Minority members of IFC and Panhellenic

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by alum

I don't think the raising the bar statement implied that the bar was raised because a Caucasian happens to be the val. The bar was raised because an obviously bright, focused student was recruited to be part of the student body and that this recruit lived up to his potential. PWIs have recruited the best and brightest African-Americans for awhile. It stands to reason that HBCUs would do the same for their non-focus populations.

I don't think they consciously said it because he's white. Maybe subconsciously or because it sounded like a nice thing to say. But what it implies and what is embedded in it is what concerns me.

The bar wasn't raised by this valedictorian. And he probably learned more from this experience, which he admits along with admitting his Ivy League options, than they learned from having him.

You will rarely find a PWI or other predominantly white institution to praise blacks by saying "the bar was raised." Usually, blacks will be celebrated for excelling and working harder to achieve, what their white counterparts have already achieved, despite the status quo and defying whites' expectations/stereotypes.