Whites-only scholarship generates controversy

[dmr]

State GOP: Scholarship has racist overtones
From Jennifer Styles
CNN
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 Posted: 8:15 PM EST (0115 GMT)

College Republicans at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island are offering a scholarship for which only white students are eligible. (February 16)

(CNN) -- A whites-only scholarship to be awarded Wednesday by a student Republican organization at Roger Williams University in Providence, Rhode Island, has drawn both controversy and support.

"It all began two weeks ago as a way for the college Republican groups to express their opposition and tell people they are against race-based scholarships and affirmative action," June Speakman, faculty adviser for the College Republicans told CNN.

"We never expected such an overwhelming response of e-mails and media attention."

The scholarship is for $250, but College Republicans president Jason Mattera said he has received donations and pledges totaling $4,000 for future whites-only scholarships.

More ....
CNN Education

[DarkPhenyx]

1. *ready for the flame mail*

Good for them. I hope they win the fight.

[philosophie_en_rose]

4. That's sick.

They aren't celebrating "white" history or French, British, or Dutch heritages. Their only intention is to celebrate their racist idiocy.

[DarkPhenyx]

7. Are you sure about that?

What is your basis for that statement? Please provide links or documents available at your local library to support your position.

Since when did "equality" fall from being "equality for all"? When did we quit believing in it as democrats and liberals.

[papau]

18. check out their web site-attach picture- evidence of "bleach" disqualifies

Re:
"They aren't celebrating "white" history or French, British, or Dutch heritages. Their only intention is to celebrate their racist idiocy."

The school states they have nothing to do with this. The only email out of the site is a dump on anyone who asks about the rules.

I do not think "only intention is to celebrate their racist idiocy" is there only motivation - I think they do want move from "minority" to "poor or need based for those that overcame social handicaps" on scholarship awards.

But I do feel based on response/non-response that they are into racist idiocy -

perhaps because they feel "minority" awards are racist - in which case they are perhaps just stupid.

[DarkPhenyx]

28. So what?

Would a black schlorship disqualify someone for darkening their skin to recieve the money?

[papau]

64. how dark- how much "darker" - summer tan? :-)

:-)

concept is silly

but way awards handled now is not bad - it is reasonable - there is not that much award money so "none" goes to "un-deserving" and on average deserving whites are taken care if as often as deserving blacks - with many deserving of whatever color skin not getting an award.

the words used by this group imply a lot - or they are trying to overstate and insult to make their point

does not matter - on the face of it - it is racist

[Kathy in Cambridge]

24. These are the same college republicans

who were censured by the college for hateful, anti-gay articles in their school paper.

[DarkPhenyx]

29. Which are well within their first amendment rights.

When did we quit believing in freedom of speech?

[TheDonkey]

52. Historically black universities

do offer scholarship incentives to desegregate their campuses.

Much like historically white campus (ie this unviersity) offer scholarship incentives to minorites to intergrate.

What the campus republicans are doing is purely racist.

[DarkPhenyx]

56. No, it isn't.

You do want to see it tht way though.

Prove that it is reacist and I will retract my comment. Fail to do so and I will ask for you to admit that you were wrong.

[roguevalley]

61. when equality for all exists, then we'll have it. until then, affirmative

action opens closed doors.

[HEyHEY]

35. Well, if other races do it....so be it.

Sad but true.

[snooper2]

54. I agree

Kind of like people getting pissed off about the idea that the BBC will be broke up, but would cheer and get drunk if it happened to FAUX news...

eom

[Taeger]

2. I'm not touching this one (nm)

[DarkPhenyx]

8. Why?

Your opinion is at least as important as those who choose to post.

[Just Me]

43. Yup, better to avoid red burners.

Let them "do their thing". It's a free country. Democracy "trusts" the people to incorporate these things in its evolution.

[DarkPhenyx]

48. so you are an advocate of...

..."the system will solve itself and I don't need to worry about the guy in the trenchcoat over there. I'm sure he has my best interest at heart." Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ya think maybe the Germans felt that way once upon a time?

