Group Offers Scholarships for White Males

[Always AlphaGam]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

link

What say you, GC?

I have no problem with it. If Mr. Bohannon wants to start a group to help white males go to college, then good for him. I don't see it being any different than the groups who offer scholarships for women and minorities.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Always AlphaGam

I have no problem with it. If Mr. Bohannon wants to start a group to help white males go to college, then good for him. I don't see it being any different than the groups who offer scholarships for women and minorities.

Ditto.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Ditto.

Thirding this.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by Always AlphaGam

I have no problem with it. If Mr. Bohannon wants to start a group to help white males go to college, then good for him. I don't see it being any different than the groups who offer scholarships for women and minorities.

First and foremost, I don't agree with any scholarships that aren't based in financial need FIRST.

Second, it IS different than scholarships for women and minorities because of institutional sexism and racism which we still have not "overcome" in this country, as evidenced by salary disparities among men and women, and among whites and minorities. Race-based scholarships and gender-based scholarships were established to level the playing field -- not to stick it to the man.

THIS scholarship was established in racism. You don't have to have a problem with it for it to still be problematic.

[lucgreek]

The more scholarships the better. It's money some kid doesn't have to pay back once they graduate. Less reliance on loans is alright by me.

On a completely semi-off topic side note: At Loyola, there is a scholarship ($500) for anyone who has the last name Zolp. It doesn't matter if you're related to whomever the benefactor is, it just matters you have Zolp for a last name. I was always mad I could never get that.

[GeorgiaGreek]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

First and foremost, I don't agree with any scholarships that aren't based in financial need FIRST.

I disagree with any scholarships that are based on something other than scholastic achievement first. While it is important to help those who cannot afford it to get through school, is it not necessary to support those individuals who are high achievers not matter what their background?

Take the National Merit Scholarship. You have to score in the top 1 percent of high school seniors in your state to get the scholarship. And yet the scholarship amounts given for two of the main public institutions in Georgia are $500 and $750 a year. On the scale of total tuition and housing costs, that is NOTHING. That is books for the year, maybe not even the entire cost of them. So students who have demonstrated potential for achievement, even though they may be able to afford the cost, get rewarded very little for it.

I'm not saying that need-based scholarships aren't important or necessary, but there are very few scholarships for those who JUST earn it and don't necessarily REQUIRE it to get through school. That's doesn't seem right to me.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGreek

Take the National Merit Scholarship. You have to score in the top 1 percent of high school seniors in your state to get the scholarship. And yet the scholarship amounts given for two of the main public institutions in Georgia are $500 and $750 a year. On the scale of total tuition and housing costs, that is NOTHING. That is books for the year, maybe not even the entire cost of them. So students who have demonstrated potential for achievement, even though they may be able to afford the cost, get rewarded very little for it.

I'm not saying that need-based scholarships aren't important or necessary, but there are very few scholarships for those who JUST earn it and don't necessarily REQUIRE it to get through school. That's doesn't seem right to me.

Since Georgia already offers a full tuition scholarship to qualified students, why would they offer National Merit money to kids who already qualify for HOPE? Other states, which don't have lottery money or merit scholarship programs, offer much better deals for those who did really well on the PSAT/NMSQT.

I am conflicted about women/minority scholarships. I went to a college that awards financial aid based solely on need. It's a numbers thing and there's nothing unfair about that. I went to a tiny high school, however, and all of the kids of color applied for certain scholarships. Despite being in the top 1% of my class (and probably the top-ranked student of color), I didn't receive any of the scholarships...the kids who did, however, didn't finish college.

Would it have been better to just give the scholarship to the person who was the most qualified academically, or the person who needed it the most on a financial level just to GO to college (and not necessarily to graduate)?

I probably would have graduated from college anyway, Ladies of Essence/American Association of Business Women/Florida Architects Assembly scholarship or no. But, would those people who ended up getting those scholarships even ATTENDED college without them?

[GeorgiaGreek]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Since Georgia already offers a full tuition scholarship to qualified students, why would they offer National Merit money to kids who already qualify for HOPE? Other states, which don't have lottery money or merit scholarship programs, offer much better deals for those who did really well on the PSAT/NMSQT.

The money you get from National Merit is based on which school you go to, not the state you qualified from. If a NM scholar from Alabama goes to the University of Georgia, they get the same $500 as someone from Georgia. Only students from Georgia who stay in Georgia and maintain the required GPA can get the full tuition scholarship.
Also, there is a good possibility that HOPE will no longer pay the full tuition for everyone in the future, and the amount supplemented for books will drop (it's not enough for some students as it is), so scholarships like this would be even more important.

[Gusteau]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Second, it IS different than scholarships for women and minorities because of institutional sexism and racism which we still have not "overcome" in this country, as evidenced by salary disparities among men and women, and among whites and minorities. Race-based scholarships and gender-based scholarships were established to level the playing field -- not to stick it to the man.

I agree with this, and understand the reasoning behind it. However, I also believe that privately funded scholarships should be awarded to whomever is deemed deserving by the donor, regardless of motive or bias.

And FWIW, the scholarships I would really support, need or achievement based, are color and gender blind.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Second, it IS different than scholarships for women and minorities because of institutional sexism and racism which we still have not "overcome" in this country, as evidenced by salary disparities among men and women, and among whites and minorities. Race-based scholarships and gender-based scholarships were established to level the playing field -- not to stick it to the man.

THIS scholarship was established in racism. You don't have to have a problem with it for it to still be problematic.

AGREED.

Also, I think it is patently untrue that there are "no scholarships for white people". There are scholarships for people of Polish origin, or Irish origin, or descendents of the Mayflower, or any other number of things that really mean "white".

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

AGREED.

Also, I think it is patently untrue that there are "no scholarships for white people". There are scholarships for people of Polish origin, or Irish origin, or descendents of the Mayflower, or any other number of things that really mean "white".

Serious question...

Do most scholarships for minorities specify where exactly they (or their descendants) came from? (i.e. whether you're from Iran, or China, or Jamaica, etc.?) Or are they more general based on ethnicity or skin color? ... Middle-Eastern, Asian, Black, etc.?

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Serious question...

Do most scholarships for minorities specify where exactly they (or their descendants) came from? (i.e. whether you're from Iran, or China, or Jamaica, etc.?) Or are they more general based on ethnicity or skin color? ... Middle-Eastern, Asian, Black, etc.?

There are scholarships for both (ex. You must be Jamaican and You must identify as African American).

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Or are they more general based on ethnicity or skin color?

None of them are based on "skin color." They are based on race and ethnicity.

(Skin color is a mainstream phrase for physical racial and ethnic identifiability.)

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by yo.bones

I like how you contradict yourself in paragraph one and two. You don't agree with any scholarships that are not based on financial need but then you support scholarships for minorities.

I guess you didn't learn to read, did you max. He didn't say that he doesn't agree with any scholarships that are not based on financial need. He said he doesn't agree with any scholarships where financial need is not the first criteria. That would be what the allcaps "FIRST" means.

Go be pathetic somewhere else.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I guess you didn't learn to read, did you max. He didn't say that he doesn't agree with any scholarships that are not based on financial need. He said he doesn't agree with any scholarships where financial need is not the first criteria. That would be what the allcaps "FIRST" means.

Go be pathetic somewhere else.

I just came in to post a message similar to this. Clearly, reading ISN'T fundamental for max.