Today’s Providence Journal reports that the College Republicans at Roger Williams University are offering a $50 scholarship “for a student of non-color.” (Link requires free registration)
“In 100 words or less,” the application states, “write why you are proud of your white heritage and explain what being white means to you.” In addition, it adds, “Must attach recent picture to confirm whiteness. Evidence of bleaching will disqualify applicants.”
Jason Mattera, the 20 year old junior from Brooklyn who heads the College Republicans, says his group
is at once parodying minority scholarships at Roger Williams and making a broader statement against affirmative action.
“White kids are at a handicap,” says Mattera, the president of the group. “Handing out scholarships based on someone’s color is absurd.”
….
THE COLLEGE REPUBLICANS thought up the white scholarship last spring when the university’s Intercultural Center sent out a list of scholarships available to minorities.
Group members donated their personal money for the scholarship….
The Roger Williams administration has chosen not to interfere. All members of the community “have a voice that deserves to be heard,” said Provost Edward J. Kavanagh. Others on campus aren’t so sure.
After the Republicans handed out fliers on campus advertising the scholarship two weeks ago, members of the Student Senate questioned whether they had violated the university’s Student Equality Act.
The act is a nondiscrimination policy that requires all campus clubs and organizations to treat all students equally without regard to race, gender or sexual orientation. If the College Republicans group is found to have violated the act, it could be fined or have its charter revoked.
“I understand that satire is one of their central tenets,” said Erin Bedell, president of the Student Senate. “Personally, I think [the scholarship] needs to be evaluated.”
The article does not report whether Bedell and the Student Senate have criticized the university’s policies, such as minority-only scholarships, that fail “to treat all students equally without regard to race, gender or sexual orientation.”
UPDATE [2/16/2004]
The Associated Press has now picked up this story, and it is appearing all over the place, such as here.
I think it would be very cool if they were, in fact, found to have violated the nondiscrimination policy–particularly if they then got a very good lawyer who was able to apply that ruling (with an appropriate test case, of course) to minority-only scholarships.
At least they’re putting THEIR money where their mouths are. But as the “party of the rich” I guess they can afford to.
Latest on the wire: two more donors have donated $100 apiece, so the scholarship is now up to $250.
The Student Senate had better be careful. They should remember the warning about people living in glass houses throwing rocks…
And one of the best items of all? The head of the Republican student group is himself a minority and a recipient of a minority scholarship. Makes him rather bullet-proof, don’t you think?
Pretty bold stuff. I think it will backfire, but that’s just a prediction. They’d be better off if they at least had some requirement for the demonstration of need–which is something very few minority scholarships require and no affirmative action program does.
They’d be better off if they at least had some requirement for the demonstration of need–which is something very few minority scholarships require and no affirmative action program does.
That’s exactly the point of the parody though. If scholarships were based on need and not color, they wouldn’t be so ridiculous.
This is absolutely delicious. I eagerly await the eruption of principled left-wing outrage.
And as for those ballsy kids, I’d trade them up in a second for the pusillanimous Republican establishment.
hey jason,if you think minority scholarships are so absurd,why did you accept one???????????
hey jason,if you think minority scholarships are so absurd,why did you accept one???????????
Does anybody know of a link so that I may contribute to this scholarship? It is long overdue.
I notice you didn’t point out that the hypocrite leading this stunt himself has a minority scholarship. At least someone brought it up here.
White-only scholarship? Humph. That is truly unoriginal and redundant.
White-only scholarships have been around a lot longer than minority ones. Why do reactionaries always cling to the myth that there are none? Every European ethnic group has at least one advocacy organization that gives a scholarship limited to that group. I don’t see this group mocking scholarships for Irish students (in Bristol, CN, they’d probably get their butts handed to them for doing that). Better to scapegoat the group on campus that has the smallest numbers and least support.
Historically Black universities have been giving white-only scholarships for a while. While there have been protests from blacks about this, strangely, principled conservatives remain silent on the issue.
These two examples are only the tip of the iceberg with respect to scholarships where whites only qualify or where the odds overwhelmingly favor a white getting.
I would also say that I have no problem with white-only scholarships. They can do what they want with their money. I can’t stand the fallicies this group is spreading and reflected on this board. There is not enough room to list them all.
Make room, Keto. We’re all eager, I’m certain. And by the way, if you think that blacks have the “least support” on campus then you should be driving the Mars rover rather than your 10-speed.