[Catherine Vincent]

3. Let them have their "whitey only" scholarships

If it goes legit, they will run into some problems in determining who is white enough.

Idiots.

[DarkPhenyx]

5. Kinda like that black community has trouble...

...determining who is "black enough"? Are they idiots too?

[Catherine Vincent]

25. I've never heard of blacks having any problems being black enough

regarding scholarships. Have you?

[DarkPhenyx]

30. I have witnessed blacks having problems with...

...people being black enough period. I have also witnessed blacks having problems with people being "too black". The issue and question still exists reguardless of the context.

[papau]

12. smile .... Amen ... white enough ? I like it!

:-)

[DarkPhenyx]

13. So what is your opinion on "black enough"?

This is a valid issue within the black community you know.

[papau]

21. Also stupid - but as a shorthand for scholarships that should be

awarded as they are being awarded, "black" works for me.

Of course black - as in getting affirmative attention - was a light tan in the 50's, followed by the very dark in the 70's - in both cases one needed to be into sports- to today's version where in effect it means what these kids want it to mean - socially disadvantaged light brown to dark black raised in America.

[DarkPhenyx]

31. So you don't believe in...

...equal oppertunity for everyone reguardless of ethnicity of sex.

[papau]

37. Of couse I believe in apple pie and the flag - but "equal opportunity" is

not built into the game, and can not be built into the game, if you use humans as the players.

It is not rocket science - folks hire folks like themselves - and can not stop that bias (and no - they do not hire 100% only their own image - it is only a bias).

[DarkPhenyx]

40. Then why are you fighting the game of....

..."EO"? It's a lost cause isn't it? Why are you upset that someone is of the opinion that we need a "whites only" tuition assistance program? Or a whites only club? What is wrong, then, with a white only hiring program because "we are more comfortable with our own kind"?

[papau]

63. EO beats "comfortable with own kind"

So yes Black run companies should be on the same rules as others.

But econ power distribution in this nation is a largely white controlled problem -so lets get the 90% solution that takes 10% of the final effort accompished now - and sell the remaining 10% - black owned who refused to hire or are biased against whites - as a todo soon - and indeed discuss it now.

but EO should continue.

[thesemodernsocks]

6. Well.

The more honorable thing for Mr. Mattera to do would be to decline his $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund if he feels so strongly about the matter.

[DarkPhenyx]

9. OK. Again the simple question.

Why? Why should he? Because we/you say so?

[thesemodernsocks]

10. ..

If he feels that his scholarship puts his white peers at a disadvantage then why accept it?

[DarkPhenyx]

11. Because it gives him an advantage.

Not hard to understand. Not everyone is willing to take the high ground at a personal sacrafice as I am. Also, as the person currently holding the position of scolorship winner he holds a position of power he wouldn't if he was not the winner, and he also prevents another person from taking advantage of a reward he dosen't feel anyone deserves.

[Book Lover]

14. Simple

Because it is hypocritical for him to accept money he got only because of his ethnicity while complaining that it is wrong for people to hand out and accept money based on ethnicity alone.


Spelling on edit

[DarkPhenyx]

15. So you would be willing to say that...

...it is hypocritical for any liberal and enlightened white person, particularly a middle american white male, to accept a raise/promotion becasue we "know" that all white have an advantage in our society.

[Book Lover]

17. You are moving from the specifc

to the general. I am calling out this one person's actions. You are making a sweeping generalization.

[DarkPhenyx]

19. It could also be said that...

...you are focudsing too closely on the actions of one person when it is the broader issue that is more important.

[Book Lover]

22. I disagree with your perspective

although I understand where you are coming from. No discussion of the broader issue erases the fact that the student's actions are hypocritical. Can we agree that the question of whether the student returning his scholarship money is separate from the question "Is affirmative action ethical?"

[DarkPhenyx]

33. Of course it is.

Then I ask you "so what". Hypocrasy is one of those things that absolutely drives me batshit. However it is one of those thing we see everyday, particularly from Republicans. It is also, unfortunately, something we see from our own side everyday. Particularly when it comes to equal oppertunity and civil rights.

