Over the past few years, newspapers and magazines have been informing the world that enrollment at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) has been declining rapidly since the 70s and 80s. Some question the usefulness of these Black bastions of higher education, if not altogether claiming that the education is second rate.
Everybody that’s gone to an HBCU has experienced some major issue that could have caused cardiac arrest from the revokation of scholarships (over and over), the lack of housing, or just other random non-sense, mostly administration based. And for those reasons some people think that some HBCU’s need to close.
I’m of a different train of thought. You see, I not only think HBCU’s are necessary, but I’d wager that the education received at an HBCU (in its entirety) is better than the education received at any major or Ivy league institution.
Yeah, I said it.
F*ck Harvard. Morehouse trumps all. And for the record, I attended a major-state, nationally renowned university for graduate school, so I’m very well versed in both circles.
But Panama, how could you possibly think that the education you receive at Texas Southern University is better than UT-Austin? That makes no sense at all.
I’m gonna learn ya. And you know, this goes for white people too. I’m not saying that white people should overrun our beloved HBCU’s, but I think the education they’d get would trump the education at these other schools as well. Let’s get educated, shall we? Yes, let’s.
1) In short, I know more Black people than you do (if you went to a white school).
This cannot be stressed enough. I have a vast network of ninjas at my disposal at all times…and further, ninjas that can read. A lot of people I know that went to white schools graduate and move to some new city where they have to meet all the professional Black people unless they move back home. It’s usually easier if you’re in a fraternity or sorority, but what if you aren’t? Who wants to join the Urban League strictly to meet new people of color? Not I says the sexxy one. Lucky for me, I don’t have too. I know them all and can find them anywhere like Creative Source.
2) You learn about real responsibility.
Hmm…how do I explain this one. I lost my scholarship three times while I was at Morehouse. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year. I was placed on academic probation once. Mind you, none of this was actually my fault. I never received a grade lower than a B the whole time I was there***. But the administration simply lost my shit. As in, lost my scholarship papers and lost some of my grades. So what does a young Black male who’s about to lose his potential livelihood do? He whips out the scholarship papers that he carries with him EVERYWHERE and shows them to the Dean, who promptly pressed a button on the computer and problem solved.
I learned to keep EVERY piece of paper I received with official letterhead on it. I still have a note from a professor that says “hi” on it just in case she tries to say she never said “hi” to me. If that isn’t responsibility, I don’t know what is.
3) You might not think so, but I got a real taste of diversity training.
People think that being at an HBCU is a lot like being at a white school in terms of just being around a whole bunch of people of the same race. If ever there was a bad assumption. The class divide lives on at HBCU’s. On my dorm hall alone were at least 3 children of millionaires. In fact, I didn’t even know I was poor until I got to college. But here’s the thing, being Black means I already know how to deal with white people in some regard. I mean, if we want to eat, live, and work in America, you have to be able to deal with white people. So that was in the books. I learned how to deal with folks who had money or were well-connected in society, etc.
4) The women are just plain finer at HBCU’s than at other schools.
No, that doesn’t really make for a better education but it does make for a better quality of life…which (aha!) does make for a better education. If you feel better, you’re more inclined to be happier and it’s easier to enjoy subject matter when you’re happy. That is science and cannot be disputed. In essence, finer women cause men to step up their game which bodes well later on in life for women so they don’t have to deal with so many loser dudes spitting lines like, “what’s your sign?”
That right there is life education.
So good people of VSB, am I right? Or am I right?
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL, HE A 3
ive always said that if i didnt play basketball, i would have gone to a hbcu (probably howard). when you subtract athletics, i really cant think of one notable inherent advantage of attending a predominately white institution.
actually, nevermind. i can think of one.
for those attempting to make corporate waves in the northeast, mid-atlantic, or west coast, i think attending an hbcu might bring a (undeserved) negative stigma. this is probably one of the reasons why the vast majority of people i know with hbcu undergraduate degrees chose to attend pwi’s for grad school.
@The Champ,
“i think attending an hbcu might bring a (undeserved) negative stigma.”
yep
@Honey Bee, That is SOO not true.
I attended a black college for UG. I didn’t attend a Howard or a Spellmen either. I attended good old Norfolk State for Computer Engineering. Upon graduating I had MULTIPLE job offers from big companies. I settled on IBM. I made more money starting at IBM than my friend who started with me and attended MIT! So, that is bullish – excuse my french.
My job was in lilly white Allentown, Pa. so I’m not sure where the stats came from regarding this negative stigma. I’ve never experienced any issues.
@The Champ,
this is probably one of the reasons why the vast majority of people i know with hbcu undergraduate degrees chose to attend pwi’s for grad school.
that and there’s only so much colored ppl running an institution of higher learning foolishness a person can stand!!! i had a wonderful experience i wouldn’t trade for the world (the WORLD craig!!) but i mean damn. the bald-headed game playing hoodrat turned registrar office worker buck has to stop somewhere. i’m not corporate or tryna be, but i just couldn’t play pigmentally-enhanced politics past undergrad. no. and sir.
@Spelman Gem,
actually i take that “that” back (i misread your statement initially). plenty of Fortune 500 companies flock to Spelman and Morehouse trying to recruit these well educated brothas and sistas for internships and later for jobes. most of my classmates who didn’t go to law school or med school are at these very companies now making BIG bucks, and many of whom are going to get their MBAs so they can make even more money. i believe the same to be true for the likes of Howard and Hampton as well.
now i can’t speak for all HBCU’s becuz it’s likely Calhoun C. Tubbs A&M isn’t exactly on the radar for producing the next Ben Carson. but then again, ya never know…
@Spelman Gem, you are correct. The same is true for Howard.
*I’m not glad…I went to Howard U…I’m so glad…I went to Howard U…Singing glory hallelujah…I’m so glad!
@Ms. Smart,
Hampton
@Ms. Smart,
That does not even sound right…
It’s I am so glad I go to Howard U, and not HAMPTON lol
just kidding!
@Spelman Gem, I agree that because white cooperations are looking to diversify their employee base (for what ever reason) there are converging on HBCU’s for talent. I attended FAMU (Florida A&M) and our business school is noted for the corporations that recruit from us and I have very few friends if any who have received their MBA from FAMU and is not happy with the decision made, education received, or job procured.
@Roc Diddy, Go Rattlers!
and yes corporations (and government agencies since that’s what I happen to work for) definitely converge on HBCU campuses such as FAMU looking for talent to help them diversify.
@Spelman Gem,
“pigmentally-enhanced politics”?
Luvs it!
@The Champ,
for those attempting to make corporate waves in the northeast, mid-atlantic, or west coast, i think attending an hbcu might bring a (undeserved) negative stigma. this is probably one of the reasons why the vast majority of people i know with hbcu undergraduate degrees chose to attend pwi’s for grad school.
Champ had some late night toast, I see.
Ding! You are correct sir.
Nothing against my HBCU compadres (because for the longest, my dream was to go to Hampton) but in the NE, HR reps are still pretty f*cked up in the gourd about seeing an HBCU on a resume, no matter how qualified the candidate. And I’m not lying. I have HEARD a HR director at a multinational based in NYC (the job that had me dry heaving in the shower and a complete wreck) say she has a ‘pile’ for ‘those’ resumes.
Its just like that experiment that was conducted where they presented identically qualified candiate resumes to HR people, but some had ‘stereotypically black’ names. If you haven’t read this study, it is disturbing:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_2_48/ai_97873146/
@blackberry molasses playing hooky from work,
Yeah, the northeast is still pretty stank acting (at least in my field) about not only HBCUs, but pretty much any school outside of the top 25 US News & World Report list or whatever it’s called. They’re getting better though. And Im noticing more of the older 2520s know and respect Howard, Morehouse, Spelman
@blackberry molasses playing hooky from work,
why was hampton ya dream school
@BLUNTBLAZER,
Because I was 17. Nuff said.
@The Champ,
“i really cant think of one notable inherent advantage of attending a predominately white institution.”
I can think of five! financial aid, financial aid, financial aid, financial aid and Dylan….wait, what we were talking about???
Ah yes. Those HBCUs aint givin up no loot! Unless your alternative was a similarly paltry-coffers-having-ass school, like say, NYU I’d say stick with the PWI’s. My alma mater (is that what it’s called?) is slowly but surely erasing loans from the packages of kids whose parents make working class dough. Now that’s change I can believe in.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
I beg to differ dear. THe good ole HU (Howard, that is, paid my entire way, including books, housing and food) Georgetown offered me what? $5k in LOANS!
@Happy Meal,
Yeah for real..I was about to say..My education was HEAVILY discounted, lol. I only owed 10K in loans. On the flip side UMBC didn’t offer my fiance not nan penny..luckily his dad started saving money for his education when he was born so was straight.
@Happy Meal,
well…that’s more of a Georgetown/big name thing. if the scholarships are the same as when i glanced at HU, you probably had to keep your GPA up and all that
crazystuff.instead i get 20k a year (which still doesnt cover my tuition btw) to just
be melearn, no strings attached.if there was an HBCU known for producing top notch engineers i maybe would have gone tho.
@Chasdizz,
Umn no offense, but I don’t see what’s wrong with getting decent grades…isn’t that what youre supposed to be striving for?
I definitely don’t knock the money just to be here hustle though…congrats.
And, finally, using G-town was just one example of how all the other schools that accepted me failed to offer a reasonable aid package (HU was the only HBCU I applied to); had I chosen to attend one of those schools my parents and Uncle Sam would have financed it, but I have less of a financial burden now because of my choice, and given the way the economy is I’m just thanking my lucky stars.
@Chasdizz,
if there was an HBCU known for producing top notch engineers i maybe would have gone tho.
NC A&T!!! Produces more Black Engineers in the USA than any other university … Quite a few of the Engineers I know – are Aggies!
Wouldn’t trade my daze at Clark for anything – all of the above is true and more. Never understood why the registration process had to be so janky year after year after year – tears were shed… phone bills were run up … despair, anxiety. * flashbacks *
All in all – resilience, perseverance, tenacity, problem solving and oodles of patience are just a few of the skills I mastered in the AUC.
@kendeezy, I think chasdizz meant top engineers, not top black engineers. there’s no qualifier there.
@Happy Meal, lol my grades comment was a joke…merely a statement saying that my scholarships are not based on grades. i strive for greatness
when i feel like it.if you have good grades and standardized test scores HBCUs, or at least HU i can’t speak for all since i wasn’t looking at all, will pay for school for you, as they would have for me….but i don’t know anybody at howard getting “need-based aid.”
@Chasdizz,
Morgan State n Bmore produces a lot of well versed Engineers thats what they are known for and they are an HBCU
@Happy Meal,
my sister received a free ride to HU, too. or should I say the real HU….the Mecca.
@Chasdizz,
Touche’. But at a place like Howard, that would be a problem cuz I’d say at least half that attended with me came from lower income backgrounds and would have required need based aid…gotta draw the line somewhere.
That said, I don’t know of ANYONE, Int’l students included who weren’t getting some kinda money towards their tuition (not including loans).
@Happy Meal,
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. The wealthy HBCU alums dont have as good a track record of putting back into the endowment as my school had. Throw in more middle class to broke kids and that paper is getting stretched thin. NYU has a similar problem plus the cost of housing is bananas so its not an HBCU problem.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
yeah man, a BIG problem with HBCUs is the funds they can offer students. fortunately for HU, they are federally funded so they can afford to give their students full rides. many private HBCUs, like SC and MC, have low endowments and often can’t break any bread until after you get there. most of my scholarships came during my freshman year. and thank God i was scientifically inclined starting in high school becuz i was able to have enough money to cover most of my 1st year’s expenses. this Spelman woman had/s ZERO loans.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
HMPF! I wish somebody would erase my students loans. Booosheet!
@pgh muse, I GO TO NCCU ONTHE TEACH SCHOLARSHIP LOANS ARE ERASED AS LONG AS I TEACH N NC AFTER I GRAD IM NOY COMPLAININ
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, shucks…every one of my boys came into morehouse with a scholarship. i wouldnt have gone if they weren’t footing the bill.
and stingy? as an example…the year i came into morehouse, 1997…morehouse gave over 300 of the 900+ new brothas scholarships,ranging from full rides (room/board, fees) to full tuition scholarships.
33%.
of course, that’s nearly our 4 year graduate rate too but that’s neither here nor there.
@Panama Jackson and ‘nem,
Touche’ and shet. That was really the only thing holding me back from encouraging my neices to go HBCU. I think the network of ppl you’ll actually be inclined to network with (as opposed to my school full of ppl I mainly have no interest in keepin in touch with) makes HBCUs a good look.
@Panama Jackson, tell me about it. the year my boy graduated from Morehouse (1996), the dude in front of him got a tap on the shoulder during the graduation procession to step out of line. all because of…you guessed it- MONEY!
i could go on, but when i talk about my hbcu experience it makes me angry and then terribly depressed. it’s friday. i need a party. and where in the wide, wide world of sports are my pgh vsb-ers??? and don’t tell me it’s the rain. ever heard of a snatch-back?
@Miss Patterson,
Are you talkin bout the pony-tails? Or maybe that just a ATL thang…
@Miss Patterson, i am talking about ponytails. and yes, that’s definitely an atl thang.
@Miss Patterson,
girrrrrrl that rain kept me in my apt this morning. wasn’t until it stopped that i mosey’d on down to my lab lol.
@The Champ, for those attempting to make corporate waves in the northeast, mid-atlantic, or west coast, i think attending an hbcu might bring a (undeserved) negative stigma. this is probably one of the reasons why the vast majority of people i know with hbcu undergraduate degrees chose to attend pwi’s for grad school.
this could be school specific but not one of you can name me a top corporate firm in america, northeast or otherwise, that doesnt have a morehouse man there. not one. these places specifically come to morehouse to recruit. i’d wager that howard and spelman are as represented as well (spelman definitely does it way bigger on the medical side). admittedly morehouse/spelman aren’t your typical hbcu (howard either)…
@Panama Jackson,
Maybe they came to Morehouse to recruit to fill their “Black upwardly mobile” quota.
*shots fired*
@Luvvie, even if thats that case…better us than some other guy. lol. fact is they come there. who gives a sh*t why. and b/c of it, we’re everywhere.
and everybody knows it.
@The Champ,
“when you subtract athletics, i really cant think of one notable inherent advantage of attending a predominately white institution.
actually, nevermind. i can think of one. ”
2520 frat parties?
@Cheekie,
“Blunts & Forties” 4eva!!!
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
“Blunts & Forties” 4eva!!!
Don’t forget “Boats and Hoes”!
@Cheekie,
i will say thid about my experience at Stanford…the 2520 frat parties were great. seriously, where else can you go to indulge in open and free underage drinking an debauchery? well, there are plenty of places at an HBCU you can go to, as well. but the frat parties, from SAE to Kappa Sigma, to the Tri-Delta sorority parties were always banging.
@N.I.A. naturally,
“seriously, where else can you go to indulge in open and free underage drinking an debauchery”
And to add to this, “…without cops endlessly harrassing them just for being in a large group of the same race”.
Seriously, though, we had a full-out 2520 greeks vs Black greeks war in my Sociology class because of the harrassment and discrimination Black greeks faced. Cops DID harrass them much more, but the 2520s would argue that the cops harrassed them just as much. One black sista yelled out, “That’s a dayum LIE” so loud, she silenced the entire campus. It was brutal. She made him STFU and mumble to himself though.
@Cheekie,
he couldn’t say anything b/c he knew she was right. it’s definitely unfortunate….
@N.I.A. naturally,
@Cheekie,
i will say thid about my experience at Stanford…the 2520 frat parties were great. seriously, where else can you go to indulge in open and free underage drinking an debauchery? well, there are plenty of places at an HBCU you can go to, as well. but the frat parties, from SAE to Kappa Sigma, to the Tri-Delta sorority parties were always banging.
At Hampton University I recieved an education for life… My major is Sociology but when I graduate, I’ll be more polished than you can imagine.
I’ve been a summer intern in a huge law firm where they love HBCU graduates (namely Hampton, Howard, & SpelHouse) for this reason:
“We know that to be on time is to be late,” that business casual means slacks & Cole Haans, not just jeans & Sperry’s, and we can handle a little hazing like it ain’t shit.
Further more if the attitude at your place of business is that HBCU’s offer 2nd rate educations, you may want to delve deeper and ask what they are saying about the capabilities of Black teachers, and even more what they think about how competent you are as a Black employee.
Okay, I’m done going off now.
@OnyxHamptonian,
“Further more if the attitude at your place of business is that HBCU’s offer 2nd rate educations, you may want to delve deeper and ask what they are saying about the capabilities of Black teachers…”
Tis true. There seems to be latent racism in this notion. However, since I assume most ppl of ALL races to be racist its not smthg that keeps me up at night.
@Cheekie,
“Rooms” Parties
Mello Jello Nights
After hours
Crush Parties
SLOPE DAY!!!!!!
Gawd, I was a drunkard.
@The Champ,
Don’t want to piggyback too much, but I’ve written several blog posts on this topic if anyone cares to check them out:
ravingblacklunatic.blogspot.com/search?q=hbcu
I will say that Howard University provided me with a wonderful college experience that I doubt I would have gotten anywhere else. I played sports and thought about a PWI for a hot second, but decided it was better to go the HBCU route.
People really don’t realize how amazing it feels to be a black person surrounded by other black people doing mostly positive things. Black folks challenging each other, but also hanging out and chilling with out having to be minorities. It’s an incredible thing.
@Big Man,
“People really don’t realize how amazing it feels to be a black person surrounded by other black people doing mostly positive things. Black folks challenging each other, but also hanging out and chilling with out having to be minorities. It’s an incredible thing.”
This is very true. I do wanna add that though HBCUs give you a GREAT opportunity to experience this, it’s not the only opportunity. But yeah, the profound effect it has is significant and poignant. There is the “bubbly” feeling you get from being around Black support, Black love, black anything positive. It’s a unique feeling…
I attend an HBCU, from the most part yes it mostly to the administration that is bad of it. The traditional White school have problems as well as the black school but it don’t get talked about as much as the black schools do. HBCU’S give students the opportunity to go College and they work with the students most of the traditional white school don’t. From my prescriptive HBCU’S is how most of the blacks make it the corporate word and have these good jobs. HBCU’S teach you how to go into the real world. HBCU’S is the foundation of the black students.
i think you might be right, and i went to an ivy.
i can honestly say, i don’t think i know enough ‘educated’ black ppl, but i’m disabled, so maybe that’s a function of that. i don’t know enough ppl, period. (don’t feel bad for me, i got a man, and i don’t like ppl in general)
also, it would have def been helpful to have a few more black administrators, just so it wouldn’t feel like, maybe, just maybe, a few of the ‘issues’ you were having were because you were black.
(i feel like this is really long for no reason)
@Honey Bee,
Hey Ivy Sis! Which one?
@Honey Bee,
That wasn’t long at all and I agree with everything you said, except that I’m not disabled. So I really have no excuse. The colored faces at PWI’s, mine in particular were so few and far between that if you couldnt stand hanging with just one person you may very well wind up distancing yourself from half your class. Also, even when you get along with everyone, they don’t spread out so far. I suspect we werent very diverse (geographically) to begin with so most of my fellow alum are still on the east coast. There’s a few out in Cali.
btw, first and sh*t.
***i’ve always wanted to say that***
@The Champ,
i almost said it, but i knew, by the time i finished typing, i would be late
@The Champ, hah! and how you ragged on me when i did the ‘i’m first!’ victory e-dance!!!
@The Champ,
LMAO! Just for this, I wish ur toast pure awesomeness.
you are RIGHT, Peej!! and i stand firm by the fact that our institutions are the best in the nation…
SPELHOUSE RULES!!!!!! *does cartwheel* yay!!
@Spelman Gem,
WhooHoo!!! Go Spelman!! Go Morehouse!! Go Spelman!! Go Morehouse!!
@Spelman Gem, thanks.
and of course i’m right. i went to morehouse.
@Panama Jackson,
do you own a button up turtle neck sweater?
@BLUNTBLAZER,
*dead* He owns 2. And they each have a patch on the left chest (the right chest).
I bet he also owns a Gordon Gartrell shirt too
@Luvvie, the only gordon gartrell i own is the one you made and tried to sell off as a polo.
@BLUNTBLAZER, god i hope not.
@BLUNTBLAZER,
How the hell do you button a turtleneck? I demand pics or more ppl.
@Spelman Gem,
“spelhouse”? see. where’s the love? massah done won this battle. divide and conquer.
First off, why ya callin’ out UT? Longhorns for life, son!
Secondly are you right? I would have to say… no. I would counter your “I know more black people” with the fact that since I was at UT and out of 48,000 we were only 3% black, most of us hung TIGHT. And when the folks from Southern and U of H and San Jac State rolled through for a step show we held court and made friends so happy were we to be amongst others “like us”.
There is no greater responsibility learned than when some snotty Nobel-Prize winning astronomist from Germany gives you an F due to his Third Reich complex. It took my retention of every note, every test, every paper and the entire Black Student Alliance to get me a C and the h&^% outta that class. And I don’t have enough room to talk about how many fights I had with the Bursar over my scholarship funds. I’m still waiting on that last check (I graduated over 10 years ago)!
You learned about diversity by not being in an ethnically diverse place? You lost me on that one. I had a 2520 chick for freshman roommate whose daddy owns half the beef we eat today. Across the hall was a chica from a border town, next door was a Jewish princess and homegirl from 5th Ward Houston (think Jason’s Lyric) next to that. I can talk to anybody, anywhere, anytime.
Though I didn’t agree with any of your listed points, I do agree that we need HBCUs. We still have so little of “our own” in this country, I’d hate to see something else fade away from neglect.
@OneChele,
You learned about diversity by not being in an ethnically diverse place? You lost me on that one.
i think it’s sad our (and by “our” i mean black folk) definition of diversity is so limited. i had PLENTY of diversity at Spelman (and even Morehouse for that matter). granted, i didn’t share a dorm hall with anyone jewish or an anglo daughter of a beef big-wig. but i was classmates of students from japan (yes, more than ONE), various eastern european countries, not to mention students from many african, caribbean and south american countries. there were also some straight up american-born 2520s in my class (i think there were 3). our faculty was pretty diverse as well. even when my dad was at Howard for grad school (back in the ice age) he said he had plenty of 2520 classmates, which is odd for that time period.
anyway i say ALL that to say, HBCUs are/can be very diverse — ethnically, socioecononimcally, etc.
@Spelman Gem,
Major co-signage here!
@Spelman Gem,
co-sign Gem, 100%!
yep – what she said
!
@Spelman Gem,
naw hampton had prolly 10 white people in the whole school and half wern’t from the us
@OneChele,
HBCUs do have diversity. Whites, Asians and Latinos attend HBCUs as well as black people from all over the world. As much as black people share the same skin colour those who live down the street from us and across oceans from us are different in many respects. Having a predominantly black student population in no way indicates that there is a lack of ethnic diversity.
@OneChele, “It took my retention of every note, every test, every paper and the entire Black Student Alliance to get me a C and the h&^% outta that class.”
However at an HBCU if you had a professor, who grew up in a slum in Nigeria or lived through conflict and famine in Ethiopia, fail the whole class on a test or paper, none of these people could help you and none of your excuses or explanations matter because they’ve been through stuff you couldn’t believe.
@Omar,
Preach! ::does the holy ghost dance::
Lord knows there is not Black Student Alliance to run to. Just you and a bunch of other students trying to figure out how to manage that F and take the class over…(if they are even offering the next semester).
@Omar,
Oni-fade-ya!
Wheeler Halls finest,
Bond. BlkBond.
@Omar,
I went to a PWI and our BSA (black student alliance…if that was even the name of it…) was pretty toothless. I had plenty of racist, ignorant ish said to me and basically ignored it because I had no recourse. I get what you’re saying. I just dont think the minority PWI kids have been sheltered or learned less fortitude/responsibility or whatever it is Pan-Pan is getting at.
@Omar,
most of my black professors were my HARDEST professors. they took no mess, no excuses, and often made learning sometimes very unappealing. i mean, you give a black person a PhD and put them on a tenure track and watch how they act.
but i dont blame them. that whole experience made me a soldier and just encouraged me to work hard to make sure i earned their not-easily-given respect.
@Spelman Gem,
That’s true. My black profs at my PWI used to stay on my arse. I think that’s all institution cuz they’re scared of us skating thru and coming out lookin like an affirmative action case.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
“My black profs at my PWI used to stay on my arse.”
This is too true.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
i do not disagree with you. i know black profs ERRYWHERE are hard @$$es. and rightly so — i don’t wanted to be HANDED anything!!
@OneChele, You learned about diversity by not being in an ethnically diverse place?
You know, I’ve always found the diversity argument to be an interesting one for a few reasons. 1) I went to a white school for grad school but made it a point to familiarize myself with the campus and be all over. The cliqueishness that I observed doesn’t necessarily breed diversity. In fact, it seems that most of the black folks hung together, the white folks, the asians, etc. Nothing wrong with that, people like being with folks they look like…but that brings me to 2) if you’re only diverse in numbers but there’s no interaction, how much diversity training did you really get?
when everybody looks like you, you’re forced to learn who people really are and reach into the differences that brought you together in the first place. yeah you went to school with white people, but i KNOW black millionaires who were in that Our Kind of People book…
i saw class stratification that i didnt even know really existed (i mean lower middle class and upper lower class are really the same thing). i went to high school with white folks and b/c i was in all the smart kid AP classes i knew a gang of them.
but to date, i can only think of only like 2 white people’s homes i visited during my entire time in high school. i dont’ view diversity as being around different people. sh*t, you go to NY you’re around all kinds of different people, doesn’t mean you got diveristy training. getting to KNOW people of different backgrounds and stuff and learn from them is the type of diversity that’s gualitative.
i dont know your personal story so that may be you. but just going to a PWI doesnt mean you got more diversity if you had all of 2 convos with other types of people and they’re only b/c of a class assignment. and that’s totally possible.
@Panama Jackson,
damn, Peej. you made me sooooooo proud of this whole comment. my fave 2 points you made tho….
2) if you’re only diverse in numbers but there’s no interaction, how much diversity training did you really get?
and…
getting to KNOW people of different backgrounds and stuff and learn from them is the type of diversity that’s gualitative.
puh-reeeeeeeech!!
@Panama Jackson, Cosign….it’s amazing how much diversity there is within the black race….
and one time for FAMU FAMU FAM G*T D%&M U Alright alright alright…..
haven’t seen any other Rattler posters today so I had to represent.
@OneChele, There is no greater responsibility learned than when some snotty Nobel-Prize winning astronomist from Germany gives you an F due to his Third Reich complex.
how about from a professor who looks like you and has been sitting where you’re sitting knowing full well that you aren’t living up to your potential and tells you about it on a daily basis because he can’t afford to let you be another Black person who slips thru the cracks b/c you were shucking and jiving. lets be real, some of these professors were worse than our parents since they come from our communities (though i had quite a few non-Black professors) and know a bullsh*tter when they see one. i got my card pulled numerous times for slacking. and i’d wager that i am who i am now b/c all of my Black professors attempted to put their foot in my ass at some point to make sure that i could go from just being Panama Jackson to Panama Muhf*ckin’.
@Panama Jackson,
i also had non-black professors reality check the hell outta me. they really wanted me to excel and help me push past the obstacles i was setting in front of myself.
@OneChele,
we used to go to old dominion and spread our HBCU blackness around.