But more importantly, I have few qualms with how private funds are deployed. It’s when my tax dollars are used to subsidize racial discrimination against me that I become irritated.
Houston out.
Good for these kids. This is long over due. Minority scholarships are a form of discrimination, as well as the practice of affirmative action. Someone let me know where I can send my check to support this program.
All,
I think this issue is a significant and complicated one, and I write here partially as an individual, and partially as a representative the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, whose goal is to end race preferences.
Speaking personally as an individual, I believe that this Roger Williams College Republican program, while exceptional in that it brings the issue to public attention and raises awareness, is distinguishable from “bake sales” because bake sales give a self-evidently absurd benefit to minorities whereas this scholarship gives a self-evidently absurd benefit to people from the “majority.” There is no irony in that and a fair amount of historical pain. For the public relations reason that this is more likely to generate sympathy for the opposition, as well as the moral reasons related to the historical significance of whites only preferences in the past, the satire effect is diminished. I therefore personally disagree with and condemn this particular action. I have some ideas of my own for the “next step” in affirmative action bake sales; but I’m letting my statewide network of youth coordinators experiment with and improve the ideas on their own.
I suspect, given the history outlined above if true (that the CR president is a minority scholarship recipient), he could have made it a whites only scholarship based upon his knowledge that only blacks receive them at the college and argued that he was engaging in his own “diversity” program, so I wouldn’t call his argument “hypocritical,” but that reasoning wasn’t made clear. I’d remind everyone that these are college students experimenting with ideas, a worthy and noble element unto itself. I’d also trade them up for some elements of the Republican leadership; just based on their vigor.
Moving away from the personal statement here, I would ask, as director of outreach for the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, for your contributions to our cause, where the battle is also currently at its peak. I apologize for the blatant pitch here, but let me relay a story. We recently open a piece of mail from an elderly gentlemen. In it was five dollars and a note. The note “apologized” for the apparent insignificance of five dollars; but then stated that he felt compelled to donate something despite his limited income because it was really “that important of an issue” to him. We believe the Michigan initiative is really that important to everyone in the nation. I would not discourage people from donating to any other causes like this as well, but when people talk about donations I feel compelled to relay the importance of this cause.
See http://www.mcri2004.org or e-mail me.
Stuart,
I’ll take your silence on the valid issues I raised as acceding these points.
And if you think that a black student (or any visible minority) gets more support than a white at a private $25k/year, New England university, in a homogeneous community like Bristol, YOU should be the one on Mars.
You think a higher probability at admission and a chance at a minority scholarship are the only things that lead to success in college? Don’t think so.
As far as your tax dollars go, how many scholarships at RWU are given to minorities anyway? And how many of these are from the government? Give me a break….
Keto,
I did address each of your valid points, but will also be happy to trudge through the silly, invalid ones if you’d like. Just a reminder though, scholarships which have a high probability of going to one race do not equate to race exclusivity. If this were the case, then the NBA would be patently racist.
And then you eructate the following gem: “You think a higher probability at admission and a chance at a minority scholarship are the only things that lead to success in college? Don’t think so.”
I said no such thing, but it’s a fascinating debate tool. Let’s try it with you. You think that Pol Pot was a humanitarian? Don’t think so.
Ahh, yes. The classic strawman. I just experienced it on another blog.
You completely glossed over the most salient points.
The fact is that there are many white-EXCLUSIVE scholarships in the country and have been for a while. I’ll repeat to obvious ones for you to address: 1) scholarships given to ethnic european groups (e.g., to Irish Americans 2)White scholarships given from historically black colleges.
As to your other point dismissing awards which overwhelmingly favor whites, if ‘African American’ awards were changed to ‘Children of People who at One Time Wore Dreadlocks and Afros’ awards, would that make you guys happy? There are whites who have afros and dreadlocks, so technically whites would qualify. OK? Problem solved.
Since the issue is admissions and scholarship preferences, and how some whites erroneously think the sky is falling because of them, I think my last point was a valid one, not a strawman.
p.s., The white-only scholarships at black colleges are subsidized by your tax dollars, btw. As are many other awards which overwhelmingly favor whites.
Keto,
Do you even know what point you are arguing? It’s not apparent you do. But rather than delve through your posts, I’ll conclude with a simple statement of my own position. Feel free to savage it with abandon.