Now, do we want to deal with reailty, things as they exist, or perfection, things as we want them to be?

[Book Lover]

36. Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is, as you observe, part of the human condition. I don't understand why it doesn't seem to be driving you batshit in this instance. Rather, it seems to me you are giving this guy props. I'm not going to agree with you there.

[DarkPhenyx]

39. Who says it isn't driving me batshit.

I'm wise enough to choose my battles however, and I am sometimes willing to let the hypocrasy of one (a Hispanic railing against no grants for whites while accepting the money) balance out the hypocrasy of another (a black accepting "african american" money in the name of equality while railing against special tuition help for whites only). It isn't that either subject disguests me more or less than the other. It is simply that I don't ahve the energy to fight every battle. It is also a case of my people holding a contridictory and hypocritical position and my tryint to "fix" their prospective. I have no hope of expecting better behavior out of the opposition. I can damn well expect, nay occassionally demand it, out it out of my own people. Even if it occassionally means giving the opposition a pass on the small things.

[Book Lover]

44. I don't think

one act of hypocrisy balances out another; it is my perspective that they both dig us deeper into a hole.

Also, who are your people? I ask just for clarification; I'd understand post #39 better, I think.

[DarkPhenyx]

46. I'm an American.

IMHO that's enough to be said.

If you really want to be picky about it, I'm also a mutt.

[Cat Atomic]

16. It's an interesting issue.

While I'm skeptical about the motives of these college Republicans, I don't see why their whites-only scholarship is worse than any other race-specific award.

I grew up in a town that was mostly Mexican immigrants. All my friends were first generation Mexican immigrants, and our families were all lower middle class or downright poor. My own family fluctuated between the two.

Anyway, there were plenty of hispanic-only scolarships that my friends could apply for. I couldn't- and I wasn't in any better position than they were. You can talk about broad based discrimination and that sort of thing, but when you're a 17 year old kid, ou don't give half a crap about how good *most* whites have it in comparison to *most* hispanics. You just want to go to school.

I'm a big supporter of affirmative action, but I'm sure I would've accepted this scholarship when I was a college freshman.

[DarkPhenyx]

20. Instead of Affirmative Action...

...how about equal oppertunity for everyone reguardless of sex or ethnicity?

[papau]

23. impossible - one mentors those like oneself - only affirmative

action allows frictions in society between have and have less groups to be solved with the least amount of problem solving worries.

[DarkPhenyx]

26. So the opinion that...

...we join hands and march forward together, or we fail alone is something you disagree with?

I will remind you that a few prominent feminists and not a few civil rights activists think that such a statement is true.

[papau]

38. man it is hard to get the mentoring point across tonight, - we join hands

and try to march forward together - but we are hard wired to like ourselves (usually) and that means to like/hire/mentor those like ourselves are chosen more often than chance would predict - it is a bias.

And affirmative action is the only solution.

[DarkPhenyx]

41. so, in your opinion then...

...affermitive action should be applied to blacks as well as whites. Meaning that black owned companies should be required to hire white workers just as white owned companies are. Women only health clubs should be required to admit men too. Yes? No? Yes?

[papau]

62. yes

:-)

[Cat Atomic]

34. Look-

The day that legacy admissions become illegal at universities, I'll think about changing my position on Affirmative Action. Our society is *full* of structures that are rigged against anyone on the outside. That's the poor, minorities... you name it.

Our current president is the single biggest example I can think of for why we still need Affirmative Action.

[DarkPhenyx]

42. So legacy admissions don't happen at...

..."traditionally black universities" or in "traditonally black fraternities"?

[Cat Atomic]

45. I used university legacies as an example.

The society itself is structured to allow certain types of people easier access to the top.

[DarkPhenyx]

47. and give unfair advantages to others.

is one any better than the other? or are we better served by working toward a system where we are all offered the same oppertunities to fail and fall flat on our faces? I say it that way for a very specific reason.