My brotha you ab-soul-lutely correct. I’m currently attend NC A&T (AGGIE PRIDE!!!!) and all four of those reasons are true.
@Mark E. McFly, word.life.
I may not be first…but 6th ain’t bad…666666ttttttthhhhhhh! 1….9!
But anywaz, I am attending my first and last HBCU (the great Meharry Medical College) after spending the last five years at an all white institution. All I can say is PRAISE GOD FOR HBCU’s. My children’s, children’s, children’s, illegitimate children’s, children’s, will all go to an HBCU…much love and respect to all the hard working people of our beloved HBCU.
GOD bless America and NO place else!
@Docdj23, GOD bless America and NO place else!
rude, lol.
@overit.,
lmao rude indeed. but i LOVE it!!
@Docdj23, my kids will be attending Morehouse/Spelman…UNLESS…they’re athletes with outstanding earning potential for their god-given athletic talents.
and then its D-I major school all day baby.
@Panama Jackson,
my son goin to state school so i can keep a eye on him
@BLUNTBLAZER,
LOL and SMH
@Spelman Gem, i cosign this for any and every comment bluntblazer makes lol
@Docdj23,
GOD bless America and NO place else!
To quote one of my favorite movies:
“I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries. “
@BlackBerry Molasses,
Bet they dont have Monty Python heads at those HSBCU’s….heh heh heh
Please note: I’ve been trying to not type H-S-B-C-U all day and Im just tired of the backspacing!
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
I’m mad late, but ur prally right. If it wasn’t for my PWI… no wait, I’d still be a Monty Python head because I’m a Brit.
But we had full on Monty Python parties, and the Rocky Horror Party at Halloween was THE BIZ!! When else in my life was I going to wear a baby abino python as an accessory?
I went to a PWI and I’m proud of it. I echo the same thoughts as my friend OneChele here, but I would also like to add that it depends on the field you’re in. If I would’ve graduated with the same degree from an HBCU to crack into the industry I’m in now, I would’ve been far, far, far behind. The university I did graduate from put me in one of the best positions possible.
As far as knowing Black folks, I preach quality over quantity. Because the population was so low on our campus, we know each other. Well. So when a person gets a call from me, I don’t get a “Who?”, I get a “Yeah son, what do you need?” We pledged Token Phi Token and the brotherhood is strong.
I will agree with you though, walking around a snowy campus in upstate NY did not do much for my “state of being”. Especially when all I saw were women wrapped up North Faces the size of sleeping bags. You couldn’t tell the White women, from the Latinas, from the Black women because they were all wrapped up like we were studying at University of Tehran.
There’s pros and cons to both, but I will say this is a never-ending argument. I know because my cohort Slim Jackson did a similar post a couple weeks back – http://www.threewaystotakeit.com/hbcu-vs-pwi/
Peace!
@Seattle Washington,
If I would’ve graduated with the same degree from an HBCU to crack into the industry I’m in now, I would’ve been far, far, far behind. The university I did graduate from put me in one of the best positions possible.
how do you know?? i mean, i can completely understand wanting to go to a university that is KNOWN for the field in which you are trying to have a career in, but it seems as if your comment is implying that HBCUs aren’t even capable of teaching the necessary skills. i have plenty of friends who are smart and ambitious that went to HBCUs and are at the top of their game and were actually MORE prepared than their counterparts who went to PWIs. so i don’t at all buy this BS about HBCU education putting some one far far far behind in anything, quite honestly.
ok, again, if it was “CCT A&M” that majors in mayhem and party walking, then maybe it’s a different story…
@Spelman Gem,
You betta say it!!!
@Spelman Gem,
I think this perception comes from some not-so-smart alum who fly yalls banners high. I got the impression that really brilliant, dedicated people can excel at an HBCU on par with their Ivy counterparts. But the rank-and-file average student at an HBCU isnt being challenged like the average elite institution kid (which is not to say all PWI’s, cuz lord knows there’s plenty that should LOSE accreditation).
I’ll give you a fr’instance. My boy who graduated IT was taking PRECALCULUS (gasp!!!) in his fourth year at Howard. WTF?! He may not have graduated but he actually walked that May (double gasp!!). At my school, you cant even “walk” onto campus as a Philosophy major if you didnt pass precal…by high school. And this fool was in a math intensive field.
I’m sure most of the Howard computer guys are taking some sort of advanced analytics but stories like these aint good for yalls rep. And thats just one example I’ve personally known about.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
LOL he graduated cuz HU is serious bout non letting ninjas walk if you aint dot every eye and cross every tee.
@Happy Meal,
lol i thought the same thing. morehouse wont even let you WALK if you owe the library $0.02 (spelman is a little more lenient, as long as you have all your credits you can dawn a robe)
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
that’s ONE department tho. i’ve seen the curriculum for comp sci/IT at SC (and MC) and you can’t even minor without taking multiple high courses in math.
i think even the avg student at many HBCUs can hold their own just as well as many PWI-educated students. hell, i know lots of dumb, squeaked under the radar, nit-witted Ivy leaguers. i mean hell, this country was still being run by one just 1 year ago. but does that make it fair to judge a whole group of institutions?? NO.
@Spelman Gem,
While I’m not sure how Dubya skated through Harvard and Yale (I think? sheesh!) I can say that it’s (the practice of letting dummies float on)not systemic on those campuses. Whereas if Pre-cal is even a course offering for Comp Sci/IT/whatever guy that’s more than just a few admins and profs helping out a handful of rich kids on the hush. That’s an publically and institutionally accepted practice of passing mediocrity.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, while i don’t want to admit it, i do know that there are some hbcu’s where the educaiton the students are receiving isn’t necessarily up to par.
i’ll ALSO give you a for instance (father forgive me, but i know what i’m doing). my junior year i decided to take a class at morris brown. i’d see the women over there so i figured i migh as well get me some up close and personal time. (i also took a million classes at spelman…i love the ladies). anyway, i signed up for French 405 or something…some top level french class (yes Panama speaks the language of love).
i spoke more french than the professor.
*end scene*
@Panama Jackson,
On another note, perhaps I should change my screenname cuz everytime yall reply to me, I swear ur calling me a runaway slave. I find this hurtful and offensive. Then I remember who put it up there…
*proud Ivy grad and real Dumass material*
@Panama Jackson,
“yes Panama speaks the language of love”
Naturally, since you’re le sexxy. (allegedly)
@Panama Jackson,
*pouring out a lil likka for the AUC school that was truly n*ggafied*
@Panama Jackson, that sounds like the social psychology class i took where all of the tests were fill in the blank. i think it’s safe to say i’m going to have to pray hard on the college decision for my children.
@Spelman Gem,
I can confidently say that because when it came to communications, the HBCUs didn’t rank anywhere close to the PWI I went to – Syracuse University. One of the best, if not the best, universities for communications in the nation. Furthermore it has an accredited undergraduate program for the industry I’m working in now. Just the school name alone has opened doors for me, solidified connections and definitely has me in the position I’m in now.
Now I’m not doubting that in other areas HBCUs compete and may even surpass their PWI counterparts. But in communications, they were severely lacking. So it only behooved me to attend a university that was one of the best, even if its population is predominately White.
I would say that you cut slack for the other folks out there who made the same choice. It’s not our fault that the HBCUs weren’t top ranked for our fields of choice.
Oh and I don’t know about CCT A&M, but I also graduated from the Cuse with a degree in All-Season Debauchery. Partying, after partying and after after partying in Arctic weather is harder than it looks.
@Seattle Washington, yeah i don’t doubt some of this. I mean i still agree with everything i said but i can at least acknowledge that in some instances, it would behoove somebody to attend certain schools.
but like you said, in your case thats probably just program specific. given what i do and who i work for, and my boys for that matter (everybody is pretty much highly highly successful in their given fields) and the beaucoup people i know who have gone to HBCU’s and then on to run sh*t, i almost think that it matters not what school you went to so much as your own personal ambition.
and though Syracuse has opened doors for you and solidified your position, do you assume that you couldnt be in that position had you not gone to Syracuse? i’m more or less asking is it you or Syracuse that got you where you are? is it possible it miht have taken longer (no direct connect like with syracuse or something) but is it possible that you still would have ended up there…
@Panama Jackson,
Quite true. Syracuse gave me the opportunities, but without my ambition and potential (not being cocky) I wouldn’t be in the position I now have.
However the circumstances, the numerous alumni that I met in my field and knowledge I got from Cuse got me here. Sure I could’ve gone to an HBCU or a lesser PWI for the experience, but then I would have to go to a grad school, spending additional money, and more importantly time, to get where I am now.
So yeah, it would’ve definitely taken me longer to get where I am now if I hadn’t gone to my alma mater and because of my ambition, I’m not one for the waiting.
@Seattle Washington,
Feel you on this. I went to Maryland because of the college of journalism. Full stop. I was deciding between Syracuse and Maryland, and Maryland won out because of in-state tution (even though Syracuse practically threw money at me, but even all that only added up to about half the cost).
@Seattle Washington,
don’t get it twisted. i’m not saying going to an HBCU is ALWAYS going to give you an advantage in life. what i am saying, however, is that you don’t have to go to a top ranked school for a top ranked program to enter a field to be successful or make it big in said field.
i’m not knocking anybody who goes to [insert PWI name here]. but i DEF do not tolerate ppl putting down HBCUs at the implication that they are inferior for x, y or z reasons.
that’s all… GO PITT!!!
@Spelman Gem,
True, there are the stories of folks who didn’t do the well-traveled path to get where they are. However, don’t knock those who want to get the best education they could regardless of the population that the institution has. As I said to Panama earlier, it may get you where you want ultimately want to be quicker and easier. I don’t know many folks who willingly want to make their life harder. Besides masochists. But that’s another post unto itself.
I don’t think HBCUs are inferior, just think they lack in certain areas. That’s any college. At the end of the day the student has to decide if that’s detrimental or not.
don’t knock those who want to get the best education they could regardless of the population that the institution has.
i dont lol
@Seattle Washington, “Oh and I don’t know about CCT A&M, but I also graduated from the Cuse with a degree in All-Season Debauchery. Partying, after partying and after after partying in Arctic weather is harder than it looks.”
Partying at Syracuse was no joke .. . we used to roadtrip all the way from Poughkeepsie . . . good times! That is all.
@Spelman Gem, my alma mater didn’t even have career days or career counseling. if you wanted to find out about serious internships you had to walk your a$$ over to spelman or morehouse to get in on the goods, i.e. take several english courses at either of those institutions and read their job boards. smh.
would it be wrong to start a smear campaign…wait, let me stop.
@Miss Patterson,
lol yeah your school needs prayer
@Spelman Gem,
and MONEY. Cosby and Oprah need to spread the love. b@stards.
@Seattle Washington, upstate ny? what school?
@Chasdizz,
Syracuse University
@Seattle Washington, you’re right, there are definitely pro’s and con’s to both, though i find that most folks fall into two camps on this debate:
1) uber HBCU love; or
2) saying why HBCU’s weren’t for them
Very rarely do I find folks who have the same love and appreciation for their non-hbcu schools as we do. Could be our struggle was that much more significant on the life side, I don’t know. And that’s not to say that folks don’t love their non-hbcu schools…but having taught students from schools around the nation, the affinity folks have for their schools definitely seems stronger from hbcu’s.
and it is a common and on-going debate. hell, i originally wrote a 2500 word version of this same post (i chopped this one down) over 3 years ago on my old site, where i specifically mentioned homecoming amongst other things (for the person who wondered why i didn’t mention homecoming).
it is long as the f*ck though.
http://jacksongtickle.com/2006/11/01/i-love-hbcus/
@Panama Jackson,
That’s a definite. You HBCU alums live and die by your alma maters. It’s evident in the discussions here.
I will say though – you guys get a bit defensive when us PWI alums make mention of some fault at your school. I understand if its disrespectful, but if its a fact c’mon now… We all should realize that no university is perfect. Even the one you attended.
With that said, GO CUSE!!!
@Seattle Washington,
lol please believe many of us HBCU alums know the MANY downfalls of our institutions. and i feel comfortable to speak for many of us when i say it’s annoying as hell for ppl to point them out as if their PWI was perfect with flawless students and education. it’s not a fair assumption for ANYBODY to make about ANY institution.
as you said, each school has it’s pros and cons. and many of us still matriculate and love our schools regardless.
@Spelman Gem,
Feel like we all need to hug and sing “We Are the World” or some shit now.
By the way, nice talking with ya.
Yeah Champ you are correct!! HBCUs ROCK!!
@sexywinergirl, yay.
I’m at a PWI currently and though I hear great things about HBCUs (parties, entertainment) I also get the horror stories about everything from financial aid to housing and even the food (wtf?, lol). All from HBCU students).
I don’t know if that’s what those people focused on or what but I think what type of degree you’re going for determines if an HBCU or a PWI was (is) better to attend.
Just my two cents…
@eleeaune, What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Aych-EWE!!!
*singing…I DONE DONE…*
@eleeaune, folks ain’t lying. though i assume things are different now. when i got to morehouse, we registered via phone and if somebody called you while you were trying to get yoru classes, and you hadnt saved…you lost all of your sh*t.
and like i said, my scholarship was revoked 3 times. hell, i STILL carry around my scholarship paper.
but, like ms. smart said, what doesnt kill you makes you stronger and iwouldnt trade in that experience. it was a small part of the greatest experience of my life.
hell, life’s been all downhill since i graduated.
why is that some black people complain that white people think all black people are the same and then turn around and say that a place with a majority of black people cannot be diverse?? SMH
I would really like to know how they judge diversity. Is it that they believe that diversity = majority white + 1-2 of the others?
@sexywinergirl,
LOL you better say that again, girlfriend!!
@sexywinergirl, that was deep….well played…well played
@Blacklaw, it was wasn’t it?
@sexywinergirl,
yep. sometimes, it amazes me how some black people use the same stereotypes against HBCUs (and other bastions of black culture) that white folks use against all of us….
I say it over and over again, I would NEVER EVER trade my education at the glorious Home By the Sea Hampton University for any PWI. I will say that going to an HBCU has its downfalls but those are the same things thats built me into a powerhouse. I feel like I am smarter (both street and academically). I find myself encouraging all to consider an HBCU. The key word is “consider”. We all know that the four year haze of an HBCU is NOT for everyone, and that is fine.
I can relate to everything in this post. I even laughed out loud because all of my friends realized we were poor when we discovered the parking lot at HU. Matching Jags with your mom? sheesh! Also, you mentioned the women, and I have to agree. The men are finer too and HBCUs are the only place you will find a plethora of fine, educated Black men to choose from (even if they are out numbered). Once I left Hampton, finding a good man was not impossible, rather it became more of hunt rather than a trip to the next building.
I am now in graduate school at a Research 1 D-1 school and all I can think about is that there is no place like home. Yea, I may have been in a better position career wise had I chose to go to a PWI for undergrad, but the way I see it, I am enrolled at a top ranking school, fully funded, academically and socially prepared with enough connects to know that if I ever get lost in any state, I can call a fellow HBCU student or alumni and I am straight. I think the cup is more full on my side.
Oh one more thing, HBCUs are EXTREMELY DIVERSE. Just because we don’t have the rainbow of races, doesn’t mean every black person is the same. I grew up in a city filled with every race but white and going to Hampton gave me the biggest culture shock of my life!
We can go on for days about this, but honestly HBCUs are needed because they serve our communities in ways that are invaluable. Thanks guys for bringing this topic up!
@Buxxy,
“Just because we don’t have the rainbow of races, doesn’t mean every black person is the same.”
Exactly, Southern black folks, midwestern, west Coast, Northeast, Mid-atlantic, black Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Trinidadians, Jamaicans, Nigerians, Ethiopians, black Canadians, etc…
@Buxxy,
We all know that the four year haze of an HBCU is NOT for everyone, and that is fine.
LOL yessss indeed!! hazing is part of the HBCU experience. when ppl ask if i am greek i tell them i pledged spelman college for 4yrs and that was enough.
@Buxxy,
“but the way I see it, I am enrolled at a top ranking school, fully funded, academically and socially prepared with enough connects to know that if I ever get lost in any state, I can call a fellow HBCU student or alumni and I am straight. I think the cup is more full on my side.”
As a fellow Pirate I can do nothing but CO-SIGN!! QT4 BABY!!! Rock that blue and white!
@Buxxy,
I have to agree. I just graduated from Hampton’s pharmacy school and many people are shocked when I tell them about the number of 2520s in my class as well as asians and others. It was a great experience. And I too have a file cabinet with every document I’ve received from the admin b/c i just knew they would misplace something (and they did). GO PIRATES!!!
@Buxxy, Yea, I may have been in a better position career wise had I chose to go to a PWI for undergrad, but the way I see it, I am enrolled at a top ranking school, fully funded, academically and socially prepared with enough connects to know that if I ever get lost in any state, I can call a fellow HBCU student or alumni and I am straight. I think the cup is more full on my side.
i actually don’t think that i’d be in a better position had i gone to a PWI for undergrad. perhaps its bc i went to morehouse and like it or not, in the working world, there is a demand for morehouse cats. in my opinion, my decision to go to morehouse was the optimum decision and i dont really think i’d have been better served a full education anywhere else. perhaps certain facets would be better, but the holistic experience? not even close.
@Buxxy,
too true….
O Phi O XiV
I have also had teachers from everywhere in the world…. like for real u tell me that i wasnt learning diversity from my freshman pre calc professor who i had to learn how to decipher an Indian accent to scrap a B in the class….
And the Traditions of an HBCU far out weigh the ones at a PWI (in my own mind) like really…. and tell me bout the HAZE i tell some people i go to Hampton and they r like I would have gone if it wasnt for that Curfew im like u must be stupid….. that curfew teaches us so much about life
@The_Eighth_Hokage,
lol @ the Curfew…shoot Mama J lifted our curfew after first semester, lol. Why do you need to be out after 10 anyway, when you have an 8 o’clock class and no car? lol..Hampton Roads wasn’t THAT dayum exciting, lol!
@The_Eighth_Hokage,
lol. What the hell can a curfew teach you about life? In real life, nobody tells you when to come in and you have to make your own decisions. Now that’s growth.
Plus, I hung out in other people’s dorms studying, playing cards, shooting the shet to all hours of the night all the time in college… with an 8:30 class.
“The women are just plain finer at HBCU’s than at other schools.”
WORD!! not that there aren’t attractive women at other schools but pound for pound nothing comes close. I’ve never seen a crowd of good looking women at a white school.
I went to two HBCUs and if you learn nothing else you will learn how to improvise.
By the way my white grad school has messed up my financial aid information as much as both of my HBCUs. They got the damn loan people sending me bills as if I’m not still in school.
@Omar, It’s just a numbers game, I think it might have been WEB Dubois who said “the higher concentration of black folk means when you do your random sampling of the population you have an increased probability of a fine a** woman”….yeah that was WEB…Im pretty sure
@Blacklaw, or the Black Woman version of the Central Limit Theorem…LOL.
either way, its true.
@Omar, i actually think that Spelman has the finest concentration of Black woman in America.
true story, when i came to DC, i was EXCITED about the prospect of the women at Howard. now, i saw a lot of beautiful Black women, but i really thought it was going to be freakin’ runway show all day.
Spelman still wins out. greatest.place.on.earth.
@Panama Jackson, =)
- Spelman College
Class of 2012
@M. Ehuma, then you automatically get spelman points.
lol.
welcome.
@M. Ehuma,
awwww *e-spelman sis hug*
@Spelman Gem, aww!! i love you guys!
@M. Ehuma
omg….how did I miss this thread!! Hey Spelman Sis!!! here’s another spelmansis e-hug!!!
What’s good people of VSB, I’ve been reading this blog for a minute, and never felt compelled to comment until now. My soul said YES when you said Morehouse trumps all. As I begin my senior year next week, I reflect upon the past three years of my life spent at 830 Westview Drive, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I talk to my other friends who go to white schools, and I couldn’t imagine living in that environment. Now, it’s not all perfect (Gloster Hall has made me wanna black out on Brown Street on more than a few occasions), but if you can survive the House, you can survive anything. I’ve gained invaluable experiences and learned lessons that I couldn’t have learned anywhere else, and best believe my kids will be at Morehouse and Spelman. Everything you said was definitely on point. Much love from one Man of Morehouse to a Morehouse Man, and keep doin ya thing with the blog.
D
@DLamar2010,
one of the lucky few who made it out in 4? Awesome.
*ducks tomatoes*
@Liz,
lmao!!!!!!!!!!! indeed!!!! i got so tired of walkin around Market Friday seeing 5th yr seniors. like, brotha, get thee outta here!!
@Spelman Gem, its such a great place that i cant fault anybody for that 5th year…
it’s the 6th and 7th that are a problem.
@Panama Jackson,
lmao
@DLamar2010,
awwwww a Man of Morehouse about to graduate in 9 short months and become a Morehouse Man.
best wishes to you my brotha!!! *e-spelhouse hug*
@DLamar2010, congrats brotha. i look forward to welcoming you into the ranks of Morehouse Men next May.
and my kids are going to the House and Spelman too…
welcome.
@Liz, yeah that’s the plan lol
@Spelman Gem, thanks for the e love my beautiful intelligent Spelman sister
@Panama Jackson, thank you sir, and I look forward to joining.
Amen.
*waving MLK,Jr. church fan with the funeral home ad on the other side.*
@Ms. Smart,
Hahaha! I love those fans! “Henderson’s Funeral Home – your last stop before Heaven.”
@Madame Zenobia, We are >HERE<. And what? Bet not nobody say nuthin' dif'rent.
*Hilary slouch*
@Ms. Smart, i knew i could get a yay-men from you. and perhaps a yes lawwwwwwwwwwd.
like many other ppl who went to [wherever instition], i believe i had the BEST college experience. i loved every minute of the sacred, traditional world i entered the fall after my HS graduation. i was fortunate enough to go to a top ranked liberal arts college. that educates women. and just so happens to be historically black. and sits across the street from 2 other
alrightgreat institutions for negros. additionally, there was anunaccredited“institution” (which suffered at the hands of n*ggas but let’s not go there…) down the street and a colored school of theology down another street.ALL 5 of these schools shared one library. ONE. as in SINGULAR, not plural. uno. this sole library for 5 different institutions sat on CAU’s campus. in the middle of the hood. as bums and hoodrats aimlessly wandered about. the shuttle that transported students around these 5 campuses to/fro the library may or may not have been running at any given moment.
i say that to say, black schools aren’t for everybody!! everybody cant handle what it takes to go thru 4 (if not more) years of hbcu matriculation. it’s a hell of a ride — one that you best be sure had many breakdowns and unnecessarily dramatic stops along the way. only the strong survive. but those that do, i guarantee are better because of it.
@Spelman Gem,
Awww… good ol’ club woody lol no one was evvva in there ACTUALLY studying lol.
@GEELA,
LOL i feel like it’s a requirement for every HBCU to have a library in which no one goes to to actually study. For me, it was club UGL @ Howard.
@GEELA,
lol @ club woody. yesss!! you know it’s bad when on the first day of class your professors warn you not to dare step foot in club woody (they know whats up lol) to get a book for their class. you best head on down to emory lol
@Spelman Gem,
lol. so true. Woody did have some good books for the Huey P. Newton/Black Panthers
thesispaper I wrote senior year.@Spelman Gem, first of all, it usually wasn’t there. or it was ripped out. i should stop, huh?
i must say the librarians in the microfilm area were quite helpful.
@Miss Patterson,
you are a mess. you right, but you wrong lol.
@Spelman Gem, Most HBCU’s is in the ghetto! I remember all I wanted to do was to go to Fisk. well we went to visit fisk for a school trip in 9th grade and I swear that joint was smaller than my jr high school and the dorms didnt have air and a loose ninja was selling t shirts and socks….LMAO that was it on me and my Fisk dream
@shay_d_lady,
lol i remember seeing very similar things when i was visiting Fisk early in high school. i was side-eyeing it like “ma, you want me to go HERE??”
then i found out Spelman was also in the hood. but we had a very secure gate/walls around our beloved campus. like an oasis set apart from the projects on the other side.
@Spelman Gem,
I used to thank BBJ every night for that gate!! Granted, crazies still found a way to get in, expecially if you lived in HH or Abby.
@N.I.A. naturally,
HH…Phi Beta!!!!
@N.I.A. naturally, hiding out in HH was real easy for some reason, and i don’t know why. dudes used to just duck into closets/bathrooms/phone booths… and just chill until it was all clear.
@Spelman Gem,
“Only the strong survive” – You got that right! Especially considering that the majority of students that attend HBCU’s are far FAR from home. Roughing it out without having immediate access to mommy and daddy definitely helps one “grow up” that much faster. After the first semester, many people were heading back home for an array of reasons, so it’s definitely not for everyone.
@Monk,
so true indeed. esp when far from home can mean so many diff things. like shay-d mentioned above, HBCUs are in the hood. and many of those prissy rich girls experience a RUDE! awakening.
@Spelman Gem, man i loved Club Woody so much. i dont think i ever checked out a book from there. nope, study time was for Ga STate or Emory. Club Woody was picking up breezies and naptime on the 2nd floor in the back corner that faced Beckwith Street.
or smashing off chicks in the 2nd floor bathrooms@Panama Jackson,
smdh
@Panama Jackson,
Beckwith!
2nd floor? ewww. you nasty, peej.
So, I see nothing has changed in between the time y’all were there and now. Woody especially pops during midterms/finals week. However, they’re saying I never turned in books that I clearly turned in before they were due. I will be on the news if they don’t let me graduate lol.
Hmmm…I take it this i sa post for HBCU attendees to get their stunt on (especially you Howard and Morehouse/Spelman folks, LOL)…
A lot of reasons to attend one never washed with me. Some who went said they had the need to be surrounded by Black folks, whereas I grew up in Black neighborhoods and went to schools with sizeable Black populace from all walks of life and all levels of intellect. Not to mention seeing the same with Latinos, Asians, and whites. Hence I didn’t have diversity issues to concern myself with.
Not to mention I never cared much for most all of the HBCUs being located in the South. Not only because of the South’s reputation (which I don’t sweat as heavily now, Southerners, relax!), but because I grew to be a fierce ideologically L.A. guy. Nor have I ever had even a remote interest in joining a Divine Nine or any other kind of fraternity.
So yeah, they just never really appealed to me.
But I have heard interesting stories, so I wouldn’t mind visiting one of these days, LOL…
BTW, “PWI?” I don’t know how it looks out east, but here in Cali, the big-time schools are as Asian as a place could possibly get, from China to India to Iran.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
I hear where you are coming from because I am from NYC (and you cant get more diverse than here), but believe it or not, (at least at Hampton) Cali is one the top states represented. Going to HBCUs does not mean you have to want to or actually join a Divine Nine Org. Its so much more than that. I don’t want to start on tradition, but there is a lot. Also, HBCUs expose you to a world that you may never knew existed.
But you should come and visit but every HBCU is very different with common themes. You need at least a week though lol
@Buxxy,
yeah, cali is one of the top 3 states rep’d at SC. i ran into many californians (northern and southern) in the AUC.
WESTSIIIIIIIIDE!!!
@Spelman Gem,
ahhh the Cali Picnic! Good times and gunshots!! Fond, fond memories!
@The Killa Cal (verified), LMAO…YES YES the gunshots!!!!!!
