Quote:
Originally Posted by PhrozenGenius
WOOOO-SAAAA
WOOOO-SAAAA
Is everybody ok now?
Good...
Let's take all of our personal biases and love for HBCU's out of this. Let's look at this not in terms of black and white, no pun intended, but in green.
Florida A&M University, one of the PREMIER Educational Institutions in this land has hit a tough spot. 39 Million Dollars missing is a buttload of money...for ANYBODY. The problem is that everyone is looking for someone to blame, but no one is trying to find the ACTUAL root of the problem.
Had my state legislature, or anybody's for that matter, lost 39 million dollars (especially with 1.8 million disappearing into the pocket of a brother that mopped the floors) we would be pissed to no end. We would march, protest, and call for the beheading of the governor. We wouldn't say, "well this is Governor's Nogood's fault! I know he hasn't been in office in umpteen years but so what!" We wouldn't blame the mexican at the fruitstand outside the capital building because he was nearby either. We would PUSH for accountability. We would PUSH to the root. We woudl be filled with righteous anger and indignation at the situation, not at random people involved because it seems ok to do.
(Now let's bring color back into it)
I believe HBCU's are the lifeblood, the heart, and soul of black genius. I think they are integral part of the development of the mass black consciousness and vital to our existence in this country. However, just like the church, we don't like to take a strong look at our own problems. We don't criticize our HBCU's because we love them, just like we don't criticize the church because we feel it's almost blasphemous.
If we want to help our HBCU's we need to stop giving them the benefit of complete immunity within our community. We need to hold them to the same high standards that they hold the students to. It is LITERALLY open season on HBCU financial records.
39 Million...that's a lot of tax money...
Just like we chastise our children in love, lets start loving our HBCU's instead of simply saying we do. (AND THE CHURCH!)
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I agree.
[Tangent/]I made this same argument to a group of HBCU alum years ago. They were extremely irrate and sensitive to the point where they tried to lash out against me personally. Their arguments ranged from I wouldn't understand b/c I didn't go to an HBCU to I wouldn't understand because I was younger and hadn't been in the "real world of full time work experience" yet. Such passion should have been directed at the HBCUs.[/end tangent]
When you look at the issue objectively, HBCUs have a lot of structural problems. Many of them don't have the stellar reputations that they once did. The calibar of student for some HBCUs has struggled along with their administrations. This doesn't mean that there aren't good students at these HBCUs but bad apples can spoil the perception of the bunch. Just like bad apples among HBCUs spoil the perception of HBCUs.
Loyalty is fine if some people want to attach themselves to HBCUs. But loyalty without demand for improvement and accountability is a waste.