White Pride?

In an academic world with many opportunities available only to minorities, is a "white's only" scholarship a fair counterbalance? The College Republicans at Roger Williams University (RWU) believe so. They have offered a $250 scholarship available only to white students, in an apparent "parody" of minority scholarships.

The group makes the time-honored conservative argument that the right thing to do is not discriminate on any level. To be truly color-blind, one must only consider a student's character and academic achievement. In creating the white only scholarship fund, the group asserts that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

If there are minority only scholarships, then white only scholarships are appropriate, they argue. While the College Republicans' position is respectable, the simplistic look at race in America borders on na‹vet‚. In the end, it ignores the hidden "white only scholarships" that exist today.

Both this page and the RWU College Republicans are in agreement that need should be a prerequisite for financial aid. To do otherwise is to presume all African-Americans poor, or all Latinos needy. But given that stipulation, even when the historical precedent is disregarded, there are still compelling reasons for continuing to offer more minority scholarships.

Jason Mattera, the president of the group, says that white students are "at a handicap." It would behoove Mattera -- himself a recipient of a $5,000 minority scholarship -- to look at the statistics, which show the opposite. While the factors that orient the US educational system to favor whites are debatable, the bottom line is that white students are more likely to have backgrounds conducive to higher education. Census records show that close to 30 percent of whites complete at least 4 years of college. Only 16 percent of African-Americans do the same, and a dismal 11 percent of Latinos make it that far. Do Latinos or African-Americans not value higher education the way whites do? Are they just less intelligent?

In working to include more minorities in higher education, the system is trying to equalize the differences between the races. The College Republicans argue that there are plenty of poor white students too. While that is certainly true, it clearly is not holding them back to the extent it holds other minorities back.

Those who follow Mattera's line of reasoning are content ensuring minorities have the same access as everyone to education on paper. Minority scholarship proponents want to ensure that they have the access in reality.

In the meantime, the $250 scholarship should really not ruffle too many feathers. It is a useful tool in pointing out the flaws of our not-entirely-colorblind society. The College Republicans are right to spark the debate over what role such minority scholarships should play in higher education. Despite claims of some RWU students and faculty, the scholarship certainly does not make the group racist, just shortsighted.