@Stuff Ghetto People Like, co sign on the large asian populations
@Stuff Ghetto People Like, yeah, hbcu’s aint for everybody. some people couldn’t care less. and i didnt go to morehouse b/c it was an hbcu. hell i was looking at michigan, tuskegee, ga tech, and university of alabama…and howard tho the f*ckers never even sent me ANY info. how is i get a FULL RIDE from michigan, and howard won’t even send me a damn pamphlet? i did them one better…i went to morehouse.
remember howard folks…a morehouse man has run howard. its never been the other way around.
good ole mordecai johnson.
@Panama Jackson,
yeah, but what was the HU-Morehouse football score again?
lololol!
@Miss Patterson, i do believe the last time we played it was like 52-0, howard.
but its morehouse. you don’t come to morehouse to play football. you come to analyze it.
@Panama Jackson,
and no one watches the game anyway. everybody knew MC and CAU had the worst football teams in HBCU history.
the bands/half time was where it was at!!
HBCU life is one of the best experiences an African American can have! I believe HBCU’s give students more life lessons more than anything. During my time at CLARK ATLANTA ( shout out to the whole AUC no place like it!) I learned a lot about myself as well as my peers. Growing up in Northern VA I’ve always attended schools with high levels of diversity, so when I decided to go to Clark I was worried there wouldn’t be any diversity cause everyone was black. Which is a major misconception about HBCUs, because the AUC is extremely diverse to say the least.
I attended Clark for 3 semesters before deciding to do a semester at home. I planned on coming back for the following fall semester, but I fell in love with the new institution I was attending at home. I hate to say this but since I transfered Mason has pushed me way more academically than Clark ever did. And I learned waaay more about Africa in my history class than I ever did at Clark, how the hell is that lol? Somehow I managed to get on the dean’s list while at Clark without doing the bare minimum. Now I have to actually do work to get the grades I easily got before.
Don’t get me wrong I love Clark it will always be home to me! I did a lot of growing there and I miss HBCU life like crazy. But I feel like I wasn’t being challenged while I was there, I didn’t have to do much and I still managed to rise to the top. Mason made me feel like I was skating through my whole time at Clark. And unfortunately a lot of my classmates felt the same way. At the end of my freshman year just about everyone went home or transfered over to Georgia State. And I hear even more students have jumped ship after the major downsizing of faculty members this past spring semester.
When it all comes down to it… for me Clark was excellent socially but not so much academically. It makes me a little sad when I hear older alumni talk about their HBCU experiences with such pride, because I feel like I was cheated in a way. I don’t feel HBCU’s are currently living up to their prestigious legacy. Some say its the caliber of students attending and some say its the teachers. Either way I wish Clark could’ve done for me what Mason has.
@GEELA,
I don’t think comparing your first three semesters at CAU is fair comparison to junior and senior years somewhere else. I was an A’s and B’s student all my life until my junior year at Clark Atlanta. I believe for most people, as they advance, classes naturally get more challenging so freshmen year at probably any university is going to be a walk in the park compared to junior year. Maybe it’s just me.
@Monk,
No I think it is a fair comparison. I took summer courses after my freshman year so when I returned back to Clark for Sophomore year I was able to take courses well into my major. And there was no change. Either way there should’ve been a challenge!
@GEELA, i attended Clark too. i felt way cheated, but i did the opposite of what you did. i started at Emory and then transfered to Clark. don’t ask…it’s a long, long, long, story.
i was writing 10+ page papers in my English courses prior to my transfer. at Clark, they were assigning 5 page (!) “compare & contrast” paper assignments to juniors. however, clark taught me their motto- “i’ll find a way or make one”. I spent the two weeks prior to my graduation chasing down hard to reach professors to remind them to turn in my grades. i learned several of my professors didn’t officially turn in grades to the registrar going as far back as two years. luckily, all of my professors were still employed at the university, so I did it. now if that ain’t ‘making a way or finding one’, i don’t know what is.
what was really grand was when Clark *forgot* to put my name in the graduation program, but *remembered* to list the names of two students who didn’t turn in their senior thesis papers until the day before graduation. on graduation day, i wasn’t crying for joy. and my grandmother (may she rest in peace) thought for a moment that i didn’t *really* graduate.
sorry, folks. that was just my experience, i know several individuals who thoroughly enjoyed their CAU experience. it’s just that i’m not one of them. womp.
@Miss Patterson,
Yes! Me and my ex- mighty marching panthers often find ourselves implementing that infamous motto into our daily lives. Always seemed like it came in handy when searching for loans and scholarships lol.
@GEELA, Maybe you just smart than a mafu**a and the particular subjects you were taking would have come easy to you no matter where you were
@GEELA, not to take shots at clark or anything, but i never felt unchallenged at the House…except in that Art Appreciation class (which people still failed for not following directions). also, i know folks who went to clark and depending on their major were definitely challenged. could have been your department…
and i agree with monk. 3 semesters and you shot down the whole education?!? LOL.
@Panama Jackson,
It’s not that I’m “shooting down the whole education”. like I said I learned a lot outside of the classroom. Which is just as important as learning in the classroom. I had every intention of returning back to Clark. But after being at a PWI for a semester I realized that something was missing for me at Clark… and that was a challenge. So I decided to stay.
And your right! I think it was my department. A lot of ppl I knew where in B school. And they were always complaining about there course load or assignments. That wasn’t the case for me lol.
D****MN! I hate to be the naysayer. I want to agree with you sooooo bad but I started my career at an HBCU that shall remain nameless and it was not the experience I was hoping for. I headed back to my state (white) school to finish my collegiate career. I was expecting “A Different World” and got – well, I don’t know what. I knew I was in trouble when classes got canceled to watch the Ques, Alphas, and AKA lines cross all within a week.
I understand your point about learning responsibility when you lost your scholarships, but once ANYBODY plays with my money its a rap for you. (As stated in a different post) my father’s a college administrator and he nor I were playing that game. I’ve been money managing and tithing since I was 6. I learned early – watch your loot and the people who handle it.
As to diversity, I came from one of the most diverse high schools in the Midwest. During my time at HHS the claim to fame was if you walked down any given hallway at any given time and everyone was speaking their native language you would hear AT MINIMUM 17 languages. We had rich kids, poor kids, middle class, goth, saddidity, thuggish, artsy, drama geeks, athletes, etc, etc. The school was big enough that you had access to everything and small enough that you were forced to deal with all those differences.
As to knowing more Black people – you’re probably right on that one. I’m still pretty close to where I grew up so I do know the majority of Black folk nearby.
Finally to the fineness of Black Folk – you are DEFINITELY right about that. Wheeeew Lord are you right about that. No argument here.
Again, I really wish I’d had that dope HBCU experience, unfortunately I didn’t. The white school wasn’t the bestest thing of all times, but I’m OK with it.
PS. Late sauce but back to favorite movie quotes from the other day – how did I miss New Jack City?!?!?!?
a.) Sit yo’ five dollar a$$ down before I make change!
b.) I never liked you anyway. Pretty motherf**ka.
That’s what I’ve got.
@Madame Zenobia,
a.) Sit yo’ five dollar a$$ down before I make change!
b.) I never liked you anyway. Pretty motherf**ka.
This is Death of MeFail/Moment of Silence/ Na na na na….
@Madame Zenobia, If class stopped because the Ques were crossing a line it was probably warranted. Just my opinion…..
@Madame Zenobia, D****MN! I hate to be the naysayer. I want to agree with you sooooo bad but I started my career at an HBCU that shall remain nameless and it was not the experience I was hoping for. I headed back to my state (white) school to finish my collegiate career. I was expecting “A Different World” and got – well, I don’t know what. I knew I was in trouble when classes got canceled to watch the Ques, Alphas, and AKA lines cross all within a week.
where the hell did you go where they cancelled classes to watch folsk cross? also…da hell?/ everybody knows folks cross at 706/08/11/13 pm. depending on what frat or sorory it is…
no wonder they cancelled class. they were late as hell.
and um, my experience was definitely Hillman-ish.
@Panama Jackson,
Hillman deez.
everybody trying to be down with the late night crew,now aint it mane? LOL
on the real, I think its all some bullshyt… Most accredited colleges allow you to get out what you put in period point blank. I know some dumb mofo’s that went to ivy league schools and top notch HBCU’s and some extremely intelligent people from small pwI’s and little known hbcu’s…… , I do think that HBCU”s have a place and serve a purpose and I hate that there is a stigma attached to these schools. I want my child to experience both, it gives you an interesting perspective to say the least.
@shay_d_lady,
yes Ma’am!
@shay_d_lady,
Most accredited colleges allow you to get out what you put in period point blank.
i agree with this statement
interesting… as an african who went to an ivy, i have to say one of the rudest culture shocks to my 18 year old system was the teeming masses of white humanity wherever i turned…. those idiots in the international student facility gave us some ridiculous handbook to acclimatize us to being in the yew-ess, (riddled with such gems as ‘if you’re invited over to an americans for dinner, be sure to send a thank-you card after’ and ‘americans like their personal space. maintain a half-metre distance between yourself and the american you’re conversing with’ – needless to say i chucked it after page 2…)
but honestly, the severe lack of black people at the ivy was a shocker, and i was resentfully like ‘ok, how come no one warned me about this bit!!!’ i greeted every black person i saw in town like they were my mothers siblings, i swear…. i guess the upside was that the black community on campus was TIGHT, coz honestly for a minute there, it felt like we were under seige…i tried to do a junior year abroad at spelman, but the admin people laughed me out of the office on some ‘superwoman, you’re southern african. massachusetts IS your abroad experience.’ haters.
@superwoman,
LMAO @ your ignorant arse admins.
Damn, yeah Harvard has a rep for being “stush” to pretty much everyone but the damn Bushes. I wonder why…
Anyhow, I agree with what you said and someone upthread also pointed out that we were tight in the PWI’s. Visiting my friends at Howard and Morehouse I felt more of a sense of cliquishness. Like everyone was cool and kids in the same major all knew each other but ppl were really region-racist, eltist and ish. That effect is greatly reduced when it’s only a handful of “you”
Co-Sign till the casket drop.
I wanted to be around people just like me: confident, intelligent, sarcastic, aggressive, etc. I got that and then some. I think at that age in your life (17-18 as a freshman), you need confidence, self-assurance, and support. You are at a volatile age between adolescence and adulthood, so reassurance is very important to personal growth. Most PWI see you as a SSN, not as a person. I actually KNEW administrators, faculty, staff, hell even certain cafeteria workers (lol). The ‘registration hassle’ and financial aid fiasco only taught me fortitude and perseverance. Both of which are necessary to be successful in the real world. I loved my experience, but I did ponder what it would have been like at Howard (LOL!! you knew it was coming…)*
Sincerely the red clay’s finest,
Bond. BlkBond.
Alumni of the only school a man such as Bond could attend.
*I always joke that I should have gone to HU when things were bad.
@BlkBond,
For real! I still talk to Mrs. White and Mrs Penn-Marshall (my freshman biology teacher)! I loved me some Mrs Penn-Marshall, she was my support system away from home! Mrs. White was like the ‘church lady’ always with a ‘bless your heart’ and ‘baby you’ve got to pray’. I wouldn’t trade that at all!
@BlkBond,
“Most PWI see you as a SSN, not as a person. I actually KNEW administrators, faculty, staff, hell even certain cafeteria workers (lol)”
On the contrary, despite attending a PWI with about 10k students, the black community made a concerted effort to bring us into the fold. And not just their own group. That wanted us to have close contact with the Provost and Deans on down. It really felt like a small community.
@BlkBond,
I actually KNEW administrators, faculty, staff, hell even certain cafeteria workers (lol).
lol yes indeed. i even had one chemistry (my major) professor who’s office i’d take naps in becuz he had a lazyboy chair. i mean, i’d be knocked out in the chair while he was having meetings with his students. they wouldn’t pay me any mind. sometimes they’d see me on campus and say hello to me like “aren’t you the girl who naps in Dr. D’s office?” lol.
ahhhh the good life
@BlkBond, plus…where else would you have come across such a buffet of beautiful bond girls??
@Panama Jackson,
ahhhhh….Fashion Friday’s was a true delight.
Bond.
Can I get a AGGIE PRIDE?!!!!! AGGIE PRIDE!!!!!!! (I would keep chanting but I don’t want to make ya’ll feel bad.
Truth is, HBCUs instill a littel thing called confidence in you. What fresh out of HS kid does not need that. You learn real quick at orientation I’d you don’t get that good ol’ Aggie Pride or HU whatever (lol) that you’ll be an abomination to the longtime legacy of your new beloved University. Thus, you leave College with the mindset that you can do anything. Afterall, for YEARS you’ve been telling everyone you could that you are the best anyway simply by association with your school!
Oh and P, you forgot: HOMECOMING!!!! how does this make you a better person?! Ughhh social skills and responsibility, duh! Anytime you an withstand 48 straight hours of partying, drinking, still remembering 100,00 names(and yours), dancing, chanting, eating, more chanting,(things I probably should not say), AND make it to work on Monday- you win!
@Daydreamer,
lmao @ the homecoming piece
@Daydreamer, though i didnt mention it in this joint, here’s what i said about homecoming in the original joint i wrote:
5) Homecoming
Yeah, I know every college has homecoming. But nuh uh Jack, not like a Black school. Our shit is like our fraternities and sororitites, they last a lifetime. Homecoming at my big white school kind of sucked ass. Hell, I didn’t even realize it was homecoming until the actual gamedays. At an HBCU??? It’s a weeklong event, and even longer if you count the time it takes to detox and recuperate. I just got back from my homecoming and I’m still not caught up on sleep.
And once again, being as I know more Black people than you, I get to spend a week around a bunch of reading ninjas who will be doing something with their lives at some point…and very rarely does anybody get shot.
Just think about that shit for a minute.
Plus, when was the last time a rapper shouted out a major white school? Howard gets shouted out all the time. That automatically makes it better, even rappers pay attention to HBCU’s. And show up at homecoming.
@Panama Jackson,
Yeah, yall got homecomings, marching bands and overall celebrations down to a science. I’ve never seen anything remotely close at any PWI.
However, as Biggie “fcuked hoes at Penn State” I’ll need you to give PWIs our propers *ahem* or not…does Penn State count since it’s not privt?
@Panama Jackson,
Yeah, there’s no doubt about HBCU homecomings. They’re like no other. Ya’ll OWN that ish, no doubt. The marching bands ALONE. Whoo. *jukes while sitting in seat*
@Panama Jackson,
Agreed! I attended Southern University A&M College. (Shout out to David Bannre and Bayou Classic! Go Jags!) A PWI homecoming can NEVER match an HBCU homecoming. It is an event that we plan for months in advance. I’m sure everyone’s friends have been asking the #1 question: Are you coming to Homecoming??
It’s serious business. I have a friend who seriously debated being in a friend’s WEDDING vs. attending Homecoming. There’s nothing like it! I pity people who miss out on the experience.
@Southern Lady,
Typo! * David Banner (Lavell Crump, SU SGA President)
As a proud HBCU alumna from both undergrad and graduate schools x ohsomanyears, I must say that I STILL get nods of approval when someone in Corporate America deigns to look at my educational background. The purpose of a school is to educate. The purpose of an alum is to apply that education and experience to the tests of the wider world. I hail from The Mecca. As far around the world as I have traveled, my school’s name is on the lips of many–and when they hear me speak, see me excel, and invite me into whatever circle or discussion, they get even more proof of what my school is all about. As it is with us who can, we are imbued with the responsibility to give back– as we expected our forebears to do while we were matriculated. I, for one, sure did. If you don’t give back to your Alma Mater with conditions for use of funds, don’t expect to be able to comment constructively on the state of the school. True story: I once was in the wilds of Houston, TX (LOL) at a cocktail party for an exhibit launch at the Fine Arts Museum. A middle aged Caucasian man *crossed the room* to come speak to me. His approach? “Please forgive the assumption, but you MUST have gone to Howard, am I correct?” Turns out it wasn’t game, but recognition of the bearing of an alumna from a school his worldwide company recruited business school grads from yearly. He asked me to join the museum’s advisory board…
@devessel, that’s beautiful do you find ppl are always “impressed” that you can read and “speak good” though? That goes for Blk or Whyt ppl?
@Blacklaw, They are all impressed. No joke. I do, however, use this to my cruel advantage on the phone just to fcuk with the Man on occasion. One must constantly search for ways to entertain oneself…my twitter profile even identifies me as an ‘avid speller’.
@devessel,
if i didn’t know any better i’d have thought my father wrote this comment lol.
and you speak truth on the giving back piece. i aint got no money, but i give my annual contribution, no matter how small.
@Spelman Gem,
It really is difficult…especially in this economy! But I just remember when I was in school vowing “…assoonasigetouttahereandgetmeajobimmagiveBACKandMAKESUREdechirrendemgetit” LOL. If we don’t give, who will?
…And I’mma just take the comment abt your honorable father as the exceptional compliment I know you intended it to be… ; )
; )
@devessel,
lol i love my daddy i do. and i WANTED to want to go to HU so i could join the ranks of him, my uncle, and my sis. he is not emotional but i thought he would cry when i told him i was not even going to apply to howard since i got early admin to SC.
fortunately for me i made the best choice i could have possibly made. no love lost for HU tho. i’m a Bison Daughter til the day i die
@Spelman Gem,
‘salright. Still got love for my sisters from the South!
…oh, and Mr. Jackson, thanks for the picture at the top. It’s gorgeous!
@devessel, yes and for those that don’t know. that’s harkness hall on CAU’s campus (formerly a morehouse college property). it’s also the scene for most of the dorm scenes from School Daze.
@Panama Jackson,
why did you have to say “formery a morehouse college property”? this cast system within a cast system bullsh!t is what’s wrong with the AUC. that’s why i tell folks “i went to school in atlanta”, period. cuz let’s face it, mo’ b and cau are invisible.
and another thing, morehouse men are uncouth. they don’t bathe except on friday afternoons. they’re cheap, they’re dirty hoes and they’re filthy houseguests.
mwhahahaha
“but the way I see it, I am enrolled at a top ranking school, fully funded, academically and socially prepared with enough connects to know that if I ever get lost in any state, I can call a fellow HBCU student or alumni and I am straight. I think the cup is more full on my side.”
As a fellow Pirate I can do nothing but CO-SIGN!! QT4 BABY!!! Rock that blue and white!
Umm, I’m black and I went to Georgetown…and me and my friends are fine as hell, if I must say so myself…lol
@Ashley,
That was the school I would’ve went to had I not went to the one I chose. If for no other reason than those pretty ass brick dorms by the river. *sigh* Well that and yall gave me more money.
@Ashley, I heard that. see you after the show
@Ashley, So basically what you’re telling me is you can get me in contact with Amerie?
@Ashley, well now, saying so yourself won’t get you out of capital murder so it definitely doesnt count as proof positive in this situation.
lol.
“But Panama, how could you possibly think that the education you receive at Texas Southern University is better than UT-Austin?”
I just wanna give you props for shouting out my state and my sister’s alma mater (TSU).
We do have a HBCU here in Austin, it’s much smaller than most, Huston-Tillotson University.
As ya’ll know I’m a graduate of the school of hard knocks, but still working on that degree as we speak. Non-traditional students, what up?! hahahha
I’ve dated a Morehouse man…and alls I’ma say is ya’ll are some cocky mofo’s. But, I’m sure ya’ll already knew that…lol
@miss t-lee, Non-traditional students, what up?! hahahha
**waving**
i went to CCAC and Carlow College (University – it was still college when i went there) … all through the Adult Degree Program. I went to school at night, on Saturday mornings, and online. I have NO party stories (except the Pitt parties I attended as a teenager but I digress), or dorm stories
. So long story short, I can relate 
@pgh muse,
*waving*
I see ya chick! It’s definitely a different story…lol
@pgh muse,
thank you for clearing that up. i thought they were college back in the day. i can’t get used to all of these pgh name changes. i feel like somebody’s grandma referring to all of these outdated locations and names throughout the city. it WILL BE the CIVIC ARENA until the day I die!
@miss t-lee,
“I’ve dated a Morehouse man…and alls I’ma say is ya’ll are some cocky mofo’s. But, I’m sure ya’ll already knew that…lol”
Not only do they know, they embrace it. You can’t tell dem nothin’!
@Cheekie,
That’s exactly why he’s the ex…LMAO.
@Cheekie, got that right.
you can tell a morehouse man, but you can’t tell him much.
don’t hate us b/c we’re God’s gift to the world.
(how’s that for cocky)
@Panama Jackson,
Is that what they tell ya’ll during freshman orientation?
‘Cause you sound just like ‘ol boy that got fired…lol
@Panama Jackson,
“(how’s that for cocky)”
Work it, Foghorn Leghorn.
@Panama Jackson,
i have the spelman version of that on a shirt. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve been stopped on the streets or on campus or even church for ppl to see if they were actually reading my shirt right lol
@Spelman Gem,
i have that Spelman shirt, too. And I still rock my apology shirt like it’s brand new….
@Spelman Gem,
girrrrrrl my apology shirt is almost a rag now as many times as i’ve worn/washed it LOL
i still see ppl mouth “why do you hate me?” when they read my shirt and look all puzzled and confused
@Spelman Gem,
girl, i only wear “The Apology” on special occasions. That is one of my favorite shirts. And the one that says “No Hate Formed Against Me Shall Prosper.”
I probably should’ve worn that shirt today.I wish I could wear that shirt to work….You know Collegiate Exchange closed right? Actually, it closed towards the end of my freshman year (06-07), but I still wear my apology shirt, and all the underclassmen get so jealous.
And yes, the closest thing to God is a Morehouse Man
I am a proud graduate of one of the largest PWI in the country. I do not think I would have been satisfied attending an HBCU. I appreciate diversity (people from ALL over the world) and I just don’t think you get that when all of your classmates and professors are black. I do not think that prepares you for the “real world”. Living in Atlanta, most of my friends attended HBCU and nearly all of them will tell you they have never had white friends and don’t have any now. I wasn’t raised that way and would not be satisfied to only have Black friends.
I toyed with the idea of attending CAU for Grad school but was met with way too much unprofessionalism. Calls not being returned, records being lost (after I spend my MONEY to have them sent to the registrar), and then the program that I was applying to terminated in the middle of the process. That is all I needed to know the HBCU was not for me. Unfortunately, one can ruin it for them all.
@Babs,
As a Hampton Alumni I can say that I had maybe 6 or 7 black teachers and NONE of my classes had all black students in attendance…so that is a gross misconception of HBCU’s
@Smiley Face, Cosign
@Smiley Face, Same with HU. Not at all as Black as outsiders like to paint it to be.
@Ms. Smart,
Yes, please set @Smiley face straight:
We understand it if you chose to attend another institution, but please do not make assumptions based upon that which you know little…why would you make such a sweeping generalization, that an HBCU would have an all-black faculty? Do you really, truly, believe that??
@Smiley Face,
I am speaking based solely on what my friends have told me- they said every once in a while they had classes with non-Blacks.
@Smiley Face,
Cosign…. well except for my SoBusiness classes but there is a a full blooded Trinidadian if that counts
@Smiley Face, right…hell Morehouse recently had a freakin’ white valedictorian.
@Panama Jackson,
Yup! He was on the radio doing an interview! I was like ‘gon head withcha bad self’
@Babs, I went to a big non-black school that has a large Asian population. That didn’t prepare me for the real world as I have yet to work with anyone Asian. This whole “prep you for the real world” argument is lame, because it’s not like my high school prepped me to go into college in terms of racial makeup, but I still made it. It’s not some sort of handicap, if anything it’s just a different experience, HBCU or not.
Besides, there are plenty other (and better) reasons not to go to an HBCU LOL.
@Liz,
damn Liz, i’m co-signing this whole comment!
wait, that’s not true. i completely REBUKE your last sentence lmao
@Spelman Gem, LOLOL.
@Liz, Besides, there are plenty other (and better) reasons not to go to an HBCU LOL.
you ass you.
@Babs,
what!! black people only come from the United States???
@sexywinergirl,
*sniggles*
@sexywinergirl,
*dead*
*from the grave…* i’m tired of rolling my eyes at ppl who have such a grossly ignorant view of “diversity”, esp as it pertains to HBCUs.
I did PWI for undergrad and now grad school. Going anywhere else just never appealed to me. There’s not much more culture you can give me than what I grew up with.
I also wanted to go to school in AZ. As far as I knew, there were no HBCUs there anyway. I ended up back home. (Are there HBCUs in the state of KS?)
From the times I’ve been on HU campus, it seemed ok. If my unborn child expresses a desire for a HBCU (assuming they are still around then) I won’t dissuade him or her.
@Stank-0, (Are there HBCUs in the state of KS?)
nope. though there are in Missouri and Oklahoma.
Harvard (or any Ivy) is not like the 2520 university you went to for grad school. and even if it was, the grad experience is way different from the undergrad experience. i don’t think it’s fair to make the comparison (save for the amt of 2520s), and what gets my gander is people who make this argument all the time and assume going to Harvard is like going to USC. NOT THE SAME, although USC sure does think they’re Harvard.
while i agree HBCUs are great, i really only consider 3 of them to count (the top 3). the rest can kick rocks, as they’re irrelevant.
@Liz,
Booooo Hisssss Liz! LOL!
I don’t think the “others” should totally kick rocks – there is definitely a place and a need for most HBCU’s ( as a starting place) – some of us weren’t exactly *ahem* stellar students in high school. I only had 3 colleges knocking on my door when it was time .. 2 PWI offered me conditional admission ( that would have carried on throughout my 1st year) so I decided to “go black”.
I dunno – Clark Atlanta was there for me when I needed “her” and I am forever indebted (LOL figuratively and seemingly literally) to everything I learned there.
@kendeezy,
i def feel you on this. while i do joke about my school being the only HBCU option for my unborn, unconceived daughter, i think most accredited HBCUs have their place. they open their doors to students who aren’t the best academically but still have the desire to further their education and make something of their life. especially since many HBCUs prepare and invest in the WHOLE student. i find that admirable and very necessary for many of our misguided brothas and sistas.
@kendeezy, lol, i know i was just kidding
at the end of the day i think it depends on what you’re looking to get out of college. Everyone has different goals and aspirations….and some people have none or avery narrow idea of what they want–and that’s fine too. I am pretty much a graduate of my alma mater because it was a very narrow situation I managed to find myself in.
YES!!! That good ole Home By The Sea!!!
Allllllriiiiiight!
I talked my sh*t while i was there but i refuse to let anybody talk bad about it now. Lol
@HU Grad,
that’s right! So what if when it rained the James Rives flooded all the way up to Virgina Cleveland steps, lol…and so what if the small caf only opened up at certain hours and so what if my dorm didn’t have A/C…you betta not never talk bout MY Hampton, lol!!! Good times I tell ya! Good times…*singing* memories…
@HU Grad,
LOL
don’t mess wit My home by the sea or something might happen….. just sayin lls
just a comment to the overall tone of the comments….
i attend a pwi and just like the hbcu’ers have said attending an hbcu isn’t for everybody, neither is attending a pwi.
i think there are a lot issues just within the black culture as a whole…i.e. issues between africans, carribeans, african americans…etc. that we ALL have to deal with….so we also get that end of diversity. then on top of that, we also have to deal with racism on a more real and everyday basis. from the students looking at you strange thinking you’re merely a product of affirmitive action, to professors assuming you’re dumb before you even take a test. i also kno friends of mine who went to HU and have said that after being there for awhile they’ve forgotten white people even exist, but have had to deal with issues that i never had.
i say all this to say, we all have our struggles, HBCU and PWI, and tho they may be different, that doesn’t make them any less significant.
hallelujah, hollaback.