The government, and all its public institutions, should be out of the race business entirely. State universities are highly subsidized institutions. These subsidies are drawn under pain of imprisonment from private citizens of all races. These citizens should be free to matriculate on the currency of their own merits, rather than the immutable hue of their skin. If you feel that merit itself is a “biased” and invalid screening tool, then you should advocate the removal of all academic standards and an open admissions policy. I would find this more palatable than the current regime of racial preferences. If, conversely, you support the government’s parsing of racial privilege, then you should never again mention historical injustices, for you have ceded principle and are now simply debating degrees and beneficiaries.
Private institutions are, to my mind, a wholly different animal. If a private university wishes to pursue Procrustean racial balancing, in lieu of merit, in their admissions policy, so be it. If this same institution wishes to racially discriminate against whites and asians to the tune of a 100 to 1 admissions preference (as is common), so be it. If you, as a private citizen, wish to establish the Al Sharpton scholarship fund eligible only to avowed black racists, so be it. I would (and do) find all of the above reprehensible, and would reserve the right to scathingly ridicule each. However, social opprobrium should not be confused with legal mandate. It is this distinction that I apply here.
Are the Irish-American (etc) scholarships publicly-funded? Second, there are Irish-African Americans, and there are even “black” Irishmen (although this is unusual). But nonetheless, as an Irish-American myself (1/4), I’d refuse to accept such a scholarship; let alone apply for it.
And the MCRI language I’m working on prohibits discrimination based on ethnicity as well, so we appreciate that concern. It doesn’t prohibit such things in the private sector, although that’s a different issue entirely; and the Civil Rights Act stops it privately when it comes to employment, etc.
“”Do you even know what point you are arguing? It’s not apparent you do. But rather than delve through your posts, I’ll conclude with a simple statement of my own position. Feel free to savage it with abandon.””
First of all, get off your high horse. Using language that assumes some intellectual superiority/elitism is truly nauseating.
“”The government, and all its public institutions, should be out of the race business entirely. State universities are highly subsidized institutions. These subsidies are drawn under pain of imprisonment from private citizens of all races. These citizens should be free to matriculate on the currency of their own merits, rather than the immutable hue of their skin. If you feel that merit itself is a “biased” and invalid screening tool, then you should advocate the removal of all academic standards and an open admissions policy. I would find this more palatable than the current regime of racial preferences. If, conversely, you support the government’s parsing of racial privilege, then you should never again mention historical injustices, for you have ceded principle and are now simply debating degrees and beneficiaries. “””
1) I do prefer open admissions.
2) What principle have I ceded? ‘Historical injustices’, their lingering effects, and present injustices are the reason racially-based policies are needed. It seems like you are trying to establish some parity between affirmative action and the numerous race-based government programs that did/do favor whites. One far outweighs the other in terms of morality and effect. I guess this is what you mean by ‘degrees and beneficiaries’. Of course you want to leave this out of the debate since it obvously weakens the moral foundation of your side.
3) People on your side are always over-simplifying the issues, history and the debate. Here, for example, in your mind, there are only two positions. Get real. Life is not black and white.
You even ignore my points AGAIN to give your ‘statement’/soundbyte. Nice statement, but we all know the devil is in the details.
4) When someone crafts a meaningful and objective definition of ‘merit’, I’ll be happy to get behind it.
5) Also, I only hear rants from your side about racial preferences when they benefit minorities. Silence on government policies/practices that benefit and favor whites.
“”Private institutions are, to my mind, a wholly different animal. If a private university wishes to pursue Procrustean racial balancing, in lieu of merit, in their admissions policy, so be it. If this same institution wishes to racially discriminate against whites and asians to the tune of a 100 to 1 admissions preference (as is common), so be it. If you, as a private citizen, wish to establish the Al Sharpton scholarship fund eligible only to avowed black racists, so be it. I would (and do) find all of the above reprehensible, and would reserve the right to scathingly ridicule each. However, social opprobrium should not be confused with legal mandate. It is this distinction that I apply here.””
My impression of your position is that you don’t want government ostensibly involved in the racial policy/practice, and you want private institutions to be free to do what they please. That’s fine for you, since the status quo in America (including its government) is white privilege. Yeah, you may scathingly ridicule each, but since you don’t suffer substantially from the most examples of private/public racism, you don’t actually work to change things, of petition the government to change them.
I also love how you drag Asians (another oversimplification—which Asians do you mean?) into they fray as if they suffer no racism from whites and share your ‘struggle’. Bring in a face of color to legitimize your points. Nice
Dear …..,
Whether I assume some “intellectual superiority” is none of your concern, and whether you are nauseated is none of mine.
Briefly, your points:
2) No, I am establishing no parity. I am establishing principle. The principle of non-discrimination.
