majority of white students are
able to afford a college education
because their parents can give it to them, but we also have to realize that not every white person is able to afford an upper level education.
To Professor G. Ferrante
From: P. Sellers-Bradford
During slavery and following their emancipation, African-Americans were not permitted to have any education. The courts at that time ruled that it was wrong to permit blacks to attend white schools. This caused African-Americans to lag further behind the white population and they continue to bear the scars of racial discrimination and segregation. African-Americans were segregated in elementary and secondary schools and colleges. As a result they had to develop their own educational facilities without receiving any resources from government.
Underachievement in education was the basis that legal scholars from the N.A.A.C.P. fought to even the bar. Only after the battle for Civil Rights began in 1955 were blacks allowed to vote and receive school funding in the 1960’s. The State providing parity in school funding is still pending (Abbott vs. Burke). While on the other hand the courts are seeking how to take back the ability for “minorities” to receive the extra help they need to achieve. Instead of them closing the doors to low achieving African-Americans, they should find more meaningful methods of assisting them to master the skills necessary to remain in higher educational institutions.
It seems that in a short time from 1955 to now people have forgotten the struggle of African-Americans and women who were treated unequal in this great U.S.A. They have also forgotten the fundamentals of why affirmative action exists. I do not believe that the kids faced with the challenge of mastering the skills level they are required to obtain in college is possible without giving them the appropriate tools while in elementary and secondary schools. Minorities fought a number of legal battles to obtain funding and affirmative action. It is my belief that it should remain in place.
To Vienna Mouzon
From P. Sellers-Bradford
I do not believe that enough students are taking advantage of the government funded programs set aside. This is basically because of their inability to meet the challenges of higher education. Too many students struggle to achieve the basics in elementary and secondary schools because they are not taught adequately there.
Moreover, from being an activist and following the legal battles on the front line, I know how shrewd and calculating these government representatives and the courts are in their effort to achieve their goal to reverse laws that are best for the people. They know that in time the people will help them to fight the battle to undue the civil rights achievements.
To Karla Q. & Jean M.
From P. Sellers-Bradford
Please note that a majority of colleges across this country contain a white student majority. We must remember that without affirmative action it most likely would remain as whites only. That is why affirmative action was put into place. Without it the students' entry level would probably remain white only. It behooves me that the argument has crept up to reverse giving minorities an equal opportunity to attain a higher education. Pointing the finger in statements i.e. they are abusing the money. This is the same tactic that was used to take prayer out of schools. However, it is okay for parochial and private schools to accept government funds in the form of vouchers and charter schools and still entertain prayer in there. Taking away affirmative action exists because attorneys wish to reverse the laws in appropriating funds to underachievers. I believe that ample funding is already exists for white America. It is time for this government to give its fair share to all minorities. The people must beware and get on the band wagon or they once again will miss out on every opportunity that was set-aside.
Response to Mr.ferrante
i think that all students should meet certain requirements before becoming eligible for Financial Aid, scholarships, and other programs that are offered to minorirty students.1- create some kind of exam to test their potentials and interest in attending college 2-let them sign a contract agreeing to To maintain a minimum of 2.5 GPA,and to follow the attendance policy all the time except for emergency abscence.3-The students should have a very low income before qualifying for any of the programs except for the scholarship which should be given to students who deserve it.
Loreen Hanna
Response to Vienna,
i agree with you about what you said about white people should also be eligible or financial aid or any other programs. I don't thik race should matter in such an issue. if a student meets the requirements for Financial aid than it should be rewarded to him/her because he/she proved that they deserve it by meeting the requirements.A lot of people think that all white people are rich, therefore; they shouldn't qualify for financial aid, just like every race there are rich families and poor families families that could afford to send their children to college, other families that can't afford to send their kids to college without government help. what isn't fair is to entitle minority aid to only white students. Loreen Hanna
Response to Johanny
You are definetely right students shouldn't take advantage of financial aid,therefore they need to know the penalties of not meeting the requirements. I think why a lot of students are abusing the financial aid system is because it's money that they don't earn or work hard for so they tend to misuse it and abuse it by failing classes, dropping summer classes that the university used to pay for, or withdrawing from classes, On the other hand, students who work to pay for their tuition tend to use and take advantage of evey penny paid just because they know they had to work hard for it.
Loreen Hanna
To: Professor Ferrante
Fr: Mary Garcia
I believe that aid should be available to everyone who qualifies for it. Today whether your a minority or not people need the aid in order to further their education. I'm a minority and the only aid I qualify for is student loans, which I have to pay back. The government has a scale of how much money you can make yearly,in order to qualify for aid that you don't pay back. The whole thing with that is they don't look at how much you pay out to bills yearly. They just look at how much you make. Therefore, whether your a minority or not it shouldn't matter. The stereotype in this country is that white people are wealthier than the minorities. The reality is that there's all types of wealthy people. The same goes for middle class and poor.
Response to Johanny
Fr: Mary Garcia
I agree that students who get aid should maintain good grades. Not only good grades but attend classes regularly. There's alot of students that do take advantage of the aid they recieve, but don't realize how badly it can hurt them if it gets taken away. This is for all aid not only aid you don't pay back. If you get student loans and withdraw or get failing grades for a couple of semesters, you can lose the student loans for non achievement.
Response to Vienna
Fr: Mary Garcia
I agree that aid set aside for minorities should be used for minorities only. Needless to say that everyone should be able to recieve aid if they need it and qualify for it. The government will always say they don't have the money to give for extra aid. The truth is that they spend it on things that are not necessary. This could be a reason why schools are using the aid for minorities and using it for anyone who is not a minority. I feel that the government is mostly at fault for this. The reason for my conclusion is that everything keeps going up in price while our salary isn't. Therefore, today more and more people are in need of aid regardless of their race.
Reading this article made me realize thatthey are recluiting minorities because a university lack . Students who do get this federal aid should fell lucky because not other people get scholarships of more than 1 million dollars just to go to an university. Usually these students who do not have to pay for the tuition are taking it very easily in college because if they fail a class they know the could taker it the following semester without a problem. Also these are the students who you see withdrawing from classes. For me I have to pay all of my university tuition. Financial Aid only helps me with very little close to none money. Im not saying that i am not thankful for the money they are giving me, but there are just many other students who get this important aid and do not take it to their advantage.
Manuel Sanchez
Response to Mary:
I agree with what Mary says, i do think that the government is using the money that is suppose to give as aid for other things. If the government actually did give this aid out maybe more students would want to enroll in school. How many teens wish they could enroll and are smart but do not have the opportunity to go to college because their parents do not qualify.
Manuel Sanchez
Response to JEan:
I agree with jean when she wrote that aid shouldnt be given to students based on race. Aid should be given to students because they need the aid. This kind of shows how prejiduce we still might me. We are only giving benefit to one party. The government tries to make it seem like they are not trying to descriminate but they are but people dont see it. \
Manuel Sanchez
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