@Chasdizz,
“i say all this to say, we all have our struggles, HBCU and PWI, and tho they may be different, that doesn’t make them any less significant.”
Say it one mo’ ‘gain.
@Cheekie,
Word ‘em ups gee. This whole discussion makes me wonder what HBCU alum’s impressions of undergrad life at PWI’s must be. To hear yall tell it sounds like a utopia for the soft, mindless and aggressively ugly (ok I added that part). But life for me aint been no crystal stair and I went to a school with money and plenty housing
P.S. About housing, I dunno anyone that had it rougher than Temple alum
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
“This whole discussion makes me wonder what HBCU alum’s impressions of undergrad life at PWI’s must be. ”
The sh*t of bull, apparently. There’s a LOT of misconceptions going on around, especially considering there was no FIRSThand experience. And even if there was, you still can’t tell me what MY experience was (or even his or hers). Point to the blank, all the way to the period.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, you know…that’s a very good question. but you have to understand what a lot of that is rooted in. usually in these convos, folks talk so much of why they wouldn’t go to an HBCU or what would have happened if they did that most of us who did go to one spend a lot of time defending our decisions to those who assume that HBCU’s are all subpar places.
we never talk about the PWIs and what you all went thru b/c we spend all damn day having to explain our pride DESPITE all the BS we had to deal with.
however, i went to a white school for grad and i will say i was AMAZED at the sh*t people complained about.
chairs dont work in teh computer lab? f*ck that. your computer lab HAS COMPUTERS!!!!!!!
refund check wasn’t immediately available? YOU GOT YOUR REFUND CHECK BEFORE HOMECOMING?!?!?!? AND DINT HAVE TO STAND IN LINE FOR IT?!?
i do realize that a lot of folks at PWIs have to deal with racism and being made to feel like you didnt earn your spot and that’s a problem im glad i didnt have to worry about. at morehouse, they spent so much time letting us know how important we were and building our esteem that confidence in myself and my people was the least of my worries. of course we did have to worry about getting robbed in teh projects (that have been since torn down) but ya know, thats par the course.
i think the main reason so many hbcu folks assume you all had it better too is b/c rarely do we hear about these major trials and tribulations. sure they exist, but for hbcu folks, its a common experience that EVERYBODY deals with that serves to do nothing but make you a stronger person.
@Panama Jackson,
I hear you. I didnt even go to an HBCU and I find myself speaking in defense of HBCU’s to black folks who think it’s inferior somehow (which I secretly suspect is tied to some form of self-hate/white supremacy).
I graduated from one of the most highly lauded institutions on the planet, coming from some of the worst public schools in a city with one of the worst PS systems in the country, so when yall cite inadequate materials and unprofessional admins as the domain of HBCU alum and yall couldnt have been that strong anywhere else, I’m skeptical to say the least.
Rep TUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!
I had this conversation a few weeks ago.
I’m not gonna get back into it deeply, but I WILL say that if you grew up in Detroit, there was little to no point of going to an HBCU, because you’d been in one your whole life anyway.
Funny thing is, when Panama said something about “You’d have to move back home” or some sheet to get a leg up with other folks and what not, its been my experience that almost eveyone that went to an HBCU that graduated from Martin Luther King Jr Sr High School went back home first. The others stayed in the town they graduated college from…
I went to Michigan State, and we had more black people than you while I was there. All of you. Except Howard. All other schools had less than or almost equal amounts. We had about 8,000 “City Folk”. Like buddy from UT said up there, being a minority on campus makes you come together like no other. You’d be the ONLY black face in class, then you’d go back to your residence hall and find all your peoples and mob out to dinner, where all the 2520s would scatter, leaving the entire cafeteria open for enjoyment. until they turned out the lights. Good times.
However, that said, I do understand the need for those NOT from Detroit to go to an HBCU. Nowhere else could you have such a diverse mix of… black folks. I moved to The A after college, and many friends went school in the AUC. Hell, I like the Westside of the A more than any other part for sheer volume of “I’m in my experimental phase since I JUST moved out of Heritage Hall aka “The Carter” and living on my own for the first time, so yeah… why don’t you stop by with that absinthe” type women.
Carry on.
@Dante_Alexander,
As a fellow Detroiter I feel the same way. I grew up around around different black folks or folks of different cultures period so I wasn’t pressed for that experience. The main reason I wanted to go to a HBCU was the parties and women although I did end up going to a PWI.
@Humble_One,
but going to an HBCU isn’t all about a “black experience”. there is a whole other type of “experience” one has at HBCUs that goes beyond just seeing, mingling, and living around black ppl.
i guess since you (and many other VSBers) have never had the HBCU experience, you’d never understand that it’s more than being at a school where the majority is colored and not 2520.
@Spelman Gem,
Well break it down then, Gemmie!
@Spelman Gem,
Here’s my problem I have with that argument: Can you explain what that other “Experience” is without relating it back to being around black people?
Someone once told me it was having the support system as a black student or some sheet. To which I brought up the “I’m still waiting on my refund check, three years later” example.
Sometimes HBCU attendees are WAY too defensive about these type of arguments, and I never really know why. Every rebuttal is always answered with “You didn’t go to one… so you just don’t GET it.”
Well sheet… if you can’t explain it, does that mean you get it? Or is it just an emotional response to attending?
Cuz I had that same emotional response when i lived in Atlanta and worked at the Elementary Schools right down the street from the AUC… it was in my pants. Who walks 4 blocks in Stilettos just to go to Popeyes? She does. At least she did. Now she’s in my car.
@Dante_Alexander, i think part of the defensiveness comes from having to defend HBCU’s against all of the reasons why folks say they wouldn’t go to one. you can see it on this post, from the diversity, to the quality of the education, etc.
i wouldnt hit you with the, “you wouldnt understand” argument though i think there is some truth in it. experience is the best teacher and having an entire system designed to promote a healthy esteem, awareness, and self-image isn’t something you can get from the chick in stilletos walking down Ashby (or Joseph Lowery as its now known). she might could give you some killer head though.
@Dante_Alexander,
i wasn’t tryna be vague on the “you wouldnt understand cuz you were never there” tip. i’m just tryna read thru all the comments and sprinkle my 2cent here and there.
but a few examples of the “experience”:
-job prep… professors and other administrators spent much time preparing us for the workforce. at SC and MC, you had to be SUITED UP depending on what classes you took or what frats/sororities/orgs you were in. we were not allowed to half step on the professionalism. it was hammered in us from day ONE of orientation.
-personal relationships with profs/staff/admin… while many black profs could be hard a*ses, i always felt the ppl who worked at my school cared about ME, the whole me. made sure i was in class (yes, i’ve had professors look thru out the science center for me becuz i wasn’t in class — come to find out he was lookin in the wrong damn class *smh*) , make sure i was getting all i needed out of my education. gave me the heads up on scholarships and fellowships and did whatever they could to make sure i got them (and i got PLENTY, remember, no loans!).
-bonding with my class mates… from the freshman dorm competitions to the freshman regional step shows, the various rituals and traditions i had at my school, i felt like i was at HOME. that’s not to say other PWIs dont have traditions or whatever, but i felt connected to the founders and the first graduating class of my beloved institution. it enriched my education and allowed me to bond with my classmates and appreciate other things in life besides grades and test scores.
these are just a few. i could go on but it’s not necessary. the experiences are unique to each HBCU and really, until you experience it for yourself, you cant really grasp the significance of it — esp if all you see in an HBCU is the “black” experience.
@Panama et al,
I’m hearing a whole lot of things that are valid arguments, and truthfully, most of them are the same reason 2520′s wanna go to Harvard and what not. I ain’t mad atcha.
I suppose really, the only reason I went to a PWI was because I’d never seen them (2520s, I mean) in action, and I wanted to get a better look at the world before I went out into it… That included being a minority in a place I wanted to get ahead, and having to actually seek out those both similar and not similar to me to make my own connections… I’m sure this goes on at HBCU’s as well, but I really wanted (needed, actually) to have that interaction with little recourse BEFORE I went out into the world, seeing as how I really didn’t like 2520′s at ALL before going to MSU…
Like, some of the same reasons you all have given for going and loving the HBCU experience are exactly the opposite reason I picked the shool I went to.
I got offered scholarships to both Howard and Morgan, but I just really didn’t wanna go there. What got me was I stepped off a bus in East Lansing, and a lil 2520 chick said “Hi” to me off rip. Then a 2520 dude said “Sup!” I’d never experienced NICE 2520′s before.
And Spelman Gem, I love all your examples, and I definitely see how that experience would be great in college. I guess I went to college to get the proverbial kick in the arse from a world that really doesn’t give a sheet about me, but that’s just me. I’m a glutton for punishment.
@Dante_Alexander,
please believe i do NOT knock your (or anyone’s) choice in school. whatever choice you made was what’s best for YOU. i know HBCUs aren’t for everybody, nor do i think ALL black ppl should WANT to go to an HBCU. you gotta go where you think you’ll be happy and where you can get the most out of what you’re looking for from a higher ed instit (be it academics, social networking, athletics, resources, etc).
i just can be very defensive about HBCUs becuz so often the reason NOT to go seems misguided or misinformed. i just want ppl to have a broader, more comprehensive view of HBCUs that they may not see looking from the outside in.
@Spelman Gem, to the points that you named….
can you not get all of those things at a pwi?
@Chasdizz,
no. not the way you get from an HBCU (i could be wrong… but i doubt it)
@Spelman Gem,
“i just want ppl to have a broader, more comprehensive view of HBCUs that they may not see looking from the outside in.”
i feel the same way about people and pwi’s.
and i think you can get the things you mentioned if you choose a small pwi….you can form personal relationships w/ profs, bond with classmates, learn about professionalism. i don’t think going to a hbcu is the ONLY way you can do that, but i do understand your points.
@Dante_Alexander, The top-tier HBCU’s seem to be sort of a cathartic place for alot of black kids who didn’t grow up around many black people.
@Scipio Africanus, for some folks it is. for me, most of the experience was a Black thing. it helped to promote this confidence and belief in myself as a Black person that i’m not sure i would have gotten elsewhere. plus it flys in teh face of a lot of stereotypes. i was in the midst of thousands of young Black people who were actually (mostly) about something. its not representative of America, but it did help me realize that it does exist and that there is hope for the future (on some cheeseball sh*t). i feel like i could have gotten my same education anywhere. but the other side of it, the life side, is something i dont think i could have gotten anywhere else.
and i’m from down south (and have lived in detroit). i’ve got plenty of the black experience before college.
@Scipio Africanus,
I got that and I was a little culture shocked by this myself. I grew up around mostly Black people, my father has a serious militant streak–so alot of those things I had already covered. I still wanted to be around a different kind of Black person and also contribute to the experience individually as well.
Many were just as ignorant (culturally) as some 2520′s I had encountered. I think the difference is they had a willingness to change as well as become informed.
Bond.
CAN I GET AN AGGIE PRIDE!!!! YES YES I HAIL FROM NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY. EVERYONE IN THE BORO STAND UP. AGGIE PRIDE!!!
just had to come rep my set!
As a PWI alumni, this one is so flawed … dearly.
First thing, you went to Morehouse. It’s one of the best HBCUs in existance. I think a few of these arguments fall apart if you were really talking about Texas Southern, Morgan State, or Norfolk State. The quality of education, choice of majors, and oppurtunities start to degrade with the quickness.
Lastly, fine women make for a lot worst education. Who’s trying to stay in the library all nite when there are 12 banging bodies for every one of me and me friends ready to get pizzled?
@Single Black Male,
i think you can say the same about some PWIs. Not all PWIs are created equal.
@N.I.A. naturally,
This is true. On my phone today so couldn’t go through everything.
Another problem with a lot of HBCU grads is they don’t know how to deal with our pale skin counterparts. I went to a black high school in a black county (PG, MD) … so goin to a PWI taught me a lot.
Like, did u know they don’t use washrags? They just put the soap straight on their skin, even when at home with the family?
Also, my PWI actually had more black folks than Howard or Morehouse … we calculated it.
@Single Black Male,
lol…yes, i did know that. Now, I will say that if you attend an HBCU and every summer you returned to PG county instead of having an internship at a gov’t office in DC, or participating in a summer program at Georgetown, then yes, you would probably have some difficulties working with 2520s after college.
However, I don’t know anyone who didn’t work with or interact with 2520s is some way, shape, or form while at Spelman, whether is was volunteering on Gore’s campaign in 2000, or having an internship at Jones Day.
@N.I.A. naturally,
please say it again, Spelman sis!!!
ppl act like you walk onto the campus of an HBCU and forget white ppl ever existed. i mean i saw very few pigmentally challenged folks for 4 yrs but i’ve ALWAYS been able to interact with “them” and many others.
my black college experience did NOT in any way shape or form hender my ability to function in society. i mean damn ppl — some of yall sound as ignorant as 2520s from middle America.
“i mean damn ppl — some of yall sound as ignorant as 2520s from middle America.”
LOL…this is what I’m talmbout…this is why I can’t stand (but am secretly intrigued by) this debate. It gets serious by all parties! When that “ignorant” (even if thought it’s an unwarranted stigmatized word…consider the basic definition of it…) word gets thrown around, folks are gonna get hella mad and hella serious. I’ve seen it. I think there is a lot of extreme defensiveness going on.
But yeah, I do agree that the “HBCUs hinder you ability to function in the real world” is a silly argument. That’s not possibly true. I think college IN GENERAL is kind of a cocoon in terms of the “real world”. College does seem like a different world (from where you come from!). But it prepares you for the real world, not the opposite.
@Cheekie,
you’re right. it does get serious and defensive when ppl throw out blatantly wrong and uninformed facts. it’s one thing to have your own personal opinion and view of an institution, black or otherwise, but it’s another to make accusations that are just false.
it’s like the healthcare debate — nothing more annoying then to see ppl spew ignorant mess. like if you not down with the reform then cool, but at least make your decision based on truths and not what you make up in your head.
of course my use of YOU/YOUR is in the global sense.
@Gem,
“you’re right. it does get serious and defensive when ppl throw out blatantly wrong and uninformed facts. it’s one thing to have your own personal opinion and view of an institution, black or otherwise, but it’s another to make accusations that are just false.
it’s like the healthcare debate — nothing more annoying then to see ppl spew ignorant mess. like if you not down with the reform then cool, but at least make your decision based on truths and not what you make up in your head.
of course my use of YOU/YOUR is in the global sense.”
*high five to your whole comment*
That’s what I’m talmbout!
@Cheekie,
you know i love you boo!! i’m not tryna come at your neck. i just want you to know my love and conceit for Spelman in no way down plays anyone else’s college experience. i mean when i say Spelman is the best,
i mean it it’s just something to say to show love
@Spelman Gem,
“you know i love you boo!! i’m not tryna come at your neck. i just want you to know my love and conceit for Spelman in no way down plays anyone else’s college experience. i mean when i say Spelman is the best, i mean it it’s just something to say to show love ”
Girl, I know! There was never any doubt!
We debate because we love.
@Single Black Male,
you WERE joking about those wash towels weren’t you? I mean, my roomie at Stanford used loofah sponge and a wash towel…then again she was half-Mexican, so maybe she doesn’t count. I just assumed you were trying to be funny….
@N.I.A. naturally, I went to a summer camp in Central Pennsylvania from the age of 10 to 15. My cousin and I would be the only spookanyos in the one big shower room, and we were also the only ones using washcloths.
@N.I.A. naturally,
that’s interesting, b/c I remember seeing girls of all races and ethnicities go to the showers with wash cloths….hmmm. I wonder if its regional, or is just different from household to household?
@Scipio,
WHAT?! Public hairs all in the bar soap? My white roomie used her washcloth…I think. At least on her face she did.
@ Me fail english?, the runaway slave ,
right…Ugh!
@N.I.A. naturally,
“you WERE joking about those wash towels weren’t you? ”
A lot of that is true! lol There are a lot of 2520s that just do the lather-in-hand, wash with hand, dry with dry towel (some used a *gasp* PAPER TOWEL provided by the communal bathroom). No wash cloth to be seen. I was lookin’ around like, “WHO ARE YOU CREATURES?”
@N.I.A. naturally,
i’ve also noticed the wash cloth thing.
and i noticed the curly hair on the soap.
gross.
@Single Black Male, Douglass, Largo, or Suitland?
@Single Black Male,
To your last point, I agree! How is fine women gonna HELP keep you focused?
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, who wants to look dumb to the fine girl? you want to look smart so she’ll show you her “smarts”.
@Single Black Male, i’ll grant you that going to morehouse might provide a skewed perception of HBCU’s…however, it’s not off on all accounts either. There are benefits to both. And why you people don’t think we have to deal with white people is beyond me. WE STILL LIVE IN AMERICA. you think we go to work for BET after we graduate??!?!? lol.
they still give us jobs and take them away from us.
also, fine women can prove to either be a distraction or a motivator. for me, motivation. i do not want to look dumb to the banging sister in the class. so i got on my A-game.
@Panama Jackson,
And why you people don’t think we have to deal with white people is beyond me. WE STILL LIVE IN AMERICA. you think we go to work for BET after we graduate??!?!? lol.
Thank you. I attended a HS that was about 50/40/10 in favor of black people. Yet, all of my honor and AP classes were 90% white students, teachers overall 90%white. I got first hand experience of seeing teachers cut that 2520 chick a break for missing class and missing a test, while giving me a zero on the test b/c she didn’t like my excuse for missing class. My younger sister (who just graduated from HU) was forced to wait until the day before HS graduation before they announced her as Valedictiorian b/c “they” were trying to fix the numbers to see if the 2520 salutatorian could possibly catch up and at least tie my sister. thankfully, they didn’t have enough time to manipulate the numbers in the 2520s favor. Trust, 4 years of stuff like that, plus the ocassional teacher who wanted all of her students to succeed not just the 2520s, and that one white teacher who encouraged me to go to Spelman, I think I know how to deal with 2520s.
Howard U in the building
I’m gonna go ahead and agree with Panama. Not just b/c of the SpelHouse love, but b/c he is right…
WhooHoo!!!
But seriously, I have experienced both PWI and HBCU while in undergrad. I had the opportunity to spend a year at Stanford University, and the only thing I really got out of it was lots of sponsored underage drinking on campus. And the black folks seemed to be very monolithic, so much so, I didn’t hang around a lot of black students at Stanford. And the truth is, the education I received there does not top the education I received at Spelman.
I also have to agree with PJ’s assertion that being Black in America (no CNN) means we already know how to deal with white folks. You can’t leave your house without having to deal with other races and ethnicities. So, the idea that somehow going to a PWI makes you better capable to deal with different kinds of people is an incredibly faulty assumption.
@N.I.A. naturally,
and Stanford was a little short on fine black men. Seriously, some fine VSBs attend(ed) Morehouse. Fine and seriously smart. it’s really a beautiful thing to behold a large group of black men who aren’t in college just to play basketball or football, and trying to make it to the NBA or NFL. NTTAWWT
@N.I.A. naturally,
“You can’t leave your house without having to deal with other races and ethnicities.”
I gotta disagree here. I dont think that HBCU alums are any worse equipped to deal with white folks or corporate america on average, but personally, I learned ALOT more than I would have if I went to school with little to no 2520s. Having grown up in the hood I really didnt have to deal with white people. There were some Koreans at the nail shop and beauty supply store, but for the most part my world was black and brown. Not to mention WASPs have very different cultural tones/mores/etiquette than the Italians and Irish (my onluy exposure to white folks as a kid, and they had the nerve to be more ghetto than me! hmph!) I was used to.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
You just reiterated what she said using different words….you still had some experience with other races where you lived, and that was her point (I think)
@Smiley Face,
Not at all.
I quoted her saying basically, that by virtue of you living in America, we all pretty much were exposed to and learned to interact with white folks.
I’m saying, I grew up in one of the most diverse parts of the US (NYC) and had VERY limited interaction with people of the lighter persuasion. So Im grateful for my PWI experience exposing me to smthg I may have otherwise not have seen until it was time to job hunt.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, well i’m from down Souf. we deal with white folks down there. unless you’re in the black belt. and i wasn’t.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, “I’m saying, I grew up in one of the most diverse parts of the US (NYC) and had VERY limited interaction with people of the lighter persuasion. ”
This is true . . . I was a “bus kid” until high school in NYC and this is the only reason I interacted with 2520 folks. Even my high school, which was one of the best in NYC, had very few whtie folks in it . . . so you leave a school like mine and go to an HBCU . .. go back to the hood for summer vacation and you barely see any white folks. Going to a VERY small PWI in upstate NY (not really upstate but whatever) . . . you actually got to interact with these folks who you would have never talked to otherwise. . . in my experience anyway . .
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
“(my onluy exposure to white folks as a kid, and they had the nerve to be more ghetto than me! hmph!) ”
LOL! The nerve of them! Who do they think they ARE?
@Cheekie,
Word! Struggling and tryna make a way like they isht dont stank! Grrrr
@N.I.A. naturally,
“So, the idea that somehow going to a PWI makes you better capable to deal with different kinds of people is an incredibly faulty assumption.”
Equally, the idea that an HBCU makes you better capable to encounter (more) gigantic amounts of Black folks.
Thing is, no college experience is the same. You can’t sit all the way over there and tell me what I’m doing all the way over here*. One has no idea what one person experienced in terms of diversity at a PWI and vice versa.
Overall, I seriously thing this “higher institution war” is just another way to separate us when we should be doing the opposite. Why is this such a high contention among us??
*Just like Sarah Palin can’t see Russia from her crib
@Cheekie,
Equally, the idea that an HBCU makes you better capable to encounter (more) gigantic amounts of Black folks.
do HBCU alums say that? like really, do we say, “i used to only be able to deal with the black people in my family, but now, thanks to an HBCU education, I can deal with 1000′s of black people at one time.” no, i don’t think you hear that as often as you hear, or even read in the comments today about the ability to better deal with 2520s and other races b/c of the PWI education.
Though, I agree with your overall premise that we use these little things to separate us…just like class, BGLO, neighborhoods, skin color, etc. Granted, I do have some experiences with PWIs, both in undergrad and law school, but you are correct in saying that I don’t know your individual experience anymore than you know my individual experience.
@N.I.A. naturally,
“do HBCU alums say that? like really, do we say, “i used to only be able to deal with the black people in my family, but now, thanks to an HBCU education, I can deal with 1000’s of black people at one time.” ”
I said “encounter”. Not “deal with”. It’s the number one on Panama’s list. I probably worded it weirdly, but I was just disagreeing that you could possibly know more Blacks based on going to an HBCU by default. False.
@Cheekie,
ohok…b/c my comment didn’t actually mention anything about knowing or “encountering” more black people, but actually dealt with the faulty idea of POCs at PWIs are better able to deal with 2520s than HBCU students. but, i see what you’re saying….
@Cheekie, f*ck yo couch!
i stand by my assertion. and i’m sexxy.
@N.I.A., Yeah, my bad (I can see how you took it that way), I didn’t mean it to be a direct response to something you said, but just offering there are misconceptions on both sides. And since you agreed with Panama’s list, I put that particular thing as an example.
@Panama, stand by your assertion…on a bed of thumbtacks. lol
@Cheekie,
lol dang cheekie you sound real serious. this is supposed to be FUN*. lighten up ppl!!
*disclaimer: obviously ppl have gross misconceptions of the hbcu experience and a lot of that is coming to light in today’s topic. me saying my Spelman education is better than yours
becuz it actually ISis just something we HBCU kids are taught — it’s part of the agreement we sign to obtain our degrees@Spelman Gem,
“lol dang cheekie you sound real serious. this is supposed to be FUN*. lighten up ppl!!”
Naw, I not that serious, I even threw a Palin joke in there, it’s my style. But seriously speaking, this crazy “war” IS serious. I see some tenseness here that was here way before I got here and it’s STUPID. Why the need for contention based on what higher institution you went to? It’s so silly and unecessary.
@Cheekie,
i don’t think there is any real contention. people are proud of their institutions, and they are shouting it from the rooftops. It was much more contentious on the other blog, partially b/c of some of the ridiculous things being said by people who don’t know. I had to hold my tongue that day, b/c there were a lot of things I wanted to say….
@Cheekie, why make peace. make war!!!!!!
@N.I.A. naturally,
Yeah, it hasn’t gotten AS heated yet, but I see the same arguments being debated and some of the same tenseness. It’s valid of course (the tenseness, because assumptions make folks agitated…including me), but I’m just saying, this is a serious debate. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have hundreds of comments and discussions about it.
@Panama, war can be fun too. If the male soldiers are shirtless…
@Cheekie,
say YESSSSS to shirtless soldiers!!!!
Okay so disclosure. I went to Morehouse, made it out in 4.
While at Morehouse I had a chance to interact with people from HBCU’s I’m sure none of you ever heard unless you fit one of these three conditions: 1)you lived near/grew up around the school, 2) you were a nerd who insisted on knowing every single HBCU, their president, and at least 100 years of it history (plus the tacky 90′s hoodie), or 3) you were on the Honda Campus All Star Team too (in which case, I’m not sorry we beat you). Anyway, I feel compelled to say that while I agree with the four main points, unless you went to one of the “elite 8″ HBCU’s, the HBCU’s that educated white folks have heard of, you are at an extreme disadvantage.
Follow me for a second. See unlike those smaller white schools like Elon College, Bard, Bates, and Swarthmore who are renowned for being “quiant” and earn you points, if no one has heard of your HBCU you might as well have gone to a junior college in the eyes of some “wealthy landowner types”. As a matter of fact, I’ll go a step further and say that the schools (including my beloved alma mater, don’t nobody better not say nothing bad about Miss Jenkins, or Morehouse College) you all (not me) refer to as the “Black Ivy League” are probably actually held in similar esteem as those colleges I mentioned above.
You have to work twice as hard as someone from UCLA, William and Mary, Georgetown, or The Ohio State University to get the same spot because essentially you are trying to make a name for yourself. These are the dangers inherent in going to a lesser named (but no less quality to those in the know) HBCU.
If you want to get to the heart of the matter, ask a Morehouse, Spelman, Howard, Hampton, CAU, or Xavier grad if they would prefer their offspring to attend (and I’m only throwing this college out because it was the first to cross my mind…if you went to this school don’t be more offended than you probably already were) Elizabeth City State University versus UNC-Wilmington if those were their first two choices.
All HBCU’s aren’t created equal.
So there’s the 2 ton elephant in the room (shout out to Tony Soprano).
@The Killa Cal (verified),
good points, my brotha. *e-spelhouse hug*
@The Killa Cal (verified), yeah, i mean, you are right. and thats the same sentiment Single Black Male was bringing up.
clearly i’m overstating. but what’s a good argument without gross generalizations and stereotypes. far be it from me to let simple things like facts get in the way of a good argument.
@The Killa Cal (verified), You said it. Nicely. And for the record, I would support my child going to any school she wished, including Alma Mater. I would also support her excelling at her chosen school.
I agree the debate’s tone is getting tense for the wrong reasons. Don’t we all have pride in our schools?
I went to and I currently attend a PWI. The only reason I wanted to go to a HBCU was for the parties and women. My ex went to Central State and she always talked about the experience she had there like it’s none other. I think it may be one of those things that you would have to be there to understand. The biggest advantage I saw was her knowing more black folks with degrees and professional jobs. But other than that I really don’t feel I missed out on some grand experience. I must say I commend a lot of you for going to college straight out of high school and doing the 4 years straight. I had one foot in school and the other in the streets.