3) “Over-simplifying…Get real…Life is not black and white…soundbite…nice statement” Is there something relevant here you want to say?
4)Merit: a) Demonstrated ability or achievement, b) To earn; deserve c)The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.
5) Yes, as we all know, there’s been great upheaval at the University of Michigan lately over its regime of racial preferences to whites.
White privelege, you say? Show me my privilege, or are you just being typically supercilious? You think whites are all cosseted gentry? That this so-called privilege, which apparently emanates from the very air, offers whites free food, shelter, or clothing? I’m asking. Maybe you believe these things or maybe you don’t, but either way you certainly haven’t cast any light on just exactly what is this so-called white privilege.
And finally, I mean ALL Asians, at least insomuch as the collegiate “diversity” mavens are concerned. And if by “struggle” (a word I never used, yet one you quote) you mean face the identical discrimination in academia as whites, then yes, they certainly share it.
And as a final note, a point needn’t be framed by a “face of color” to be legitimate. But likely you believe otherwise.
All I have to say to those that want to end affirmative Action Programs is what was said in the 1960’s. BURN BABY BURN!!!!!!!!!
If you don’t see white privilege in society, open your eyes. It most definitely exists. What area would you like to discuss first is the question. The justice system, financial systems, housing, and even at work. What sane person would reject the privileges of being white in america in favor of affirmitive action and the liabilities of being a minority?
Asians share the identical discrimination whites do in academia? Yeah, except when they are being discriminated BY whites. Another delusion on your part. And, FYI, in many programs, notably in the UC system, some Asian groups directly benefited from affirmative action.
I’m all for non-discrimination, but ONLY when it’s done across the board, not in one corner of society.
Cute to post the dictionary definition. In the real world applying an objective criteria and test of merit is not straightforward or easy.
I think this is wonderful. Im glad to see people finally being proud to be white. I think it’s about time for white men and women to stand up and stop being embarrassed to be white.
Note: This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun newspaper and was written by a Caucasian professor of journalism at the U of Texas. Here’s what white privilege sounds like: I’m sitting in my University of Texas office, talking to a very bright and very conservative white student about affirmative action in college admissions, which he opposes and I support. The student says he wants a level playing field with no unearned advantages for anyone. I ask him whether he thinks that being white has advantages in the United States. Have either of us, I ask, ever benefited from being white in a world run mostly by white people? Yes, he concedes, there is something real and tangible we could call white privilege. So, if we live in a world of white privilege? Unearned white privilege -how does that affect your notion of a level playing field? I asked. He paused for a moment and said, “That really doesn’t matter.” That statement, I suggested to him, reveals the ultimate white privilege: The privilege to acknowledge that you have unearned privilege but to ignore what it means.
That exchange led me to rethink the way I talk about race and racism with students. It drove home the importance of confronting the dirty secret that we white people carry around with us every day: in a world of white privilege, some of what we have is unearned. I think much of both the fear and anger that comes up around discussions of affirmative action has its roots in that secret. So these days, my goal is to talk open and honestly about white supremacy and white privilege.
White privilege, like any social phenomenon, is complex. In a white supremacist culture, all white people have privilege, whether or not they are overtly racist themselves. There are general patterns, but such privilege plays out differently depending on context and other aspects of one’s identity (in my case, being male gives me other kinds of privilege). Rather than try to tell others how white privilege has played out in their lives, I talk about how it has affected me.
I am as white as white gets in this country. I am of northern European heritage and I was raised in North Dakota, one of the whitest states in the country. I grew up in a virtually all-white world surrounded by racism, both personal and institutional. Because I didn’t live near a reservation, I didn’t even have exposure to the state’s only numerically significant nonwhite population, American Indians. I have struggled to resist that racist training and the racism of my culture. I like to think I have changed, even though I routinely trip over the lingering effects of that internalized racism and the institutional racism around me. But no matter how much I “fix” myself, one thing never changes – I walk through the world with white privilege.
To be continued
I think that this entire conversation is totally absurd, to think that for years there have been European scholarships, Black scholarships, and hispanic scholarships, who discriminate against every group but themselves and no one has said much about them. Then you have this White only scholarship that discriminates against everyone but the white’s whats the big difference. There should be more white only scholarships out there, so when someone says the only reason a black kid is in this college is because of affermative action, or a scholarship that not everyone had an equal opportunity to apply for, that student can then respond with the reply that there are plenty of scholarships for every race. Either that or we should just realize that its the year 2004, abolish all scholarships that deal with race, and try to move on as americans in this society. Make the choice for yourself, but as for me I don’t take money because I’m a certain color.