[Cat Atomic]

58. And that is why I referenced university legacies (and the like).

If you want to promote the removal of AA, if you want a system where we're all offered the exact same opportunities, then you need to start by taking away the big advantages held by the few. Or at least minimize them. But you can't.

To be quite honest with you, I see the problem as one of income more than race. I'd be happier if Affirmative Action in education were based solely on your family's income level. But that is neither here nor there.

[wickerwoman]

49. Sounds great... and as soon as we have 100%

equal access to prenatal care, nutrition programs for preschoolers, quality affordable childcare for all income brackets, free school breakfast and lunches for every child that needs them,
and equal school funding accross the board (and I mean every single school in the state gets an equal percentage of the education budget regardless of property values in the district) then and only then will I be happy to fight for "equal opportunity" in college admissions.

[DarkPhenyx]

50. wow...

...so until then you are content to be biased, bigoted, classist and racist. Intersting.

<on edit>

Oh, I forgot sexist too.

[wickerwoman]

51. Absolutely,

while you're crusading for middle class white kids rights to be snotty punks, I'll be teaching inner-city kids how to read for a living.

Get some perspective.

[DarkPhenyx]

53. somehow I think it is your perspective that needs adjusting.

how about inner city white kids that need tutoring. or middle class snotty nose black kids? :roll: you sound like every other elitist civil rights'er who believes that there is no other group that needs help than the poor black. No other group that is less in need of help than the middle class whites. You forget to look beyond your bigotry and bias and see the reality that dosen't fit comfortably with your "faith".

I will leave you with this thought, however. It is something I ahve heard from both black and feminist leaders. "Until we all joinhands and walk forward together, we will all fall behind."

[wickerwoman]

59. Did I say inner city white kids?

Look, I agree that this is a class issue and not a race one. If you look at my proposals in my first post, every one of them is aimed at giving poor kids of all races and sexes a fair chance at getting the best possible opportunity for success in life. So I really have no idea how you are getting racist, classist or sexist out of that post. I teach kids of all colors and genders from all parts of the state of NJ, urban, suburban and rural- the only thing they have in common is the fact that they went to apallingly underfunded public schooling. Is it a coincidence that 95% of them are not white? After 10 years of teaching and working for Habitat for Humanity in parts of Newark that make the third world look appealing, I have a hard time believing it.

The bare reality of the situation is that a far greater percentage of desperately poor people in America are not white (and you may also note that I never confined this to a black or Hispanic issue.) Until we address this fact, everything else is secondary. That's my point. You're not going to solve race, class or gender problems in this country by maintaining the status quo- which is how championing absolute equality will be play out in the real world _at this time_.

Until everyone is standing, you can't reach them to join hands.

[Voltaire99]

27. The Bush Youth: today's wankers are tomorrow's CEOs and politicians

Bear in mind, of course, that these are our future masters. Within a decade, these execrable mini-chimps will be running the show.

Today it's racism as an act of protest. Once they've whetted their taste for it, what next?

[Erika]

32. It's a wedge response

Join hands and go forward together was the basis of affirmative action; give everyone an equal playing field. Condi Rice, Clarence Thomas, and Colin Powell openly admit they would not be where they are without AA. Bush and his minions wish to make everything a wedge issue. These college republicans did nothing but harden their core to vote GOP. Bush, the wedge president.

[TheDonkey]

55. Naive timid bigots like this make me sick.

Of course they don't realize there are programs in historically black universities that give white students (as well as others) into their campus as affirmative action in order to desegregate.

Roger Williams being a historically white unviersity must make efforts in order to desegregate it's campus as well.

This college rethuglicans are only giving their party a worse name in the African-American community and making fools of themselves. I thought our college repukes were disgusting...

I'd hope Rhode Island was beyond this.

[DarkPhenyx]

57. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, naive timid bigots.

not the worst name I've been called on here. How about backing it up woth something concrete now?

[Nebraska_Liberal]

60. hmm

I dont think he was talking about you. He was talking about the repukes...

Ned

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

65. I don't think he was referring to you.

Getting a little paranoid there bro? BTW whats the worst thing you've been called here?