Hey all – longtime reader, first-time commenter here …
I went to an Ivy, and like some of the folks above me, I just can’t co-sign the premise of this post.
To start with, do you really know more black people than I do if you went to an HBCU? Like really, really? I’m pretty sure no one knows every single person at their school. HBCU and PWI students who are involved in their school’s Black community probably each have roughly the same number substantive Black contacts – i.e. actual friends, acquaintances, potential business partners. Those meaningful connections are what really make a difference out in the world – because if you went to school with 3,000 black folks and I went to school with 600, and each of us still have about 50 – 100 that we could actually call on for something because we really KNOW them (not just in passing), we’re pretty much in the same boat.
As for the responsibility bit, well … might there be better (or at least OTHER) ways of learning responsibility than by watching your administrators be irresponsible and jeopardize your education in the process?
On diversity – HBCUs are absolutely diverse in terms of class, ethnicity, political ideology, and lots of other ways. But to say they’re more diverse than PWIs? That’s a stretch. At a PWI you still encounter people of different classes, ethnicities, politics, and so on, PLUS you’re exposed to a bunch of different races. And yup, I’m aware that HBCUs have a few white, Asian, and Latino students. So at most, HBCUs are *equally* as diverse as PWIs, but definitely not more.
That’s my two cents. I definitely think HBCUs are valuable parts of the American educational landscape – I’ve got a some very successful and VERY proud Hampton grads in my family, in fact
But saying HBCUs are inherently better than PWIs is overstating the case for sure.
@escapefromny, cosign, and welcome to de-lurking land!
@escapefromny,
“To start with, do you really know more black people than I do if you went to an HBCU? Like really, really? I’m pretty sure no one knows every single person at their school.’
Yeah, I had to raise my eyebrow at that as well. Even at PWIs (such as mine) there are a TON of Black folks and when I went there I realized the world was much smaller than I thought (a lot of my high school alumni went there too). Thing is, no matter the school, there are gonna be certain cliques that you’ll never fit in regardless of the (shared) race. Which means there would be certain groups of people that you will never come to truly “know”…not enough that it’ll benefit you.
@Cheekie,
Good point. I forget that there are plenty of PWIs like Drexel or Temple that were way more my speed (socially). I think if I would have went to one of those schools I would have as many black friends as an HBCU alum.
@escapefromny, I dig ur post and no, HBCU’s dont tend to be as racially diverse as PWI/Ivy league schools; but I think you would be hard pressed to look at the black folk at any given HBCU as monolithic if anything you can appreciate just how diverse people can be in mentality and upbringing coming from the same 20-30 mile radius of DC or BX borough etc…
So I think when ppl argue “HBCU’s are better” that is oversimplification for sure on their part. I think what they mean or are trying to say is that if learning how to make much out of little is important or if learning to appreciate the beauty and ignorance of black people is important to you there are few places like the four or more years you will spend at an HBCU.
I have advance degrees in science and law and I can say no one in law school could mess with the HBCU kids on moot court and no one could mess with HBCU kids in the lab when the protocol was not working exactly as stated. HBCU grads just get better equipped in these respects. At the same time those same HBCU kids were really behind in some of the classes and really struggled b/c they were not exposed to the depth of some subjects like the other students. So in that respect their education was found wanting.
@Blacklaw,
At the same time those same HBCU kids were really behind in some of the classes and really struggled b/c they were not exposed to the depth of some subjects like the other students. So in that respect their education was found wanting.
that’s interesting. becuz i felt this same way when i came to my current PWI — found myself to be better equipped and have a greater grasp on the subject material than my PWI-educated counterparts. in fact, they looked at me like i had 2 penises (*side eyeing my etwin OVERIT for showing me that daggone article) becuz i was sitting back sleeping thru class yet acing exams while they were strugglin to figure out how to keep up.
my education in NO way, and i literally mean NO way, has held me back or caused me to feel inferior to any other student who went to big-named, top ranked PWIs.
@Spelman Gem,
Represent! Please explain–didn’t we all have individual experiences as well as collective ones in school?
@escapefromny,
I couldn’t have said it better. As a very proud graduate of THE Ohio State University, this debate has really grown old with me. And knowing more black people than people that attend PWI’s? Nahhhh. At OSU there were about $60,000 students. Roughly 10% minority. The “small” number of blacks on my campus was larger than the entire enrollment at most HBCUs.
And “real responsibility”…..imagine being at an institution where you are moreso a number, and you have to prove to yourself and others that you are worthy of being there, and not just an affirmative action recipient. That’s enough pressure to make you succeed. I will say that HBCUs probably have more of a support system. That’s easy to do tho because everyone looks like you.
And being Black does not automatically mean you know how to deal with white people. Some Blacks from HBCUs seriously experience cultural shock when they begin working in a predominately white field. It’s sad actually.
To be clear I’m not knocking HBCUs at all. I have plenty of successful, smart friends that graduated from them. And I was almost a bison (sent in the housing deposit and everything). But I just don’t see why there is a need for debate. The two types of institutions can coexist peacefully. What’s good for someone can be great for another.
@Jennifer,
I may attend Hampton but I hail from the best city in Ohio…. Cleveland so i must say….
Go Bucks
# 9 … Duron Carter is a beast
and O-H
@The_Eighth_Hokage,
I-O!! I went to OSU for law school.
@escapefromny, Those meaningful connections are what really make a difference out in the world – because if you went to school with 3,000 black folks and I went to school with 600, and each of us still have about 50 – 100 that we could actually call on for something because we really KNOW them (not just in passing), we’re pretty much in the same boat.
um…in case you didnt know, i’m kind of a big deal. and i do know that many people. ask Liz.
no really, ask her.
and then ask about me.
btw, this comment was sponsored by morehouse college.
I went to an HBCU, Bethune-Cookman College(now University) and I can tell you the experience by far groomed me for life, let me reiterate, FOR LIFE. I think you get one of the realest experiences at an HBCU, in terms of what life will throw you, the ups and the downs. I majored in Computer Information Systems, and compared with people in my industry from PWI, I make the same if not more, my institution of higher learning never held me back in terms of earning potential. I’ve never been turned down for a job, looked down upon, or made to feel less than because I attended an HBCU. As a matter of fact the I know plenty of people from HBCU’s that do great in life. I don’t knock anyone’s choice to attend an HBCU, over PWI, but I know for a fact I was groomed in a way that is only shared with others who have attended an HBCU. Was it ghetto at times? Of course! Was it dangerous at times? Of course! Was it heartbreaking at times? Absolutely! Every single moment was worth it, because I walked across that stage with such pride, and a sense of accomplishment. I earned every single letter that is imprinted on my degree. My education is just as good as my counterparts, I’ve never felt inferior, I can talk to people of all races, economic status and background. An HBCU might not be for you, but it truly is an experience unlike any other. I will forever support HBCU’s
@sunyblack, that was well posted biggup
@sunyblack,
“but I know for a fact I was groomed in a way that is only shared with others who have attended an HBCU. ”
You guys keep alluding to this uniquely HBCU training and now Im curious. Can yall spill the beans or is this a “keep the dummies in suspense” type thing?
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
Co-sign. I’m sincerely interested. Groomed how?
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave, the game is to be sold, not to be told.
@Panama Jackson,
In other words, you can’t explain it either. lol
For serious, I wanna know…if the grooming is successful you should be able to explain said benefits and grooming. Folks make speeches about their accomplishments and how they got there all the time. I’m nosy and interested!
@Cheekie,
They used slide rules in Differential Equations.
@Panama Jackson,
Pimps up, hoes down
*shrugs*
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
Maybe HBCUs have their own version of “Skulls & Bones”. It’s called “Chicken & Kicks”.
@sunyblack,
well said my HBCU-educated sista!!!! loves it
HBCU! Damn that concept sounds so beautiful to me. The only good universities we have out ere are Oxford, Cambridge and The university of London institutes…
If i had the opportunity to go to a HBCU even for just a year, I’d jump on it. wow!
I’m going to fantasize for a while.
x
@Dope Fiend,
if you are the dream follower type, make sure you apply to an HBCU who won’t lose your papers (this may include Morehouse/Spelman and it may not). It’d suck to cross an ocean and find out you got shafted because the registrar took a long lunch and left the dean of admissions incompetent son in charge of the mail.
#justsaying
@The Killa Cal (verified),
“t’d suck to cross an ocean and find out you got shafted because the registrar took a long lunch and left the dean of admissions incompetent son in charge of the mail.”
loooooooooooooolll, i know this didn’t happen to you….tell me this no happen. lol foolishnessss.
@Dope Fiend,
gladly, no. however I have heard of similar things occuring (substitute Carribean Sea for Atlantic Ocean).
Oh and for you geography nazi types, I know that the Carribean is in the Atlantic! I went to Morehouse afterall!
My 2 pennies….
I think how you feel about your college and what you got out of it is almost entirely on you the individual. If you are one of those people who either grew up in white neighborhoods and looked for a blacker experience or just tend to feel comfortable around black people or didn’t kill the SATs or have the grades or the money you might have felt an HBCU was more your thing.
Conversely, if you are insecure with how you will be perceived by people as inadequately “trained,” or you were taught white folks ice is colder than our ice, or you felt that it was important to have up-to-date equipment and a myriad of resources at your disposal, you might have really enjoyed the PWI experience.
But when it really comes down to it, certain ppl were just going to have a better HBCU experience from the time they walked in the door, because of their personalities, environment they were reared/or feel comfortable in etc….
As fa as education and “challenge” go, if you want A’s and B’s they come as easy at HBCU’s as they do at the IVY’s (I went to both) whether due to low intellectual demand or grade inflation, if you want to be the baddest nooka on a subject you still got to put the time in. And if you are need of white folk and black folk approval because of some institution you went to you need to recognize how shallow and pointless it is trying to be the most educated person in the room. When I see you at the work place all I want to know is are you capable of analytical, reasoned thought. I dont care where you learned it or how many Asians were next to you when you learned it.
@Blacklaw,
Co-sign
@Blacklaw,
I stand with you in solidarity *gives pound*!!
I’m sorta scared. Last time there was a discussion about PWIs and HBCUs, ThreeWaysToTakeIt almost imploded.
For those of you playing at home. Scared = whipping out the popcorn. I’m always intrigued by these discussions. FYI, I went to a PWI (and I just rhymed, a skill that is natural for Black folks and Dr. Seuss). I’ve always been intrigued by HBCUs, but um, that wasn’t my path (read: I ain’t have enough money for that ish). *shrug*
Honestly, I don’t know why there is such a war between the two schools. I mean, I know why, but I don’t know why. Bottom line is, not everyone can go to either one. They’re there so there’s enough room for us ninjas to go to school all at once. There’s not ONE venue to gain sufficient diversity, responsibility, network connects, education or anything of the like. Experience is yours and yours alone. Never regret it. There are no coincidences and everything you’ve experienced shaped you into who you are today.
That is my uplifting message of the day. Now excuse me while I go soar on the reading rainbow or something…
@Cheekie, there’s a war b/c as black people we love to stay divided. and since im the arsonist i cant just come out and say, school was different…how?
no, i have to light a fire and say that my education was better than yours.
i mean, duh. LOL.
for me really, i just needed a reason to shoutout morehouse and spelman on a friday. this worked.
@Panama Jackson,
Gotcha! lol
“…I learned to keep EVERY piece of paper I received with official letterhead on it. I still have a note from a professor that says “hi” on it just in case she tries to say she never said “hi” to me. If that isn’t responsibility, I don’t know what is…”
You ain’t NEVER lied on that one. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to dig up papers that proved my financial stability at college due to some “administrator” typing my stuff in wrong…AS I SAT THERE AND SPELLED IT OUT AS THEY TYPED!!!
As a fellow HBCU’er (Tennessee State) that lesson still sticks to me today. I am running out of file cabinet space at the crib as a result. But I gaurantee you I won’t get the short end of the stick due to your incompetence!
@Brotha Tech, yaymen brotha. yaymen.
I always thought I wanted to go to an hbcu. My #1 choice was tuskegee b/c I thought I wanted to be a vet. I actually got a full ride to attend but when the opportunity arised I opted out and attend a major state school instead b/c they too offered me a scholarship and I thought they may be able to open more doors that tuskegee could. Best choice I ever made! I had wonderful advisors (both white n black) that equally pushed me and never told me I couldn’t do something. Was offered postions at top pharmaceutical companies each summer. Problems with administration? Minimal and resolved quickly and with smiles. Although the black population left something to be desired we still made the best of it and had what I consider to be some of the best yrs of my life thus far.
Fast forward a several years. I decided to go to medical school. Since I always wondered how my life would have been if I had gone to an hbcu I decided to accept enrollement at an hbcu med school. Quite possibly one of the worse decisions I’ve ever made. Don’t get me wrong, my class is comprised of people I would consider to be my family. That’s something the school prides itself with. However, my happiness ends there, along with the great mentors I have nationwide. However, I’m pretty sure I could still have those same mentors if I attended other school b/c they reach out at those too. Administration and faculty are a joke. They do not have students’ success as a priority. Most thing I learned I had to read in a book or attend courses outside of my school. If it wasn’t for my classmates and our support group I probably would have left after first semester/yr. Also, I also thought attending an HBCU meant merging of cultures however, its super segragated between cultures. Africans, caribbean students, african americans and everone else pretty much keep to their own groups.
Not to say I’d tell everyone to run from hbcus b/c despite what I’m going through I still think they’re great institutions. However, when I say where I went to undergrad people look impressed and no explantations are needed. Where I say where I attend medical school I either find myself defending my school and always giving a PSA for it. If I could do it all again I would have attended an hbcu for undergrad and a pwi for professional school.
@gem_n_i, “its super segragated between cultures. Africans, caribbean students, african americans and everone else pretty much keep to their own groups.”
I think this segregation happens everywhere, HBCU or not. In general, I think this is a problem with the Black community as a whole, not limited to any type of university.
@Liz, not in miiiiinnnne.
Us British kids love to mix…
@Liz,
You can just ride down the streets in DC to see that, lol!
@Liz, “I think this segregation happens everywhere, HBCU or not. In general, I think this is a problem with the Black community as a whole, not limited to any type of university.”
I’m always surprised when I hear about Black people segregating along ethnic lines at colleges, because it was so much the opposite of what I had at my alma mater. Along ethnic and even class lines, black students were very, very integrated with one another. And it’s not like we all became homogenous or anything, people still retained their distinctive flavors. But it wasn’t unusual at all to see housing groups with a representative low-income person, then a Jack & Jiller, a Black American, a Caribbean person, a second-generation Nigerian or two, and maybe even someone biracial.
LOL, maybe since we were in the midst of a sea of white humanity, we figured we should all stick together.
Seriously though, I do wonder what makes such Black segregation happen in some places and not others.
@escapefromny, I was just as surprised as you. The high school I attended was diverse I never really saw a division in cultural lines amongst the black students, we were all combined. I saw more divisions when it came to socioeconomic status but those lines were still blurred. So I always imagined attending an HBCU to be the same. When I attended a PWI for undergrad I started to see the divisions for the first time but they didn’t become crystal clear divisions until my arrival at an HBCU. Doesn’t bother me too much though because I’ve always been one to ignore the lines and do as I please:)
@escapefromny, i don’t think it was clear segregation at my school, but there was definitely an obvious difference and at times a lack of unity. it might just be misunderstanding or general ignorance, but i don’t think black people everywhare live in perfect racial harmony amongst each other, esp when it comes to africans, blacks, caribbeans, etc.
@gem_n_i,
I can relate to your struggles about med school. Having done the HBCU double dip in that regard, I can say that my Morehouse experience was more satisfying than my med school adventure, though I had similar brightspots to the ones you mentioned.
Then again, HBCU med school gave me a shot and has done things I KNOW PWI wouldn’t have done. So all in all, I guess I made the right decision.
I’m “that guy” though (and not the GOOD “that guy” but the bad one that they always use in examples of what not to do).
@The Killa Cal (verified),
oh mah goodness reading “med school” brought me day-mares about my med school interview at Howard. ugh. i called my dad immediately after i walked out of my one and ONLY faculty interview and was like “daddy your school sucks”
Everyone should really read this post about my experience at an HBCU : Value of Education from an HBCU: Priceless…. And yes PJ, F*CK Harvard….
I went to an outstanding academic and racially diverse high school, and I can honestly say going to a HBCU for me was a step back!!!!!
I went to a HBCU for a year, my freshman year, and it was an utter mess. Let me say that I chose to go to this HBCU over a PWI because I wanted to the “HBCU experience” and I got such an experience. I think I should say that all HBCUs apparently aren’t created equal because the folks that I know that went to Spelman, Howard, Hampton, Morehouse, CAU, all speak highly of their schools. But, the HBCU that I went to was an utter mess. This school put me in a remedial math class that I didn’t belong in, registration was a two day affair, and I was even told by a professor that I didn’t “have a head for math!” I literally had to be pulled away b/c I was about to steal on this old fool; I was literally shaking!! The worst part about the HBCU that I went to was the grade inflation. If you don’t graduate from this school, it is because you don’t want to. In many classes that I was enrolled in no one received less than a “C.” Now, if a “C” is the lowest grade you give, fine, but many came to every class or damn near every class, participated, sat in the front, and those students should all receive “A’s” if someone that has done nothing receives a “C.”
When I transferred from this HBCU, my GPA was a 2.8 and to this day I don’t understand how that happened. My first semester at a large state PWI, I was on the Dean’s List and I haven’t regretted my decision to leave that HBCU one bit!
Also, at my PWI, I met and still talk to some of my undergrad and grad school professors. Some of these professors are White but most are Black.
The only thing I feel that I missed out on graduating from a PWI are some of the connections that some folks that I know have from going to Hampton, Howard, Morehouse, or Spelman. Other than that, I don’t regret my decision one bit to leave a HBCU.
As far as HBCUs giving one confidence, maturity, and/or fortitude, I have my doubts about that. I just do for struggle is oftentimes overrated. I can say for myself that I received confidence, maturity, and/or fortitude from my home and my peer group. Yeah, I dealt with some racism at my PWI, but I will check a cracker and have done so. I will say that it was more hurtful being insulted by a Black professor at a HBCU than any racism I experienced from Whites at my PWI. Furthermore, I feel that Black folks have to have a sense of ownership no matter what the institution of higher learning is that they attend. Historically, my ancestors had to pay taxes to support the PWI that I graduated from and they couldn’t attend this school. Therefore, I feel that I have more ownership in my PWI than any White person could ever have. And, my sense of ownership in my PWI, I feel, spilled over causing me to be very confident in how I handled myself at my alma mater.
Hmmm…no comment. It’s still too early to hate.
@miss patterson,
It’s never to early.
*sniggling*
C’mon with it…
@miss t-lee,
Hate, Hate, Hate Onnnnn….
lol
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
*sniggling extra hard*
@miss t-lee,
Hate is like 7/11. Open 24 hrs. And it serves day-old hot dogs.
@ Cheekie
Yep. With the congealed chili and cheese.
Yum.
@miss patterson, buh-ring it.
I went to a PWI. I grew up in PG county, and for those of you who are not familiar with the DMV it is the mecca of chocolate boughettoness. Shout out to the Suitland H.S. visual and performing arts program – the school was like a mix of Fame and Lean on Me. Tough yet artsy. Gun shots, gang stabbings and Porgy and Bess. Basically, my whole life has been historically Black.
I went to college to study opera and creative writing, got accepted to NYU and Oberlin, and ended up as a double degree student at a private college that had a conservatory and a liberal arts college (Oberlin). Loved it, and loved to leave as well. The school isn’t very well known, but those who do know about it hold it in pretty high regard. The school was less than 10% black, which meant that the Black community was pretty tight. I probably wouldn’t have joined my sorority had I been at a bigger school – I’m more “militant” than social, but Greek life at my college was totally different than what I heard about at larger schools and HBCUs. I also stepped way outside of my comfort zone – played rugby team (with my sorors cheering me on from the sideline), escorted at a women’s clinic and basically found out what was important enough to protest about. Because Oberlin students love a protest.
To the other items you mention: PWI’s can mess your money up too, so you learn how to deal. I’ll give it to you on the fineness factor, but I think that’s more a numbers advantage. And I still know more black people than you. School is what you make it – the name can give you a boost, but if you’re resting on the institutions reputation you won’t get ahead. Unless your last name is Bush.
I’mma throw a Co-sign at escapefromny *waves*
and take my Ivy League Alumna ass on up out of this party.
Have fun guys and don’t drink too much.
Happy Friday!
Even though I went to a PWI, I ride for HBCU’s. My parents and grandparenst and aunts and uncles all went to them, so I grew up intimately knowing about and visitng them. I almost went to Morehouse, but I really wanted to be in the Boston area, so that’s where I went.
I always scoff at people who say you need to go to school around 2520′s in order to learn how to deal with them. Please. I barely dealt with any white people at my white-assed school. My whole world was black with a few Puerto Ricans and Domicans in the mix for added sazon flavor.
It’s been awhile since I commented (though I read daily), but I just had to weigh in as I am a proud HBCU alum. I wholly support this entire argument particularly #2. Since my first semester where they dropped all my classes though my tuition was paid the week before, I kept a folder with every document that I believed would serve as evidence. My HBCU didn’t want to give me my honors ropes for graduation b/c they gave me a F for a class I wasn’t even taking! I had to go to the Chancellor’s and show him my class schedule for every semester. I got my friggin’ ropes, though.
Outside of that one hiccup, my undergrad at an HBCU trumps my post-grad at a PWI.
And I do thank you for the compliment in #4.
@Reina, my pleasure…
HBCU’s are the best!
We showed the world what a REAL HOMECOMING looks like.
We have the best on-campus fights!
We are survivors, getting by in four-eight years of college, with cup-O-noodles for dinner!
Our gospel choirs will make you feel like you have just attended a Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, and Yolanda Adams megafest!
And if your HBCU is small enough the dean of discipline will call home to your parents and tell on you, when you get out of line!
Having gone to two HBCU’s I have to say it was the most rewarding experience of my life.
@Mmeditorinchief,
“We have the best on-campus fights!”
LMAO. What the hell?! Yall can have that!
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
I mean your average HBCU didnt offer pay-per-view, so if you are an avid boxing fan, you have to get your fix somewhere. That somewhere just happened to be on Campus. And they were better than most professional fights!
@Mmeditorinchief,
Girl, Im frontinh like a mf’er. I would LOVE to see some good fights go down on my campus. Most of ours were from drunken frat boys, too sloshed to form a fist. Wackness!
@Mmeditorinchief, you are so right. we had an all out BRAWL my freshman year between dorms AND THEN i (believe itw as freshman year) a brawl between the Texas cats and the Cali cats. lol.
i miss college.
@Panama Jackson,
Well the best all out brawl that I saw was when I attended Claflin in Orangeburg SC. There were these two humongous Country sistah’s who stayed across the hall from me that got into it. Now mind you back in those days they were cramming 3-4 people in a two person room. So they got to fighting over closet space. That was the best fight ever. Then they asked me why didn’t I break it up! These girls could have easily gone lb. for lb. with Cassius Clay! What was I going to do? Rep DC to the fullest and play my go-go music!
@Mmeditorinchief,
“We have the best on-campus fights!”
*dying*
YouTube that ish. Imma watch from afar.
@Mmeditorinchief,
“And if your HBCU is small enough the dean of discipline will call home to your parents and tell on you, when you get out of line!”
Howard was just small enough that your profs knew your first and last name and would call you out if they saw you drunk in public. Didn’t happen to me but I saw it happen. They’d also pull people to the side and say, “Now you know so-and-so is the kind that won’t graduate. Don’t let him/her bring down your grade in my class.” That second example did happen to me. Prof was right. I almost lost my ‘A’ messing around with that dude.
@Ms. Smart,
I gotta say that’s pretty cool. Although I wouldn’t have appreciated when I was youngster. I had NO behavior
@Ms. Smart,
Well I am a HU Bison, I agree that they do know you on a first and last name basis. One of my professors would actually use me as his flunky to pick up lunch whenever I went to get lunch that I couldnt really afford.
@Mmeditorinchief,
“And if your HBCU is small enough the dean of discipline will call home to your parents and tell on you, when you get out of line!’
Yes LAWD!!!! LMAO!!!
I chose my HBCU specifically for the weather and the women. Getting a free ride was just a bonus. I would not trade my FAMU experience for anything. Racial diversity does not always equal legit cultural diversity. After attending HBCUs you get a better handle on just how diverse Black people from other parts of the country, and world can be. Plus as mentioned by Panama, I can touch down in any decent sized metro and link up with 20 people who can show me the lay of the land, and/or get me laid.
@Legendary Dash,
I almost went to FAMU…my mama said heyell nah, it was too far for her to hop in the car and come get me if I was showin out, lol!
@Smiley Face,
FAMU was probably the closest school to home on my list. I vetoed all the schools in Alabama because my friends were miserable at them. In order to have a decent time they did not have many options.
@Legendary Dash, Where are you from??? I vetoed all the schools in Alabama and opted for FAMU too…took the full ride and didn’t look back… and
@Thuggie Luvvie…I too went to a magnet high school so a large percentage of us qualified for the free ride…..that free education has served me quite well and living in the DC metro there are tons of fellow FAMU alums running around….nothing like moving to a bigger city far away from home but still being surrounded by FAMily
@Legendary Dash,
FAMU came to my high school and made a loud speaker announcement that they’d give full ride to practically anybody, since my school was Magnet and best in the city. 80% of us qualified for their full ride. 5% of us went.
@Legendary Dash,
*does rattler fingers*
Folks in NYC. There is an AUC mixer thing next Friday at Citrine. You may glimpse the runaway slave in person.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
Yall be frontin out here. All these so-called negroes and aint nobody hittin up the mixer. I shall take shots in all 260 of your honors
*bows to the crowd, exits stage left*
the HU/HU Game is also amazing come on thats something we can all agree on??
Howard/ Howard/ Howard U we gone whoop that aaaaaa$$, we gone whoop that a$$, we gone whoop that AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaa….$$ whoop dat ace
I LOVE MY HIU
O Phi O all day
HH Too Smooth
Blue Lightning Pep Squad and all that jazz
I graduated 14 years ago from an HBCU. Some of these posts lead me to believe that many of you are misinformed about college.
1. There are SO many undergraduate colleges and universities in America that no one will know for sure if you go to a PWI or HBCU unless you are talking about the ones that are known. And once you get out in the real world, you will find that most companies really don’t care what school you went to as long as you have the degree and are able to do the job. I went to a small HBCU and make more money, etc than my beautiful sisters that went to Ivy league schools. It’s not about the name or the prestige of the school but the drive and swagger of the college graduate. College prepares you only to a certain extent and you have to take over and do the rest. So you can graduate from Harvard and not succeed just like at any other school.
That’s the reality of an undergraduate education.
2. We need to release ourselves from the stereotype that HBCU’s means lesser, not as qualified or won’t teach us as much as a PWI.