Keto, minorities have been given way more oppourtunities in this country. Before this, i have never heard of a white scholarships and i think it’s about time.
What kills me is how so many people claim that there is no such thing as race, and then they say that everyone is equal and shouldn’t be identified by their race. Yet we have scholarships solely for “under represented” races. Doesn’t that make the minority races “different” from Whites? If you don’t want people to think that you’re any different from Whites, then you can’t possibly support minority scholarships! If races were the same (and I don’t think one is better, I’m just pointing out that there are differences beyond social constructs), then minorities should have no problem with competing with White students for a scholarship.
I say ’bout damn time’. Fair is fair, and this is LONG overdue. I also think these scholarships should be tied in with LEGAL immigration. Provide the correct paperwork, and be provided for.
Kudos to Roger Williams University!
I am a student at the university of new mexico and i just wanted to add that if a person has to prove to somebody that they are white n color then they are scared of their race and not proud!!! for fifty dollars one must prove that white means better? since when has this been accounted for? ABSURB!!
I think taking pride in your race is a great thing to do and starting a white scholarship fund is a wonderful display of pride. We need more reasons to be proud of our race and more people openly displaying that fact. I feel, I can’t be proud of my race or do something for my race without being called a racist by my own people. It is a very sad day when a strong white group can’t be openly proud of their race and help them by starting a scholarship fund. If you notice when a minority scholarship is formed everyone thinks it is a great day in the U.S.A. both black and white, but when a white scholarship is formed everyone is up in arms making it look like a bad thing. Why is it that society wants to make it a issue to be proud of your white heritage? I can’t understand why people are not coming together and supporting a plan that will help educate our future. We are so divided between Democrat/Republican Rich/Poor that we are not coming together as one. Minority come together in support of one another and that is what makes them more effective. Please look at your situation and how you can help improve our situation and represent your race in a positive manner. I challenge you to take the motivation you have inside and do something constructive about it. Take a stand, make a difference, be strong and productive starting right now!
I am a american soldier fighting in the forces which gaurd my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
This is one of many things that I live by as an American soldier in present day germany (I am stationed there.) I think about how Americans act and the what the media puts out on Americans’ view on our presence in Iraq. I sit here reading all of these posts word for word and many thoughts flood my mind. By the way I don’t have a college degree yet but have my associates. I attended college before joining the Army and recieved a scholarship for art based on my ability. Hard to do college and be a soldier.
I grew up as a military brat and then settled in Indiana with my mother and step father. I went to a high school where it was 52% white, 49% black, and then there was the rest. 1200 students alone were in my freshman class. Very blended atmosphere. I did not and do understand racism and continue to be baffled by the why’s about racism and the need to create statistics concerning blacks, whites, asians, and etc.
Scholarships for minorities are out there…my opinion is that they defeat the purpose of everyone starting to live in a world where color does not matter. I fight along people who are
Indian, black, mexican, hispanic, spanish, german, and many other races. Please be proud of your race but don’t throw it in my face because I am white. Do not recieve benifits from your color because you think you have a right. Shrug off your differences and realize we all can get farther by working together as I do in the Army and many other soldiers do in war. Do not let the color of your skin be a identifier fo seperation. Scholarships should be presented to the best applicant and not by their color of their skin. A job should be awarded to the best canidate, not the minority. Who gives a fuck about minority and why care about it. It is a word that classifies a group…the only word that should classify you or me is American and free. Earlier it was mentioned that white people get things for free and get thigns without earnign them. I am from a family that has given me nothing but broken bones, bruises, etc. I am from the bottom and have raised myself to the top and am stronger because of it. I am stronger because I have friends and I do not discriminate because of color. I discriminate by the quality of the actions that come from that person. And even then I believe people can change. I apologize for my tangent, however I just cannot concieve of fighting for people who want equality from the color of their skin. That is a cop out…work for what you get. now there are always exceptions in this world, because some people might find that there are poeple who stop them from what they want becasue of their color and race. I cannot offer advice for that, because what I do is not exceptable to a lot of people. I whip their ass and set them straight. I would do the best you can and remember to be proud of your race but don’t parade it around like a badge. Attitude is important and again scholarships based on color is wrong. It is not what this country should stand for or allow. We allow freedom, but for some reason we allow freedom at the cost of pride, honor, and justice.