Unless you go to an HBCU, you can not identify with its unique cultural environment. Maybe I should say an unique environment for me. I grew up in a predominantly white environment. Going to an HBCU was an awesome experience. With all schools, you are going to find administration, department and food issues. However, I was with rich, middle class and poor blacks from all over the world. My HBCU had educators that walked and talked with King, worked for companies internationally, wrote books, all the things that the so called big name schools had. I spent summers studying at PWI’s and getting paid internships, etc. just like I went to a large college. I didn’t suffer at all. And socially, the experience was amazing. Black college students hanging on other black colleges soaking up other positive women and men on the same journey as yourself, the greek life, basketball games, etc. It really is a different world.
And that world may not be for some. But for me, I am much more grounded and have crazy drive and hustle which I attribute to my going to an HBCU.
@The Great One,
“Unless you go to an HBCU, you can not identify with its unique cultural environment.”
But I watched “Diff’rent World”. Doesn’t that count???
@Thuggie Luvvie,
“But I watched “Diff’rent World”. Doesn’t that count???”
*dying*
Okay, this reminds me… show of hands for the HBCU folks. How many of ya’ll experienced a Whitley? I’m so sincere in my question. I wanna know if they out there. lol
@Cheekie, yes they were definitely out there.
though chicks with just annoying voices were far more prevalent without the sense of entitlement.
@Cheekie,
LOL girrrrrrl every class had at least one. per state lol.
there was a girl from ga who sounded and looked so much like whitley it was sad. she didn’t come from money but she sure acted and looked like she did. she reinvented herself like WHOA. she’s doin big things tho and i aint mad at her.
@The Great One,
#SPEAKonit.
get the education,
get out.
deal.
So…I had to weigh in…I had the BEST of both worlds. I went to an HBCU (Spelman) and a “big” school (Georgia Tech). I would not change the experience for the world. @kendeezy I wish someone had told you that alot of HBCUs partner with engineering schools to create programs so that students can pursue that line of study. I know many a successful engineer that came out of Spelman, Morehouse and CAU, as well as Fort Valley (by way of a program with UNLV I believe).
Anyway…I tend to agree with some of what VSB is saying in the post. Only some. Yes my experience at Spelman goes unmatched and the education was top notch. Yes I think my network of African American professionals is greatly increased due to that experience, but I also think it’s in part to being in a sorority and just that I’m a networker period. Many of those in my network did not come by way of HBCU connection if you get my drift. I didn’t feel like the level of responsibility for a black college student at an HBCU is that different than at a PWI. I think that the folks I met at internships from Penn State or the Ivy Leagues had just as much trial by fire as I did.
My final thought is to touch on diversity. I get the economic diversity(I saw rich kids in the AUC) and religious diversity and diversity of thought. However…I did not see a breadth of cultural “diversity” until I went to Georgia Tech. I often joke that I think going to an HBCU can give you a “Boomerang” mentality. If you’ve seen the movie you can visualize what I am saying. For the most part their are not many companies that look like the one in Boomerang…An HBCU is one of the only times most of us will be in an all African American environment. GA Tech looks more like my workplace than Spelman..sorry..and that experience was extremely helpful in helping me deal with the expanded corporate culture and even the business ventures I’m doing on my own. We don’t live in a “Boomerang” society and the election of President Obama actually proves that more. If you can’t interact you will be held back (mostly by yourself)…LOL. Just my 2 cents. While at Spelman I met women who had gone to all black schools through high school…and then Spelman and even considered or went to HBCUs for grad school. I personally think that can sometimes be limiting to your experience and your ability to adapt (quickly) in other environments…
Do I think peeps that went to PWIs missed out…hmm..on some things, but..they get it in as alumni. I see the Harvard, GA State, Duke and all other alumns cruising homecoming ever year…lol
Great post!
So yep..HBCU experience is unmatched in many ways, the bond, homecoming, more one on one interaction with professors, connections, the prestige and history, the impact that those from HBCUs have made…LOVE that…but much to be gained outside of that.
@T.Mururay, i agree with you. clearly i overstated a lot in my post for the sake of debate. i think a lot of the experience gained comes from who you are as a person.
lucky for me, im sexxy.
anyway, welcome….
@Chasdizz,
if there was an HBCU known for producing top notch engineers i maybe would have gone tho.
As a daily reader who has never left a comment this statement stirred up a fire in my soul. Prairie View A&M University (the school I am currently attending) is well documented for producing very sought after engineers of which my older brother,minister, and good friend are living proof, you should see the flocks of asian and indian students that flock to Prairie View every year to be apart of the program. Now the finaicial aid department is nothing to brag about never the less I love my HBCU!
@im always rite, welcome!
again, if you were to rank the top engineering schools in the country, lets say–the top 30 engineering schools, nowhere in them is there an HBCU. I think that was (once again) Chasdizz’s point.
signed,
a graduate from The top engineering school in the world.
@Liz, lol just go ahead and say MIT. and yes, that was the point i was trying to make but since you made it so well the first time i didn’t bother to write a response.
@im always right,
im talkin in the grand scheme of things, no hbcu out there has the prestige in engineering circles that even comes close to the school that i attend, which is not MIT btw. and thats not knockin anybody, thats just what it is. once again, if there was an hbcu in that top 30, i woulda definitely considered it.
also, im always right…welcome and sh*t.
Honestly, the overall conclusion is that your not going to understand fully the importance of attending an HBCU unless did. Period. We can fight for days, but its pointless. There are successful people from all schools. I still think as a black child, HBCUs should not be ruled out for issues concerning diversity, money or academics. The rich history and tradition and knowing that you are apart of something bigger than yourself and that you followed in the footsteps of some of our great leaders is amazing. If it weren’t for many of our HBCUs we would probably still be hoping that these PWIs that are “better” would even let us learn there!
I’m so glad, I went to HIU
I’m so glad, I went to HIU
I’m so glad, I went to HIU
Singing glory Hallelujah I’m so glad.
OPHIO XIII
Oh and there is nothing and I mean nothing like an HBCU football classic or battle of the bands. That alone wins!
@Buxxy™,
OPHIO XIII?
im XIV thats whats up….
Well ima say it fuq Hampton
Me and bout 4 of my ninjas were high school seniors. We wanted USC hella bad but naw if my 3.8 gpa wasnt good enuf them ninjas aint hava chance in hell. Pops wouldnt let me go to chico st or fresno st talmbout naw u gone end up locked up those are party schools(lil did he kno). So the HBCU’s recruited us.
I hada a interview with a Morehouse alum. OMMFG this ninja turtle had a button up turtle neck sweater?? WTF. ill neva forget that shii. And he was sweeter than tha koolaid my lil bro used to make. talmbout you can be a successful ninja like me. And when he said all boyz school ninja i turned into carl lewis n ran tha other way. fuq that shi even if spellman in next door that many ninjas in one space sounds like prison.
My old skoo homie went to Hampton he was 4yrs older then me. so pops said holla at that ninja and i did and my homie said “dawg u aint kno hampton is 80% female”………………….. So I enroll to Hampton. no visit or nuthin jus some pictures and a trusted homie advertisin. and my 3.8 and sat scores was like crack to them i got admitted hellaquick. moms & pops was happy/proud/sheddin tears ya kno lil boy goin AWAY to college. I wanted to stay in Cali. anyways I arrive and hell yea it was a ho-asis i mean wall to wall and its muggy so they wear very little and my classes were filled with future video chicks i dunno how i focued on anything cause them thick ashes in them lil seats gawd lee. I also discovered Bougie ninjas/ninjaettes so i hooked up with some yung thugs like myself one cat from tha chi, one from VA, Seatle, texas and we ran shiii.
Long story short I got to big to fast and since i was a outa towner a hata/ competition dropped a dime on me (thas why i like belly so much i lived that shii) caught a F at 18. I made deans list fresh year tha shii was easy.
Hampton taught me tha we treat ourselves worse than we treat other people, we are crabs in a bucket, dont fuq tha deans daughter(shii i aint kno who she was lol), VA beach in tha summertime is crackin and dont get locked up outa state. Virginia is for lovers tho lol i let my virginity there i mean i was BANG BANG BANG like pops from friday.
ps: Iverson used to come on campus all tha time and pick up chicks they would ride 3-4 bentleys deep. Me and my old skoo homie got invited (we lied and said we were jason kidds cousins from tha bay) to his hotel party and mayne thas tha only celeb part i went to vick was there and ron curry hella bottles and models dam tha good ole dayz i think i banged lisa raye that night (or her twin).
@BLUNTBLAZER,
“had a button up turtle neck sweater?? ”
!!!BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
This whole damn post has me cryin. And it’s funny how Iverson pulled that same “pull up in Bentleys” bullshet at every college campus he got near. Ho ass ninja!
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
dam u aint neva lied but that was the best party i eva went to. Tellin breezys yea im Jason Kidd lil brother (even tho im 3x darker than j kidd) lol
@BLUNTBLAZER,
My boy came up major in Vegas tellin chicks he was AI’s lil brother, just off the strength of having the same skin color and braids. Hoes from different area codes. smh
But you think dudes give an eff when I tell em Im Naomi Campbell play cousin??
*hates*
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
““had a button up turtle neck sweater?? ”
!!!BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”
I KNOW! I was trippin’ over that one. I wish a nicca WOULD roll up to me with a button-up turtleneck sweater.
@Cheekie,
I’ve never seen one…I’m truly perplexed.
@miss t-lee,
Me either, actually. lmfao
@BLUNTBLAZER,
lmao ohhhh BB you’re back. now SADDOWN!!
@Spelman Gem,
Yeah, he went STRAIGHT to the SADDOWN corner today. I bet BB feels at home.
P-Money in #2 (You learn bout real responsibility) “But the administration simply lost my shit. As in, lost my scholarship papers and lost some of my grades.”
I haven’t read the rest of the comments so I’m not sure if anyone has made this point. But umm… so #2 is pretty much saying “HBCUs ain’t got no secretaries, filing cabinets or computers with software past MS-DOS to keep track of my records and perpetually told me I needed more people to prove I was even a student.”
*slaps forehead* D’oh! Yes… that sounds VERY appealing. Why didn’t I go to one? o_O
@Luvvie,
**giggling my muthaf*kin a$$ off**
@Luvvie, *slaps forehead* D’oh! Yes… that sounds VERY appealing. Why didn’t I go to one? o_O
cuz you make bad decisions in life?? me no know.
@Luvvie,
thing is, HBCUs tend to have this nasty habit of wanting to help out other black ppl (its a terrible vicious cycle). so they hire black folks to work on staff. many of them are black WOMEN who are from the hood but wanna do better for themselves. so many of them naturally come with bad attitudes and the mindset that they are getting a paycheck and do just enough to fill their responsibilities, but dont so much care what your urgent need is at the moment cuz they are on their break. so yes, when you have ppl working in an area they aren’t particularly passionate about, they become absent minded and overlook a lot of stuff.
most HBCU-attenders who have ever had an issue with financial aid, transcripts, or anything else that required them to go to a non-faculty member, more than likely dealt with a SHAQUITA or BON QUI QUI talm bout some “rude! complicated order!”
all the nonsense and drama of lost paperwork and grades speaks more to the types of ppl HBCUs hire becuz they are tryna “help a brotha/sista out” more so than the quality of education (and life building experiences) many of those HBCUs have to offer.
@Spelman Gem,
I feel them tryna help out Shaquita but can they give her 3 days orientation on MS Office first?
Generally, HBCUs are only a small step up from highschool. If you’re not talking about morehouse, spelman, Clark, Howard, Hampton, famu, and sometimes nca&t, you lost……the rest just exploit individuals who had no business going to college in the first place…….
@Gamecock,
1. I love ur name.
b. DDAAAAMMMMNNNN!
That is all.
@Thuggie Luvvie,
CORNER YOURSELF BAD LUVVIE
@WuDaMan,
Dang! I ain’t e’en DO nuthin!! *slinks to the Corner*
*looks back*
U LUCKY we got our rice delivered in the corner! HMPH!
@Thuggie Luvvie,
You know it’s a crazy day when Wu is sending folks to the corner.
*giggling*
@miss t-lee,
I know! I was lookin’ like…wtf…Wu sending folks to the corner?! Is this Opposites Day?
@Gamecock, damn.
i definitely think this qualifies as *shots fired*
@Gamecock,
This sounds mean, but I was reading some book about the college farce and how we’d all be a little richer if some kids just stayed they lazy arses outta school. They can get on the job training to do what they do. Less kids taking out loans, less defaults on loans, lower rates and more flexibility for me. Not to mention flooding the white collar job market while leaving a void in the blue collar market. That’s why my plumber makes more than me but I got $14k more in loans to pay back.
*Urge to kill RISING*
My kids can go to an HBCU for undergrad but I’ll discourage them from getting their Master’s degree from one. Oh & they bet’ not get a Sociology or Afro studies degree from said HBCU. I ain’t paying for a Bachelor’s degree thats worth the same as an Associate’s.
Yeah I said it. Why? Because I’m a racist African. *cackles*
*singing* You wanna be starting something…
@Luvvie,
*sniggling*
@Luvvie,
**waves hello to a fellow racist elitist African**
@Luvvie, “give us us free.”
you silly, chile.
@Luvvie,
A lot of HBCUs don’t have Black or African Studies departments.
@Kamala Jones,
“A lot of HBCUs don’t have Black or African Studies departments”
I guess sitting on the Quad or staring ur Professor in the fave during office hours must be “Black Studies” at HBCUs. Tee hee
@Thuggie Luvvie,
LOL
@Kamala Jones,
“A lot of HBCUs don’t have Black or African Studies departments.”
In the name of everything Jadakiss, I ask: WHY?
@Cheekie,
I am THISCLOSE to handing you quittage papers.
U need to stop.
@Cheekie,
Jadakiss?
For real ninja?
*cackling loudly*
Morehouse does, and it’s actually on point.
@all those making engineering comments…LOL..It’s just funny to me. It doesn’t matter at the end of the day….if you got the skills it really doesn’t matter where you went to school…My sis also did Spelman and GA tech..went on to be the first AA woman to graduate with a PhD in IE at North Carolina State and has been recognized by numerous orgs minority and mainstream as a TOP engineer. Patents, papers and press…(can you tell I love my sis) Yep..she got acceted into MIT out of high school, but you know what they were giving up from a scholarship perspective? A computer. That’s it. She took the full scholarship and the more fun environment in ATL and is laughing all the way to the bank ..no student loans …ever…got grad school covered too…so success mapped to what school you went to..HBCU, ivy, on some top ten list or otherwise…in my humble opinion..is relative…She has never spoken of regret about chosing an HBCU over MIT….and in the end it was there loss.
@T.Murray,
great points you brought up!!
but dual degree at Spelman/Ga Tech was scary at me!!!! besides the fact i couldnt bring myself to go into chemical engineering. i woulda been sittin pretty tho. there were SOOOOO many ridiculously wonderful opps for the DD students. many of my friends who did do it are laughin all the way to the bank just like your sis
1. In short, I know more Black people than you do (if you went to a white school).
a. You know as many black people and people in general as you choose to know. If you are not social, not active or at bare minimum if you don’t open your mouth to speak to people you won’t know anyone regardless of where you go. I also like to think that by attending a PWI I can go anywhere and not be confined to knowing just black people. I can actually know both – because guess what if you haven’t heard – black people go to white colleges too….word up!
2. You learn about real responsibility.
a. So you had to learn responsibility because PROFESSIONAL staff and faculty were irresponsible and not organized. Interesting. From the folks I have talked to it seems to be a common theme among those I know that went to HBCUs for undergrad and grad to have unnecessary paper work bumps in the rode. Sounds like you had to carry around paper work – like when slaves had to carry passes to prove they were allowed to leave the premises for errands. I totally learned how to be responsible at a PWI by understanding very early on – i.e. from the first year of college how to ask, set and attend a luncheon with professors; follow through with tasks given and understand that my 4 years was a preparation for real life (and that was dug into my head from day 1 – summer orientation to be exact). Not over correcting irresponsible professional people who I am paying to give me an education or have decided to pay for my education because they saw it beneficial to have me there. You should ask for a refund even if you got a full ride.
3. You might not think so, but I got a real taste of diversity training.
a. This claim is so weak. How did you get a real taste of diversity when you read about it and just because you are black? There is a huge difference between just interacting with people different than you just in passing than living with them. I lived with black, white; brown, asian you name it and THAT is where you learn about diversity – not just a book and not just because you are black. On top of that I also encountered black people that on a socio-economic scale were below and above me. Going to a HBCU and seeing white people at the mall is not diversity training boo boo.
4. The women are just plain finer at HBCU’s than at other schools.
a. What’s that thing again; oh yes road tripping. You go out of your college grounds and meet people and as someone who attended a PWI ummm for the most part the females looked good and carried themselves well….oh yes at some PWI we learn how to dress appropriately all day everyday and not just roll out of bed for class – add that to reasons #2. And meeting other people fine men or women – at a PWI where you don’t dominate it teaches you to step out of your comfort zone and do what it takes to meet people.
5. One point I think you should add – Attending an HBCU made me stew in my comfort zone and pacify me in face of challenges.
a. If you said that I will totally agree. No disrespect to HBCUs because getting en education is #1. But attending a PWI and yes maybe having to join organizations and getting out to meet people I think is absolutely great. Us PWI black alumni no how to handle not being in a comfort zone where we will know everyone. It makes us social; proactive and can work any crowd we attend.
Disclaimer: I am a very proud alumni of my PWI and maybe a bit peed off by this article. But I am sorry these are some ignorant claims and a poor example of a HBCU education. You totally made my day and my college decision choice.
@A Proud Wahoo,
Great post!!
@A Proud Wahoo, LOL! loved this comment.
@A Proud Wahoo,
Oh…snap.
@A Proud Wahoo,
You just gave me LIFE. I thank you.
@A Proud Wahoo, well la di da. somebody pissed in your wheaties. oh yeah…me.
must be that old morehouse spirit coming out.
such is life.
@Panama Jackson, It’s all good. I just feel very strong about the idea of HBCU vs. PWI and it seems like this line of talk comes from HBCU alumni. I personally never see PWI alums raging about how happy they are that they didn’t attend a HBCU – unless someone brings its on…LOL.
What is important to me is that HS kids today learn there is opportunity EVERYWHERE. Sometimes the financial cost for school is better at a PWI because they get more funding – sad but true. We need to expand our youths horizons of the point of an education.
Because to be real in the most recent Black Enterprise issue that talked about graduation rates at some of these well known HBCUS – ummmm not looking to good.
But the discussion is all good – thanks for the discussion piece.
@A Proud Wahoo,
1. Stop lying, most of you at PWI only interact with those in the ‘Black’ student organizations. Discussing last nights episodes of ‘Friends’ while you wait for the tests to be passed out does not count. You might as well be at a jim crow era institution. You need more people.
2. Do you expect us to believe that things go smoothly at PWI’s? GTFOH.
3. Simply because you lived down the hall or in a neighboring suite as someone of a different ethnicity, religion, national origin, etc. does not mean you are well versed in diversity. Can you readily call on any of these people for anything aside from telling them what the word ‘gwap’ means? OK then. SIT. DOWN.
4. It should not take college to teach you how to dress imbecile. Many people at HBCU’s did not ‘dress’ for class because the emphasis is on the education, rather than fashion. We already know how to dress appropriately and it does not require ‘chet’ or ‘brittani’ to tell us so. If you dislike them so much, why even venture on your ‘road trip’ to an HBCU party/event/homecoming/etc.? Because your school does not compare socially. Often, it is just the Black Student Union hanging out with each other and the football team. These social skills you claim it teaches you, I have yet to see. Often times I will go onto a PWI and the 2520′s will chat ME up…insisting that I am nothing like the guys (code:Black people) on campus. Maybe its that HBCU confidence. You sir, are the one who should seek a refund.
5. No HBCU grad I knew is revels in their comfort zone. Many I have gone to school with have lived abroad, raised abroad, fluent in second/third languages, etc. It is a matter of personal choice and preference. More importantly, the post was a joke/tongue in cheek.
School is out.
Sincerely Morehouse’s finest,
Bond. BlkBond.
@BlkBond,
wow. someone took a good long sip of vitriol this morning. feel better now?
@BlkBond, both of ya’ll need to be hosed down LOL. Sheesh.
@A Proud Wahoo, excellent post. Wahoo-Wah =)
*JUMPS UP* AGGIE PRIDE!!! Eb, do you listen for people to say they went to A&T just so you can yell out AGGIE PRIDE?? I know I do…
After reading your blog for a long time (read: 4+ months), I HAD to contribute today. I wouldn’t trade my HBCU experience for ANYTHING!! (Oh and happy early birthday – it’s Sunday – to me…Virgoes stand up!)
@Ms. Allyce, welcome and happy early birthday!!
@Ms. Allyce, right…welcome and happy birthday and sh*t…
Things I learned from HBCUs:
1. Don’t expect anyone to do their job for your benefit. Yes, the bursar’s office is open ’til 4:30 on Friday. And yes it’s 4:20 and the line is out the door with only one window open. Next time go earlier!
2. Always have all your ducks in a row (See #1). I have yet to throw away my college catalog for fear that someone may call my transcript into question. (Next year will be my 10 year anniversary).
3. People will often be surprised that you actually learned something. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone who was not familiar with my alma mater express surprise at my professionalism and intelligence because they’re assumption is that HBCU are subpar.
4. Technology is overrated. PWIs have us beat in the this department. Finances dictate that they are for the most part miles ahead of HBCUs in terms of technology. But at an HBCU you learn to do things the old fashion way with pen and paper and not rely on some magical device left to the fate of the first power outage.
5. You don’t need 8 hours of sleep. Between late night fire alarms and fights in the hallways you learn to survive on 4 hours max.
6. The world is a small and your reputation will precede you. Act with integrity. Being at an HBCU is like being in a small town, or the black section of a segregated city. If you do something f*cked up, everyone will hear about it and you will forever be branded will telltale nickname like “Hoover”. I’m just saying. You never know who’s watching.
7. Ignorance is not an excuse. “I didn’t know or Nobody told me.” is forever etched into my brain. To this day, I cannot embark on any kind of mission without know all the minutia of what, when, where, why, how and who.
8. Being black means nothing. You are never considered as being smart or articulate or anything “for a black person” at an HBCU. You can only rest on your laurels. In that respect, I feel for the PWI counterparts who had to prove themselves worthy.
9. Networking will get you everywhere. No matter how you may feels about the Divine Nine or HBCU Alumni Associations, they are everywhere and they look out for their own. I’ve never heard anyone that attended a PWI mention how “connected” their Black Student Union/Association was. Not never. In my current city, there are at least 20 people from my alma mater who I either know by name or by face that attend alumni meetings regularly. And countless others who don’t… I can tell you where a good number of my family from State are living, whether they have families, how much weight they lost, when I last spoke to them. I have yet to meet anyone who attended a PWI that keeps up with their entire college like that. Not just a few people from a class, I’m talking an entire College of Engineering from a 4-yr University. I even still speak with some of my professors.
So yeah, at various times during my matriculation at the real *ahem* TSU (Go Big Blue!) I thought perhaps being at a PWI may have been better but nothing could take the place of the family that I gained at an HBCU.
(When was the
firstlast time you heard somebody refer to their PWI as fam???)@Deviant, “I’ve never heard anyone that attended a PWI mention how “connected” their Black Student Union/Association was. Not never.”
well i’ll be ur first cuz my black alumni association is pretty damned connected. furthermore, i used to work at another PWI black alumni assoc that was also really connected. maybe you only live in your hbcu bubble?
@Liz,
The deviant cannot be contained in a bubble.
I have plenty of friends and family that attended institutions other than HBCUs. And to be honest, I rarely hear PWI alumni speak about their alma maters until discussion like this one come up.
@Deviant,
never ever thought i’d say this to you, Deviant, but i LOVE the entirety of this comment!!!!!! you summed up the HBCU experience very nicely!!!! wow, i am going to go home tonight and cuddle up in my big, Spelman blue, Spelman jersey blanky tonight!!!
oh! and i left this earth for the heavenly skies at….
2. Always have all your ducks in a row (See #1). I have yet to throw away my college catalog for fear that someone may call my transcript into question. (Next year will be my 10 year anniversary).
@Deviant,
This is a great argument you make…however, I’ve got to say that your love for your alma mater certainly does not transfer into the definition of the experience of a black student at a PWI. I attended a PWI and many of the things you’re mentioning (like ‘ignorance not being an excuse’, standing outside the OFA office, etc.) happened at my school as well. Sorry to burst the bubble, but technology is absolutely necessary (if you plan on having a career…), and yes, we still use good ol’ #2 pencils and college-ruled binders to take notes!
Also, although I appreciate your respect for the black experience at a PWI, there’s certainly no need to feel as if we’ve had to “prove” ourselves in some way or fashion just because of our race. Does that happen? Sure does…kinda like us claiming that we respect the fact that you’re competing in today’s job market because of the subpar quality of education you received at your school…there’s no merit for that comment. (nope, not trying to be offensive; just proving my point)
Honestly, I think it’s great that you had such a positive experience @ TSU. I had a very positive experience @ UM (Go Blue!) and can claim the opposite of every single one of those points you made, INCLUDING the sense of family and the large, ever-growing network (I’m talking on the international level now…).I’d never change my undergrad institution or experience for anything!
I am loving my experience at Hampton University. But to dispel some foolishness let me address a couple of points.
1. As a rising Junior I am interning for the largest law firm in the country and they love HBCU alumni (namely Hampton, Howard, & Spelhouse) because when they because they are polished upon graduation. They know that “to be on time is to be late”, “excuses are the tools of the incompetent” & what it means to be the Talented Tenth, therefor breeding hard working individuals.
2. I don’t know who told @ A Proud Wahoo that being at an HBCU is to be stuck in a comfort zone because since I’ve been at Hampton I’ve been pushed to what I thought was my limit right before I burst through the glass ceiling. What you fail to understand, my dear, is when people are around to nurture (*this is different from coddling*) you it gives exposes the internal resources you have to make things happen for yourself. So your condescending attitude is quite unnecessary. Regardless of your intention it was offensive.
3. Again, I don’t know who told @ A Proud Wahoo that if you go to an HBCU, you can’t flock in diverse circles but I’m doing that now. And while HBCU’s are not racially diverse, they are indeed culturally diverse because, contrary to popular belief, not all Black ppl come from the same background. By becoming a wholistic, open-minded individual, you’ve automatically made yourself able to network with anyone, anywhere.
Onyx8-Officially done going off.
@OnyxHamptonian,
Ahem. *pats the young man on the head* good on you, baby HIU!
@devessel,
I’m a girl. Please revise. lol
@OnyxHamptonian,
consider it corrected, young sista!
@OnyxHamptonian,
Some white institutions have schools they go to for negroes. I’m not saying that is the sole factor why you received your internship but it is a factor. Now, if you said that at Hampton entrepreneurship is stressed then I would be really impressed b/c their is a lack of Black-established and owned institutions. Now, you said at this law firm “they love HBCU alumni (namely Hampton, Howard, & Spelhouse) because when they because they are polished upon graduation.” Polished how so? I could take that in a way that is not complimentary to your school.
@Kamala Jones,
*gives Kamala a dap and a welcome basket*
I can see we’re going to need to start handing out “Back Handed Compliments Companies Make” Radars as graduation gifts to some folk.
@Kamala Jones,
Lol. I was thinking that about the backhanded compliment. Also, isn’t “polish” a pre-req for a competitive position in any field. Not something to be impressed by, but more like expected (demanded) of you.
*I am an open nerve*
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
**rubs salt on you**
LMAO
@Kamala Jones, I’m aware that white companies recruit at Black schools but I was not recruited through an on campus job fair. I applied independantly and was selected based on my resume and an interview.
Just for clarification, I should have just said polished as oppsed to polished upon graduation. Many employers who hire Hampton undergrads & graduates are very pleased with the way we represent the companies we work for as well as our overall quality of work.
And yes it is the standard that one be polished, not something to be impressed by but there are plenty of people who graduate from other schools that don’t understand this.
My argument was not that HBCU’s are better than everyone else’s school it was simply to say that one should not discredit HBCU’s b/c they do offer a lot to people who attend them.
@OnyxHamptonian, My points are mostly in line with what you replied with. All that I am saying is that it is not limited to HBCUs and quite frankly being exposed to even a more diverse group of people lends to a unique experience.
Also, due consider that when you are one of few black people you are always early and excuses don’t exist because you know the need to be thorough and that you and only you are the master of your fate.
I am happy you are getting your education and it sounds like you have a good internship. Continue to be successful and make the most of your experience.
@KO,
Just to reply to your second point, at the HBCUs I spoke of (HIU HU Spelhouse) we are surrounded by Black people who are educated, motivated, & fly…so excuses, tardiness, and shitty work performance are just disrespectful.
I totally agree that you can get some of the things I pulled from Hampton at other schools. And although I strongly encourage people to consider HBCUs, I am a huge advocate of finding a school that suits your personal needs at that time.
Thank you for meeting in the middle!
“I lost my scholarship three times while I was at Morehouse. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.”
I called my ‘financial aid officer’ 30+ times in two days because they say I owe $12,072.00 for tuition and room and board when I have a school sponsored scholarship that covers tuition and room and board and a 3.7 GPA that says I still deserve it…
if it wasn’t for the administration and the infamous (insert name of HBCU) run-a-round I would have not a single problem with my ‘Home By The Sea.”
And yet I can’t wait to move in a dorm that cost ($100.00 extra dollars a semster for _____?!?!?!), cafeteria food that is edible at best, (speaking of which) Fried Chicken and Mac & Cheese Wednesdays, running into Dr. Harvey everyday at the same time on his way to Holly Tree, giving that long a– intro before speaking in class (Hello, my name is J.Delicious, I am a 2nd-year/5-year MBA major from Bowie, Maryland), hearing the last call for Freshmen at parties so they don’t miss curfew, going to The (American) Legion they pass off as a club, walking 1.5+ miles to the nearest McDonalds and back, running into half the pep band at Burger King after basketball games, 12-2′s every Friday, giving directions to everywhere and anywhere that start with go down Mercury Blvd…
Hampton is not like being homeschooled, its not like going to a PW High School that costs $30,000.00+, and its not like graduating from a public high school in PG County Maryland… it is like nothing on this Earth and I wouldn’t trade the experience, the falculty, the students, the rivals, the history, the school for anything else in the world…
I love, I love, I love, I love my H(I)U! ((with its good, its bad and its ugly…))
@J.Delicious,
“giving that long a– intro before speaking in class (Hello, my name is J.Delicious, I am a 2nd-year/5-year MBA major from Bowie, Maryland), hearing the last call for Freshmen at parties so they don’t miss curfew, going to The (American) Legion they pass off as a club, walking 1.5+ miles to the nearest McDonalds and back, running into half the pep band at Burger King after basketball games, 12-2’s every Friday, giving directions to everywhere and anywhere that start with go down Mercury Blvd…”
Please!!! You just better preach!! Thanksgiving Day at the cafe had ppl running & waiting in line and hour before it opened…cuz that was the only day the food was good! lol P.s I’m from Fort Washington
@OnyxHamptonian,
Please I was second in line last year….. 3:04 walkin past like “dang ninjas better get in line now so i can get all my fam seats”
and both of you forgot Insomnia…. i mean really? 3 fights
and The fact that every group on campus wanna act “greek” lol …… not gonna mention any by name though…
ah but I finally found somebody that calls back in Financial aid so there is no doubt in my return anylong other than an Act of God
@J.Delicious,
Woah woah woah… how did I miss this?!?!
Freshmen had a curfew? Like, had to be in the dorm by a certain hour or what??
Holy Deadbolts and Dorm Mothers Batman!!!
@BlackBerry Molasses,
yes’m we did… 11pm on weekdays and 1am on weekends… i think. and you had it at least till homecoming if and only if ur WHOLE class was on that good behavior…
@BlackBerry Molasses,
Hampton is a very conservative institution…Does anybody remember the “What It Means to Be a Hampton Man/Woman” speeches from Deans Long & Hopwell?
Or, If you’re an Onyx girl, how Dean Long went off about thank-you notes at the fire side chat Freshman year? She goes in…
**puts on Pretentious Ivy League Graduate Mortar Board with Carnelian and White Tassle**
I had excused myself from this post earlier to let the HBCU party go on interrupted… but I’ve decided to crash the festivities. Mainly because… I ain’t got sh*t else to do today. It is Friday after all.
First, I appreciate that people have so much love for their schools. That is so sweet. Really. Giving me a cavity over here.
But… to say that HBCU’s are inherently superior to PWI’s based on “eclectic” criteria, if you will is utter malarkey. And I’m going to point out why.
You know more EBP’s than me?? Pshaw! That is only a function of how far you are willing to extend yourself to meet EBP’s. Since you were immersed in them, you didn’t have to extend yourself very far. I could just as accurately say I know more IVY LEAGUE EDUCATED Black People than you… because I do. And its a function of the fact that I went to an Ivy school, interacted with other Black Ivy people (from my and other schools) and thus I know them. Not much of a stretch for me, is it? But I happen to know PLENTY of educated Black People and its not because of where I went to school. Its because I made it a POINT to get to know people, PERIOD. I also know tons of educated Latino People, Asian People , African People and *gasp* White People. What does that mean? That I’m a talkative wench who likes to make friends and network. That’s it.
You learned real responsiblity, eh? More so than me? So me having 2 jobs for all four years in addition to carrying a high GPA, being an executive board member of 4 student organizations, the editor-in-cheif of the ONLY Black student run newspaper…..yadda yadda blah blah blah BULLS*IT. I could have just as easily sat on my arse and cruised through school on mommy and daddy’s dime. Me learning responsibility had to do with my parents cutting the d@mn cord and me realizing that I was one of 14,000 students that wasn’t going to get over because she could rest on her laurels. NEXT.
Real diversity training?? I don’t know… but having my suite of 6 girls comprised of a Japanese bisexual, a Jewish girl, a farm girl from Nebraska who had never seen a black person ever in her life, Elizabeth Merck (as in Merck Pharmaceuticals) and me… hmmm… that’s pretty diverse. And we had an awesome time together.
On the flip side, I was called an Affirmative Action Baby to my face. I heard this early enough from people who could potentially be my co-workers/employers to learn I needed to know how to deal with people who don’t like the fact I’m showing up and thriving in their exclusive private club. THAT is a real fact of being in a DIVERSE environment. Some of them ain’t going to like that u (the Global You) are there. And can take their job. I’m not even going to get into my militant activities… I still got folk watching my arse.
More fine specimens of the female form? Come on now, even the worst statistics student can tell you that is simply a function of selection bias. Try AGAIN. There may not have been as many of us, but there were enough of us to keep things interesting. And the ratio still played in the guys’ favor.
And we still partied and bulls*itted as hard as any student can, without killing themselves.
So what did I get out of my education? Well I’m not going to get into a pissing contest about it. You can always just Google Cornell University if you want to find out.
@BlackBerry Molasses,
I don’t know about saying that one is better than the other. I just think that people should come to a medium & understand that both have positive things to pour into thier graduates.
I’ve gained quite a bit from my experience and it’s not even over yet. Sorry if I’m contributing to your “cavity.” lol
@OnyxHamptonian,
I got dental insurance. Its all good.
@BlackBerry Molasses,
1. This was a tome of the ages. I think the Count of Monte Cristo was shorter
b. *Slow clap*
3a. THAT GIRL GOOD!
IV. *Drops mic*
@Thuggie Luvvie,
iHate that iLove you so…
@BlackBerry Molasses, so i suppose ALL that means you disagree with me?
@Panama Jackson,
Baaasically.
I’m an Ivy Leaguer. Being verbose comes naturally. Writing tome-tastic comments is like s3x to us.
@BlackBerry Molasses, i prefer the lovin.
@Panama Jackson,
I said LIKE s3x. I see someone needs to go to Similes and Metaphors 101. Or is it go back to… ? *snicker*
@BlackBerry Molasses,
lmao this whole comment reminded me of Andy from The Office (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Bernard)
and since Andy is always referencing Cornell and how superior he is becuz of his CU education, it reminded me of the Will & Grace epi i was watching this morning. where Jack got a new boyfriend (Stuart…. Stuart Little lol) and was inserting the word “boyfriend” as often as he could, ending each comment with “boyfriend! boyfriend! boyfriend!”
thanks for the laughs.
@BlackBerry Molasses,
Go on and tell it then, Ivy Sis!
I think one of the major differences here is that the HBCU kids are giving their schools credit for the shet my mama taught me since I was little (e.g. the importance of punctuality, networking, etc.). That’s the reason you don’t hear us talkin about how “responsible” bad secretaries made us, not that we didnt have them too.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
HBCU kids: “Shooot my school was BOMB b/c it taught me not to trust others to keep my informations. I learned to rely on JUST myself!”
PWI kids: “Well, umm… we had, you know, computers and reliable admin to, well, do that for us” o_O
@Thuggie Luvvie,
**stifled cackle**
Ur testing the thickness of my office walls today.
Stop.It.
@Me fail english?, the runaway slave,
“I think one of the major differences here is that the HBCU kids are giving their schools credit for the shet my mama taught me since I was little (e.g. the importance of punctuality, networking, etc.).”
I was about to make this point regarding the “grooming”. Even those who groom students to become who they are are sometimes parents, so best believe they’re instilling that same knowledge to their kids WITHOUT school. Before they even get into college. You can get this preparation in other venues besides college, most definitely. I’m sure it’s a great advantage for those who DIDN’T have people to support, encourage, or teach them in their personal lives, but for folks that did, it ain’t nothing new.
@Cheekie,
o_O to folks using the word “grooming” in the place of “preparing”. “Grooming” should only be used for poodles named Fifi.
But then again… I guess I don’t get it.
@Thuggie Luvvie,
Oh, gosh, NOT Fifi! lmfao
You ain’t right, Luvvie…lol
@Thuggie Luvvie,
“Grooming” and “pedigree” are two words I softly cackle at when used in reference to humans
@BlackBerry Molasses,
“That I’m a talkative wench who likes to make friends and network. That’s it.”
But you’re OUR talkative wench. We love you, e-mama.
“Elizabeth Merck (as in Merck Pharmaceuticals) ”
Oh, for real? ‘Cuz I work in the conflicts department at a law firm and her family’s company is always giving us trouble and ish when we search for conflicts of interest. Making ish all complex because there are two companies with the same name yet ain’t related. Pass that info along…lol just playin’. That’s cool, though. It’s a small world, after all…
@Cheekie,
I’mma call her up and tell her to tell her peoples to stop playin bald headed games with y’all.
Done.
@BlackBerry Molasses,
*dap*
I absolutely agree that the HBCU experience is a truly unique experience. I love Spelman and I feel I have grown tremendously in the one year I have been here (I’m a sophomore). There is so much more I want to do, and learn. Spelman, particularly, fosters a sense of leadership among the women who study here. Everyone is a beast. I feel my work is never done. There is also more to accomplish and more to give. I went to Welcome to the House a couple days ago. It was AMAZING! I felt empowered as an “unofficial” sister of Morehouse College. I love the AUC. I plan to milk every moment I have here.
*typo* I meant to say – *always* more to accomplish and more to give.
-Spelman College
Class of 2012
Why don’t we talk about what’s really going on with HBCUs? Since the 1970s, HBCU enrollments have been declining.
Even though I’m a proud alum of a PWI, I feel that HBCUs should survive. Unfortunately, some HBCUs are engrossed in severe ineptitude, extreme conservatism, not to mention a lack of money.
@Kamala Jones, that is very true. and to some extent, i think we should allow some of them to close. hbcu’s in general would be better served if there were less so that the resources would help to make them better.
one of my boys once proposed that we just leave open the majors like morehouse, spelman, howard, hampton, tuskegee, fam, a&t, southern, grambling, alabama a&m, and fisk (due to historic reasons).
not such a bad idea.
@Panama Jackson,
While I agree with what you’ve stated you’d catch holy hell trying to only leave open a select group of HBCUs. Though I do feel for the sake of resources and making HBCUs more competitive in the way of student/faculty recruitment; and improving the physical plant of these institutions lessening the number of them might very well be necessary.
@Kamala Jones, thing is, there’s no way to fix the problem without catching holy hell. some schools just don’t have the support system to function as is. it is true, it would be a problem…
but i almost think sometimes necessary evils are the messiest. not that i’m even really advocating for it, but i do understand the point being made.
Go Rutgers.
My family from my father’s side all went to NC A&T but I couldn’t see myself as an Aggie. A couple of Aunts went to Hampton, but that was no place for me. As a matter of fact, my father who was top of his class at A&T told me I was going to a non-HBCU. My mother concured (hell, they were paying) so I went to my alma mater. It was a good experience either way. The only thing I knew from HBCUs was my time as a teen visiting Hampton and Howard (since it’s right around the corner). Nothing impressed me about being there but the women…needless to say I took a cut in that action and went to a PWI.
Albeit heated discussion at times, i am happy to find most of our VSB readers are largely educated. And that makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
@Liz,
which begs the question… becuz you are an educated colored person, are you necessarily a VSS or VSB??
@Spelman Gem,
Hmm, good question. Like is the “very smartness” based on textbook, the streets, the world WudaMan lives in, or a combo of all “smartness”?
@ Liz
Yes, edumacation makes me fuzzy inside, too. There’s been some EXCELLENT discussion here today. And that’s not rare here, either. *e-hugs my brainy VSB fam*
@Spelman Gem, yeah smart doesn’t always equal educated. but one out of two ain’t bad
I must say that I’m a bit tired of this whole debate. College is college, and wherever you go–PWI vs. HBCU, public vs. private, small vs. big, has pros and cons. Every college isn’t for everybody, and there are enough schools in the United States to meet anybody’s particular higher education needs. I’m one of the 6% of black folks at Georgia Tech but I’ve had a great educational and social experience here.
P.S. Fight! Win! Drink! GET N@KED!
I read this over at A Belle in Brooklyn. It’s a great read, and I think sums up how we feel about our schools…especially Spelman!! And she didn’t even attend an HBCU….
http://www.abelleinbrooklyn.com/home/2009/8/19/hbcus-a-different-better-world.html
FAMU Ni&&a what!?
I didn’t read the entry n stuff but I went to FAMU. It was great.
@WuDaMan, Rattlers represent!
@WuDaMan,
Yay Rattlers!!
I’ve looked carefully through the most recent Shanghai Jiaotong rankings, and I can’t see any sign of the fabulous HBCUs you mentioned; whereas middling British red-brick universities like Leeds, Nottingham and Liverpool are comfortably ensconced in the top 200. Could you name some famous alumni of HBCUs — Nobel Prize-winners (not literature — too PC — or peace), Fields Medallists, etc.?
Also, the blog itself is a very poor advert for HBCUs, and considering it was written by a graduate of one of those supposedly wonderful institutions, I think it compares unfavourably with the efforts of 16-year old Brits under the old O-level system, who in English Language exams were often thrown questions inviting them to make absurd comparisons (e.g. the superiority of the North to the South) or advocate some ludicrous cause (living only on sandwiches). A grown-up university graduate should be able to make a much better job of it. Really, even as a joke you could only come up with four reasons?
I would be quite pleased if my kids (based in the UK) were to consider studying at an Ivy League uni, but on the basis of this blog, as well as more objective indicators, HBCUs are the pits.
*peeks in*
So, uh… how ’bout that foozball?
*disapparates out this bish*
This is probably one of the poorest written arguments in support of an HBCU. Thank God I went to a white, state, school. Where I learned how to construct agruements with thought and logic.
Geesh…
@SalukiNupe, ….yet nobody taught you about humor in writing. Pity.
@Liz,
oooooh I love it !!
@sexywinergirl,
I must agree with Salukinupe on this one. Too many black folks walking around saying/publishing ignorance and too many black folks goin around laughing thinking its a game when white folks use this as evidence to prove our incompetence. ITS NOT HUMOR..ITS INTOLERABLE IGNORANCE.
@AXLE, Thanks!!! Negros love to celebrate ignorance. I don’t get it.
Another reason that the HBCU experience is over rated is because most of the people that graduate from those institutions have a stupid amount of loans attached to them. I have two friends with over 40K in loans from HBCU’s. While my white school only left me with only 15K (and two degrees).
@Liz, this is not funny, witty, or even interesting. If this is satire, it is running for the worst attempt ever.
@SalukiNupe, you might have learned to construct arguments with logic but you seem like you would make a crappy date….
I already wrote my defense of HBCUs downthread….
but black people trashing HBCUs irritates me so much more than when a white person does it. White people would never understand the value of spending 4 + years in a positive learning environment surrounded by their own people. Why? Because they do that every freaking day of their life. I got the rest of my working life to be surrounded by 2520s and trying to function in the working world that they created. Those 6 1/2 years I spent at an HBCU (I even got my masters from one) were a Godsend. And I get highly irritated when anyone tries to imply that I’m under-qualified or my education was second rate because I attended an HBCU. (and believe me I could have gone anywhere I wanted)
And let us not forget that HBCUs usually have to try to compete with PWIs with FAR less resources at their disposal…
Let’s stop knocking HBCUs and instead be thankful that they are available to those who want to attend them or who may not have any other option if they want a higher education. And I certainly don’t knock anyone’s choice to attend a PWI.
@klysha, LOL at me seeming like a crappy date. I have no idea where you got that from. Or if its even relavent to the discussion.
@SalukiNupe LOL….wasn’t really relevant to the discussion….you didn’t give me enough to work with to make that assertion based on logic….but jumping to conclusions is great exercise….(although my assertion could possibly be relevant to your apparent negative attitude toward HBCUs….granted yours wasn’t nearly as negative as some others posted here. However, in my experience HBCU men are more fun….and blanket generalizations are so much cozier than logic)
@SalukiNupe, umm ok, says the 500+ times people have taken the time to write something on this piece, including you (twice!). Whatever you say.
My education was wayyyy too gypsy (2-yr school, 4-yr “directional” school, 4-yr PWI, liberal arts school, ruining my potential Ivy education for Hollyhood, etc)
But I have 2 things to say:
1. Howard rejected my app out of high school, so F$^K them, though I do know a couple ok people who matriculated.
2. I’ve never ever ever ever seen so many black people in one spot at one time without a fight/stab/shooting as I did at that Morehouse/ Spelman homecoming thing.
wow. i see this topic touched alot of hearts and sh*t.
sorry i missed out and sh*t, but work and a lack of dogmatic school pride born from attending a small jesuit college in upstate new york made me sit this one out.
lol, i actually have more middle school pride than college
Darn! I’m really mad I’m so late in the game. Now I’m here to defend my Ivy League education. I purposely avoided HBCU’s because I went to 99.8% black schools in 99.8% black neighborhoods for the duration of 1st to 12th grade and frankly I just got tired of seeing/interacting with ONLY black people. So I decided to go a school that offered more diversity like an Ivy League. Sure, I realize one of the main reasons they had such diversity was to meet “quota”. However, I worked my dammmmm black booty off to graduate cum laude shoo only .2 gpa points away from magna cum laude
Oh well the milk’s been spilled. I never lost my scholarship and never had to worry about my financial aid. Gawd, the tremendous workload (18-20 credit/semester) and sub-zero 9 month long winters were stressful enough without having to worry about my scholarships/grants being revoked and administration bs ing around. You can be sure that the minuscule number of black men on campus acted like they were “God’s gift” and could have their pick of any/every feenin black women on campus and every “close-minded” black woman fought tooth and nail for the black men attentions. Despite the great intellect and ambitions of some of these men they still somehow managed to act like “ninjas” when it came to dating, relationships, and sex with black women. However, the limited and extremely poor dating dynamics in our smallish Ivy League black community only applied to women who felt they must date black and black only. Men actually outnumbered women 2:1 at my school and gosh be darn it if I didn’t see men of other races (Asian, Latino, Indian (dot and feather) European, you name it) checking for black women almost on the daily (myself including). Yet for stupid reasons such as “oh I don’t want anyone to think that I think dating such and such race is better than dating black men.” “I know that Asian guy in my Multi-variable Calculus class wants to holler, he’s been staring at me all semester, but I don’t want to deal with these Asian females giving me the nasty looks and talking about me like ching ching chong ninja girl stealing our man.” “Oh I would definitely holler at a white guy, but being Greek (The Divine 9) that would look hella funny if I brought him to Greek Freak, Won’t it?” LOL and but specifically about your entry today:
“1) In short, I know more Black people than you do (if you went to a white school).”
Well Maaayybbeee. But I know way more Bangladeshi, Egyptians, Colombians, Indonesian, Italians, Russians, Sicilians, French, French Canadians, Salvadoreans, Pakistani, Japanese, Vietnamese, German, Thai, Yemeni….well you get my point. I heard so many languages and accents…I almost forgot English (lol).
“2) You learn about real responsibility.”
Yeah, you can keep your responsibility. I wanted to leave out the last of my extended adolescence in peace. PEACE!
“3) You might not think so, but I got a real taste of diversity training.”
Please refer to part one. Add to that the diversity of social classes to the mix.
“4) The women are just plain finer at HBCU’s than at other schools.”
Maybe they are finer because they spend more time in the salons doing hair and nails, shopping, and worrying about whether they look good enough to walk the imaginary runway in the middle quad than actually studying their asses off to graduate cum laude/magna cum laude status like black women at other major/Ivy League Schools. We just have/had different priorities.
@Blue Skyez,
Phuck what you heard, I graduated magna cum laude, and so did my friends at Spelman. The difference is we were able to be fine and fly, and still study our asses off and graduate near the top of our class. unlike PWI chicks who obviously find it difficult to study and look nice all at the same darn time. getouttaherewiththatmess….and find you some more people.
@N.I.A. naturally,
My bad. Apologize if I offended anyone. Great for you and your girls who graduated near the top of your class! Maybe most of us, PWI black chicks, at my school found it difficult to find the motivation to even attempt to look extra fly every single day. Given the ruthless winters, lack of quality black hair/ nail salons/shopping malls within a 75 mile radius, murderous schedules, and some general apathy/disappointment toward our perceived limited dating pool; It was a miracle that some of us were able to pull off some sort of fly during parties/special functions/annual fashion shows. It should be easier to pull of fly at an HBCU for a black woman since the necessary resources were much more abundant and convenient. A sista could get her hair, nails, a new outfit, shoes without having to worry about taking a weekend trip to the city which was 5 hours south.
@Blue Skyez,
It’s cool. Blue. I was being tongue in cheek about the whole thing. It really was a blessing to go to school in Atlanta. Granted, the black chicks at the PWIs in Atlanta had access to the same services we did. honestly, i don’t know what I would have done if I had gone to a northern PWI. I probably would’ve gone natural much sooner than I did.
@Blue Skyez,
Eh, I hope you weren’t giving a retort in opposition of HBCU’s. Cause that makes it seem like attending a certain ivy league school would be hell.
To the nigga that wrote this article, ARE YOU STUPID, OR ARE YOU JUST THAT F**KED UP IN THE HEAD???????????? I’ve attended a white college and an hbcu. Each have their own pluses and minuses, but to flat out say that hbcu are better is one of the most preposterous, absurd, and asinine statements that I have ever read or heard. I am truly vexed and perplexed that one could even fathom such an idiotic and ignorant statement. You know more black people than me, SO THE F**K WHAT!!!!!! Do you want a cookie, or a gold star for that? Thats just like a nigga though, thinking quantity over quality. You know niggas that can read, can you read nigga, on more than a tenth grade level? Or should I ask do you read? The Source, XXL, and King Magazine don’t count. Have you ever read a book because you heard it was interesting, or because you just wanted to? You learn real responsibility, your parents should have taught you that growing up dumb a**. Your part of a fraternity or soriority, and, what does that mean? Your a follower not a leader. That greek s**t dosen’t mean anything, but most niggas join that s**t for a title anyway, or because they have been conditioned to beleive you have to be part of or affiliated with some group or organization to be somebody in this world. YEA RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, that’s a crock of horses**t. The women are just plain finer, like I just said, quantity vs quality. Yea hbce might have a s**t load of black women, but most of them are just as dumb as you niggas walking around around the campus, on that BET, rap video s**t. Your dumb a** is in school to learn something, not to chase tail. Why enroll in school when you can do that for free???? College is not a fashion show, and a popularity contest, which is the way of thinking for most students at hbcu’s. College is a time when your are supposed to learn about yourself and your place in society, not getting fly, and seeing who can get the most phone numbers, GET REAL!!!!!!!!!. Now I will say this, hbcu’s have more professors that actually give a damn about their students. When I went to a white college, I really couldn’t talk to too many of my professors, not because of them being white, but because I was just a social security number, thats it. Professors at hbcu, do care about your livelyhood and well being, and that is something that more professors need to do. They actually want you to succeed and reach your goals, plus they understnad more where you care coming from. So with all this being said, to the ignorant nigga that wrote this article, STOP IT!!!!!!!!!, your only making us as a people look bad.
@Grant Ross,
Chill out dude…it’s a humor blog….if you read it on a regular basis you know that most of the stuff that is written is tongue in cheek…
PWI’s obviously don’t teach sense of humor …. geez
btw some of the funniest people I have ever known I met at an HBCU….sense of humor is one asset that can really make life go a lot smoother…. guess that’s another point for why HBCU’s are better! LOL
@klysha, I agree, that nigga sound like his heart has been torned apart!!! LMAO!
Big ups to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana!! Go Jaguars..Defenders of the Gold n Blue!!
Home of the best band in the land the Human Jukebox! you know! 
That was rich!
.. Except it assumes a brotha was gonna kick it with Black chicks in the first place.
First……..CAN I GET AN AGGIE PRIDE!!!!!!!!!
If your not currently attending an HBCU or graduated from one you will just never know. I can only speak about my own HBCU( NCA&T) there is a since of family there that i dont think you can get at an PWI as a black student. If you have never been to A&T ‘s HOMECOMING you wouldnt believe that you have to set up hotel reservations almost a year in advance. That lets you know that almost everyone who ever attended the university wants to come back and celebrate with other A & T alumni,students and faculty. Whats funny is i am proudly wearing my Alumni tee shirt and i also had someone come up and say AGGIE PRIDE to me (while wearing the shirt). It just makes me smile because if your aggie you know AGGIE PRIDE is NATION WIDE….lol.
As far as careers go i am currently working on my Masters in Civil Engineering i found it to be very rewarding. hundreds of companies come from every where seeking out young black students for interships and jobs. Im also the President of The Society Of Women Engineers where all of the members are black females. The fact that we are black females in a mostly white male field we are at an advantage than other PWI’s black female engieers because we can discuss all of the issues that come about and find a way to change any of those problems. (oh yea our wonderful advisor is a white female).
On social status you will find that no matter where you go you will conversate with the people that you have more in common with. So what better way to feel more comfortable than to go to school where you know you have something in common with most of the people. FYI HBCU’s are alot more diverse than you may believe.
GUESS WHAT I love My school……..AGGIE PRIDE baby……
OK well lets ask ourselves who are the black people who have meant the most to black society? Where did the vast majority attend college. In case you did not know…HBCU!.. Go Morgan State bears..class of 86
@Donald,
heehee Bear Pride!!!
HBCU’s are better, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that. I was told the same thing which is why I went to one for a yr and then kicked rocks and went to a predominantly white college. I attended Xavier before Katrina hit for my freshman yr. and like Blue Skyez said most black women there did spend more time on their looks and when they weren’t doing that they were running up behind dudes (those who weren’t on the DL [which I could count on one hand how many were NOT]) instead of doing what they needed to do i.e their school work; that’s not limited to just the females either some dudes spent just as much time in the mirror as the ladies. As for the ladies looking better, yea sure, but yes there was eye candy on campus moving forward… I went to Bio-Chemistry lab in my pj’s and a T-shirt and no one looked twice, b/c no one cared at the white university. Flip flops, shorts or jeans, and a t-shirt was the norm all yr round even when it was 20 degrees outside, being black I knew better than that my momma would have chew me out lol. White schools have more student activities for students, they don’t close early for lunch and come back late, lose paper work at the drop of a hat, to name a few. As for knowing more black people, what has knowing black ppl done for me ? As a Christian I know Jesus Christ and knowing him means more than knowning anyone be it white, black, asain, hispanic etc. With learning responsability, you will learn that at any university that’s what college is suppose to do, mom isn’t going to wake you up in the morning and tell you to go to class, don’t go, but when financial and is denied next semester and they kick that a$$ out lesson learned. Diversity training, at an HBCU? I know not racial diversity, I learned how to dress and to take care of myself at XU (thx to all of the dudes who were on the DL & gay, seriously Thank you!) Also, when I was at the white university, my black professors were harder on me than the whites, but at the same time had more compassion for blacks (those who were doing what they were suppose to be doing instead of at the frat house thursday-sunday instead of being in class) one professor in particular who taught at Tuskegee and left and went to the university I attended told me they do that b/c they know that it’s harder for us when we graduate which is why he expected more out of his black students than whites.
@ZJ, well said, well said. I still remember when I attended a pwi, no one really gave a damn about what name brand you had on. I personally did the smell test on numerous occasions. If it didn’t smell bad and it matched, im putting it on, I had no problem turning a shirt inside out and wearing it twice a week. College is not a fashion show.
FAAAAAAMU
FAAAAAAMU
FAM GOT DAMN U, ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT
Florida A&M University that is………
THEE best HBCU ever!
@Bea Johnson, Cosign!!!!
Now, I know that this article was written with a very obvious humorous undertone, and I thought that it was funny, but, at the same time, I thought that it was pretty silly. When I saw the story on BlackPlanet, I thought that I was really going to be schooled on why my education at a non-HBCU (Texas A&M) was subpar. But your argument was seriously weak – your 4 reasons just don’t support your conclusion, that HBCU’s are better (whatever that means).
1. More Black Associates – Since when did we (black people) start counting how many black friends we have – is that how we’re measuring our blackness now. When it comes to your friends, it’s about quality and not quantity, my brother. As far as your professional network, it’s really about both – quality and quantity, but I don’t see where color comes into that, you’ll find a lot of people out there willing to help if you really know what your talking about and come across like a trustworthy professional.
2. Real Responsibility – You could have just as easily learned “real” responsibility by working while going to school, like many students must do. This is something that is common at “white”, which is truly a ridiculous way to describe non-HBCU’s (as if minorities are barred from attending them), have to do. Working to pay for school is a lesson in responsibility that students at HBCUs and non-HBCUs alike learn. It’s not unique to either.
3. Diversity Training – Got to seriously disagree with you on this one, but I do think you learned an important lesson, one that society at large needs to learn. NOT ALL BLACK PEOPLE LIVE IN A STATE OF POVERTY! One thing that I thought was really missing, which might be prevalent on HBCUs, is a two-dimensional definiiton of diversity. I sat in class, worked on projects, was a part of organizations, and became friends with people from various ethnic backgrounds, not just black or white. What’s important is the ability to relate to others from different backgrounds, not being taught a standard set of techniques to work in a diverse setting.
4. Finer Sisters – Lol, you might be right on this one, in fact, I think you are, but I don’t see how that relates to better education. Maybe a better college experience, but certainly not a higher quality of education in terms a graduates preparation to competitvely enter the workforce.
So, I’ve got to give your argument a 10/10 for its entertainment value, but a 1/10 in proving that HBCUs are “better” (not even sure in what way you mean) than non-HBCUs. I would’ve taken the article seriously if it compared curricula, student:teacher ratios, internship opportunities, qualifications of professors, research opportunities, etc. I think it may have helped other HBCU graduates feel prouder about their college choice, but the article just doesn’t prove the point.
@Texas A&M University – a non-HBCU,
Wow I should have read your reply first, lol. Very similar to what I just said. Atleast we’re seeing eye to eye here.
There’s a lot of caught feelings on this jawn rite here…
I went to savannah state univeristy in savannah georgia. My wife went to Armstrong Atlantice State University which is 75% or more white. I have received four times as many job offers as she has interviews. My tuition was also 15, 000 dollars cheaper. Everybody want to down HBCU’s but I can agree with the writer one thing and thats responsibility and reality. The administration is definitely not the best parts about HBCU’s but they definitely make u get up off your ass and work for the financial aid, classes, etc. Also as some HBCU’s may be declining in enrollement, my alma is definitely increasing. Some of the State HBCU’s in the state of georgia are doing so good, republicans want to combine them with white institutions. Even the University of Georgia want SSU to be part of its university. It would be the first in the state but no thanks.
Oh yeah, the sistas are definitely finer. SSU also have a 30% increase of caucation in the past 2 years
I just came across this article thought of a few comments. I was just having an argument with a good friend, a Spelman student, about this same thing. Before I begin let me say that I’ve been immersed in the AUC since a young boy. Here are my thoughts in response to the article and in general.
1) An HBCU education/experience is no doubt unique and in many ways exciting. I’ve been around the campuses and in the classrooms plenty of times. As an un-biased observer let me tell you what I think. Yes, people seemed to be having fun on the outside but so many were struggling with financial aid, housing, scholarship revocation,….so on and so on. These are not necessary to learn “real” responsibility. These are HBCU specific hardships that blacks people should not have to accept when choosing to go to a college that embodies the success of African-Americans. Yes, no doubt you learn responsibility from these issues, but is it right? Should it be that way? Responsibilty can be learned from simply being an exceptional student. Most students will learn responsibilty from their own personal failures. It is not necessary that personal growth be gained from your own school losing every bit of important information. It is not a bragging thing that your school took your scholarship away five times or that they screwed up your housing. That only speaks of incompetence and an administration that does not pull put 100% effort into student success. So why put up with it? As a college student I have learned a great since of personal responsibility just by the nature of the institution I attend. Sure I have put up with admin issues out of my control, but on VERY few occassions and not with such important things as losing my grades.
2) Is knowing plenty black people a measure of academic success? Is knowing plenty white folks a measure of success? I think any intelligent person would say no. I know plenty of people, black and white. Sure you may know more blacks if you attend an HBCU. SO what? Who cares? Everyone knows that it’s all about who you know. That doesnt include there race. You may have many “ninjas” at your disposal but what can many of them do for you? I’d say that question carries much more weight than whether or not they are black. Do you know a CEO, lawyer, doctor,….it’s a big plus if they’re black, but if not so what? I’m a black man…I know plenty black folks by default. I don’t need the help of an HBCU to do that.
3) Yea Panama you might have learned how to deal with folks with money and who are well-connected. Thats not learning how to deal with the cultural differences of you and a white man, asian man,…etc. Just because you read it in a book means nothing. You learn how to deal with these differences by actually being around these people and frequently associating with them. At an HBCU most are black. Yes you may have a pin drop of a few different races. The real world is so much different. Just in college I’ve associated with whites, pakistanis, Iraqis, Canadians, all over. You learn how to mesh with there culture through actually doing it, not reading it. Sure reading helps, but are you really being prepared when you spend four years of higher education with majority black peers and admin? In my eyes, I’d say no. Unless you truly plan on staying around your comfort zone for the rest of your life. It’s like a safety net. Many HBCU students I’ve talked to and been friends with, have no clue what to do when surrounded by white folks. They stay in the corner and wait for one black person to cling to. It’s like stepping into uncharted territory. I went to HS with mostly blacks. If I went to college with mostly blacks I’m sure I’d be the same way. The best way truly learn the meaning of diversity is to immerse yourself in it. BTW, all white folks don’t have money and all white folks aren’t well connected. Being black doesn’t mean you already know how to deal with whites. Please tell me, what exactly does that mean? Does that mean you know how to say yes sir/ma’am? Do you really know how they think?
4) I won’t even address that women thing because that is simply ignorance. Yes, if you feel happier in a place of work you will definately be more productive. A black man does not need to be surrounded by fine females in order to be productive at school. I’m very productive because I’m happy with the school I chose and very happy with the people I call my peers because we all share the same values and are aspiring leaders. If you need to be surrounded by pretty women to make you feel good then maybe you need to find a few more things to make you feel good because a pretty woman will come and go. Maybe that fortune 500 company you want to work for doesn’t have many pretty women, is that an excuse to be less productive in the workplace. Don’t think so my friend. Maybe consider a sense of pride in the school you attend to make you feel satisfied. Using an HBCU to master your game is pure ignorance. From my experience, an pretty woman will take an honest intelligent man over and experienced smooth talker from Morehouse. Yes, my woman is a Spelmanite.
5) More importantly from my experiences, the learning resources in the classrooms available to HBCU students is just simply sub par. Many times the teacher won’t show or is late. The classrooms are packed in a small space. The lab resources are minute compared to many large “pwi” universities. Is this worthy of $30,000 a year. Even the dorms are substandard. Certainly not worth the money. Is your money worth all the hassle of admin issues? Remember you are paying every cent. Take a look at what exactly you are getting for it. Four yrs of headache and despair. I will not use actual rankings to prevent from being too critical, but if you refer to U.S. News Rankings most HBCU’s are ranked very low compared to many schools of comparable tuition. Meaning you could pay the same amount at any other school than any HBCU and technically get a better degree. Yes, rankings dont mean everything but in the eyes of a hiring perspective it means a lot. Frequently people group you with their own idea of the prestigiousness of the school you attended. Sure in the black community a degree from Morehouse will be praised, but outside of that it’s questionable. I met a older Morehouse grad who expressed the same. He stongly believed that outside of the “black realm” a degree from an HBCU is not cherished nearly the same. SO why pay all that money and not even get a worthy return? A friend told me once that you are paying for the entire HBCU experience. Is that experience worth it all? From what I’ve witnessed and heard from others, the “experience” isn’t so great. Many students will openly admit to dissatisfaction with there school. I’ve heard it from the mouths of many HBCU students. I surely don’t want to pay for this sort of “experience.” It’s honestly doesnt sound that great to me. Its like that cool friend everyone had in highschool. Yea he sure he had a great time and probably loved the good old days, but now who cares. NOBODY.
In closing, this argument has nothing to do with the HBCUs being run by blacks. It would be great if maybe they could get their act straight. Until then, I will never consider an HBCU and I’m so happy that I didn’t choose to attend one. I truly value quality education and even more what can I gain from it in the end. For every bit of effort I put into my education I expect an equal return in the end. Where I’m in school now, that is very forseeable. I couldn’t say the same at an HBCU.
HAHAHA – nice HBCU pride piece. But, I can refute each of those “reasons”
You’ve never been to UVA =)
this is my first time commenting on this blog but i’ve heard a lot of good things about it. i attended a hbcu for my undergraduate degree (univ. of md eastern shore) and for my graduate degree (meharry medical). i don’t think that i’m at any disadvantage because i attended a hbcu. sure, there were some things i didn’t like about my school, but not everyone is going to like everything about their school.
my alma mater’s enrollment is definitely increasing. if my future children want to attend a hbcu i would definitely encourage it. if not then i would also accept that choice as well.
I only weighed in on a lighthearted note earlier but now I want to weigh in more seriously on this debate. First of all I don’t think it’s helpful to knock anyone’s decision to attend whatever type of institution of higher learning they chose. Everyones learning style and needs are different. That’s why there are so many different kinds of colleges. Secondly, I think most of the learning one gets in college that’s of any use once you enter the real world is obtained outside the classroom. Sure if you’re one of the few who winds up working directly in the line of work related to your major you might actually use some of the classroom material. But the stuff that really matters the most is the life lessons, social skills, responsibility, and professionalism that you should pick up regardless of what kind of college you attended. I was probably qualified to attend pretty much any college I wanted to. I graduated in the top 5 of my magnet high school and I got letters in the mail from every kind of school ranging from small town colleges to Harvard, but I chose FAMU because I wanted my college experience to be rich in both black culture and strong academics. The full scholarship didn’t hurt either. I don’t regret my decision one bit. Now I work with engineers who attended some of the top engineering schools in the country and I feel like I can hold my own with any of them. So attending an HBCU definitely didn’t hurt me in that regard. I think I would have also thrived if I would have attended school at a PWI but I wouldn’t have the fantastic connectedness I get from being a FAMU alumnus living in the DC metro nor would I have a live homecoming or classic game to attend in the fall.
Hate them or love them, but if it weren’t for HBCU’s there would be a whole lot less educated black people in this country. So before we trash them maybe some of us need to figure out ways to help make them better.
At any rate I picked an HBCU…loved it….but PWI’s are cool too for those who choose to attend them. (Just not as cool as HBCUs lol….go Rattlers)
Can we end the debate please? We will never get some people to see our views. If you want to go a PWI fine but if you want to go to an HBCU great and welcome to the family. Either way the choice is personal and I can respect that.
Now, what I can not respect is someone bashing, putting down or degrading my beloved HBCUs. Even if you refuse to admit it, you have to respect ALL HBCUs. If it were not for our “sub-par” schools (which is the tone I am getting from some on the post) many of you would not even be in school. Please pay homage to the schools that opened their doors to educated us when all other schools said no or only had one or two Blacks enrolled. It is funny how some people get to a point in their life that allows them to forget history, culture and heritage. Please, do you history before you begin bashing ANY HBCU. We are not perfect, but what school is? I know just as many unemployed students who majored in marketing from basket weaving at PWIs as well as students from HBCUs. You control you destiny, not your school.
If anyone would like a history lesson, please feel free to e-mail me at BuxxyBunny@gmail.com. I will be more than happy to suggest multiple reading to help those who are angry, confused, ignorant or just plain rude regarding this matter.
::Walks to my doctoral program class at my Research 1 D-1 PWI that is being funded by the PWI while wearing my HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ALUMNI sweater and singing “I’m so glad”::
And I am not the exception, I am the standard.
@Buxxy, AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!
I have a ton of friends that attended PWIs since I started at one and I’m active in my graduate chapter (AKA)…Umm I can only think of ONE of tose friends that make more money than yours truly and she’s been working for 5 years longer than me (She’s 5 years older).
SEXUAL CHOCOLATE DROPS THE MIC!
@Buxxy,
YEEES Hampton! Please go the f*ck off!
Do you ever hear White people saying “Man, Old Dominion is sub-par” or “I would never degrade myself and go to a PWI like Christopher Newport”…NO. They take thier ass right on over to shitty ass Christopher Newport (no offense) and put it on thier resume like it’s poppin.
Not that Hampton is shitty (b/c we are elite) but so many HBCUs are discredited just b/c they are run, taught, & attended by Black students which leaves me disgusted.
I don’t know why African Americans always look down on thier own institutions, businesses, & people…this distrust/lack of faith in competence…please read the Willie Lynch letter and learn yourself. Please, thank-you, & goodnight.
@OnyxHamptonian, I agree totally!!!!!!
Honestly, I did and have romantized the idea of going to an HBCU. The women alone make the choice easy for a 17 yr old. But it was totally impractical for me at the time. If I would have gone to an HBCU, I would be in ridiculous debt and I probably would not be greek. Having minimal debt and my 3 letters mean more to me than the HBCU idea and experience.
HBCU’s, PWI’s, they’re all the same…both are funded by white people and controlled by white people (read: corporations) with Black figureheads in key positions. European values and philosophies are taught at both. Neither of them have an Afrikan-centered focus (no that doesn’t just mean african history or african american studies) and are therefore unfit for Afrikan [American] people. Both types of schools teach Black kids to cope in a European system rather than teaching them the skills they need to help build and lead an independent Black/Afrikan society. At both types of institutions you have a bunch of Black bodies running around with European minds (the saddest part about that is that they don’t realize the disconnect). Sure you’re receiving an education, but what are you being educated to do and who are you being educated to serve? The answer in HBCU’s is the same as PWI’s based on negroes I know on both sides.
I guarantee you my mba from a pwi will trump any school you went to (even other pwi’s) in a name dropping contest, but that means nothing if I only use it to become a slave of white corporations and pursue individualistic, Eurocentric standards of success like most of these so-called educated Negroes.
Having said all that, if I had to do it again I would’ve gone to Morehouse because: 1) Their network is bananas 2) stuffy white people bore me and Black people are 10x more enjoyable to be around in my opinion, and 3) Spelman is across the street
@Tre Baker,
Now this right here might be the realest comment in this thread. Even while I was defending my HBCU it felt disingenuous because I know I’m only comparing it to a standard set by the white people who happen to control most of the money in this country. HBCUs and PWIs are fundamentally the same thing. Some might handle administration better, some might have richer culture but both have the same end goal. Debating whether one is better than the other is pointless. Now if HBCUs started teaching real empowerment and independence we really might have something there.
@Tre Baker, That was sum real sh-t! U right on it Black! Much Luv 4 that!!!!!!
Hello I work at a HBCU school (Howard), I grew up within a PWI and I can agree and disagree with some of the statements. I can say that since the “recession” has hit Howard is going through its own challenges, then when you have “no home training” young people, short staff, and short within the budget, it just adds on to the above statements. I do work within the administration area and yes I can agree that sometimes people get set in their own ways and Howard is trying to refresh that as well.
As for T/F or R/B…… yes it is steep and the alumi may question where there $$$ is going since they are unable to see much of a change. As for starting and trying to finish a Master’s program, I am truly being honest, I can’t even afford Howard….. but thanks to other outside resouces that allows me to take a class, truly is the only way that I can.
Keep the schools, but I feel we need to give due diligence to where it needs to be, it’s just like hitting the REFRESH botton, that’s all that needs to be done…. FRESH!!!
Wow! This has been an interesting debate indeed. I have seen arguments from both sides of the coin, some quite thought provoking, and some plain ignorant and disrespectful. I attended Iowa State University, a non-HBCU(Thanks, Texas A&M University – a non-HBCU), and I had the most trying, difficult, yet wonderful experience. Let me start by saying I am not pro or con HBCU, but I think it is important that people understand the “black” experience at a non-HBCU. I attended Iowa State and found the greatest sense of community within the black community. I have made friends and contacts for life. I had the opportunity to become a leader on campus and within the black community. Please understand that while attending a school in the second “whitest” state in the union, you learn to come together as a group because there is no one else there for you. Iowa State did an excellent job recruiting black students, but they did a horrible job retaining them. It was groups like the Black Student Alliance, National Society of Black Engineers, the NPHC organizations, etc, that came together to work in concert to help the black student population succeed educationally. Black people are very resourceful and we used the resources we had to the best of our ability to succeed, including George Washington Carver. Dr. George Washington Carver was the first black graduate and faculty member at Iowa State University and I was a Carver Scholar. We(black students) have him to thank for our ability to attend this school and We had big shoes to fill while attending Iowa State. We used him as our source for pride and we used his memory as motivation to succeed at Iowa State.
Socially, it was difficult to adjust. Many nights we just played cards, or monopoly. On the weekends the black organizations on campus threw parties or we went to the local bars. But we creatively found ways to have fun.
The purpose of college which, is what I will tell my children, is not only to get an education, but to really grow up and figure out who you are.
At my non-HBCU, I received a great education, I have developed frienships that will last a life time and I have developed a network of people, regardless of their color that I can tap into for many years to come.
I believe that HBCU’s do provide for a wonderful education and experience and they are desparately needed. I have many friends that attended Fisk, Howard, FAMU, Hampton, Morehouse, Alabama A&M, Rust College, Clark Atlanta, Tenessee State, and many others. They enjoyed their experience as much as I enjoyed mine. After sharing stories, we found that many were the similar, many were different. We speak of diversity, and blacks attending HBCU’s and non-HBCU’s adds to our own diversity.
What bothers me most about this article and many comments that have followed is that black people are still trying best other black people. There is still yet another argument that divides us. Whether it is the color of our skin, or how much money we make, or whether we belong to organizations such as Jack and Jill or not. There should not be another argument, quality of education, that divides us further. Especially since quality of education is relative and is not determined by whether you went to school at a HBCU or non-HBCU, but WHERE you went to school and then IF you took advantage of the educational opportunities that were provided to you there. The argument and article is pointless because in the black community more of our young children are dying every day. More of our young people don’t even see college as an option. More of our young black men are going to prison. I am ecstatic to hear about ANY black student that goes to ANY school, because I know that there is another opportunity for someone to remove the mental chains that hold us back from being successful. Another opportunity for someone to be an asset to the community. Lets find a way to come together, not another way to separate ourselves. Lets grow up people.
I ve already made my feeling known on this topic, but to sum it all up people, this is America, we have freedom of choice. If you want to go to an hbcu, do it, if you want to go to and pwi, do it, it’s your life. Situations and circumctances determine the choices we make in life. For everybody reping for hbcu’s i feel ya, but to say they are better than pwi’s, and you are better than blacks who attend a pwi is one of the most ridiculous statements to be made. We as a people need to stop the bullshit, and wake the fuck up!!!!!!!! We have far more issues pertaining to the black community that are more important, and more relevant!!!!!
While I believe the hbcu, is very neccessary! The actors r mostly famous for acting! Every time we give credit 2 our people, its sum one from the entertainment industry! Mr. Wright, was certainly worth mentioning as well as the other brothers & sistas! However; Wat about the blacks that r trying 2 stop this black on black self hate? As well as black on black crime! Bringing the wealth back 2 our people rather through economics or up lifting! I’m from Chi, and the fortunate blacks here can care less! And we still give them praise!
You do know that only 12% of the students that enrolled in TSU in 2001 had graduated by 2007 right?
VERY LONG POST…SO HERE IT COMES:
What an interesting article, along with the comments…I have actually read through ALL OF THE COMMENTS on this page. WHAT I DON’T HEAR MAINLY IS THE TRUTH ABOUT EDUCATION: whether we like it or not, MOST PEOPLE are going to college to best prepare for a job in the future. COLLEGE is JUST ONE OPTION….There are several options to obtaining a job – whether legal or illegal…LOL…..
HBCU versus PWI…is pointless…WHY BECAUSE I KNOW STUDENTS WHO HAVE graduated from the top hbcus (aka Spelhouse…tons of debts and HAVE NO JOB!!!!…I repeat NO JOB)….i know students WHO HAVE graduated from other top schools in the country AND NO NOT HAVE JOBS…I repeat NO JOB…
the point of the matter is this: Although, I support HBCUs 100%, our country does not support them 100%…..look around folks: 85% of black college students attend PWIs…..I could see an argument for HBCUs if the percent was 50% or perhaps 90%….but TODAY…we basically have 8-9 times out of 10 – a black college students enrolling/graduating at much higher rates in a PWI than a HBCU….
I visited Morehouse…and SIR HONESTLY….The school is quite impressive with ITS ALUMNI….but the overall school leaves a lot to be desired in terms OF RESOURCES, WEALTH, ENDOWMENT, ETC…. Where is all of this over-priced ($30-$40,000 plus) EDUCATION GOING TO….BECAUSE it is definitely not improving the buildings and CREATING MORE ACCREDITED PROGRAMS/MAJORS…Morehouse and Spelman should be investing in becoming small universities that are producing GRADUATE RESEARCH AND so forth….Howard, although not recognized like it should, HAS such programs that ALLOW PEOPLE TO SEE “professionalism (medical school, law school, business school, etc)”….Morehouse and Spelman are “just breeding grounds for graduate school/post-on other studies….
HBCUs can not even DARE COMPARE THEMSELVES TO OTHER PWI schools…do you want to KNOW WHY:
1) We are going to school for EDUCATION….NOT CULTURE, HOMECOMING, GREEK LIFE…ETC….although social LIFE IS IMPORTANT
(OUR SCHOOLS ARE CONSIDERED A JOKE TO MOST OF THE WORLD – because HBCUs are become COMMON to subjecting themselves to HORRIBLE REGISTRATION, FINANCIAL AID, OUT-DATED RESOURCES/TECHNOLOGY, UN-ACCREDIATED PROGRAMS…and yes MANY white schools have the same…BUT I AM NOT talking about those schools…..
What you fail to realize is this: WE ARE LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY….many HBCU graduates carry “FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, ETC…with a badge of HONOR…that is NOTHING TO BE PROUD ABOUT….this just leads further INTO THE STEREOTYPE OF BLACK BUSINESS and WHY PEOPLE SHOULD NOT SUPPORT BLACK BUSINESSES…..
basically…you are SAYING BLACK CULTURE IS UNDER-ACHIEVEMENT…FINE WOMEN, GREEK LIFE, REGISTRATION PROBLEMS, FINANCIAL AID PROBLEMS…ETC….then we slip in the academics…..IT SHOULD BE THE REVERSE (eliminating the rest except BEAUTIFUL BLACK WOMEN
Greek-life is another post for another day….SO I WANT TALK ABOUT THE REAL “TRUTH ABOUT GREEK ORGANIZATIONS (ALL OF THEM INCLUDING THE DIVINE 9) FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE…anyway, continuing ON:
What is MOREHOUSE KNOWN FOR IN ATLANTA/AROUND THE COUNTRY??? What is SPELMAN known for AROUND THE COUNTRY/ATLANTA? Let’s see GEORGIA TECH( more successful alumuni, top-ranked school, COST LESS THAN BOTH SCHOOLS, IS KNOWN FOR “ENGINEERING AND HARDCORE SCIENCES…..THEY ATTRACT STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD…THEY SPECIALIZE IN THIS AREA – OUR HBCUS are just known “PRIMARILY” TO BLACK FOLK in terms of the FEW SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAVE…business (FAMU, Howard, etc…) Spelman (biology program) Xavier (medical, etc)..and etc..and I guess Morehouse (business – since they claim that 30% of their graduates go onto Wall Street- not bad
— however
Your schools are ONLY MAINLY KNOWN TO be “so-called ELITE SCHOOLS because the rockefeller’s gave more money (SPELMAN ROCKEFELLER) to these schools and the more “upper-crest black folks attended them – that is WHY THERE IS A STRONGER LEGACY within these schools…THAT IS TRULY THE ONLY DIFFERENCE…among HBCUs (however of course…THERE ARE DIFFERENCES YES BETWEEN SPELHOUSE and FORT VALLEY…i’m not stupid…lol
Our HBCUs are crumbling each day and falling by the waist side…BECAUSE THE ENTIRE BLACK COMMUNITY (majority) HAS BECOME complacent AND DOES NOT VALUE “BLACK COLLEGES ANYMORE” like they should
yea a FEW black folks still attend them and ENCOURAGE others to do so…BUT MAN O MAN…in the REAL WORLD (out of your CIRCLES, CLIQUES, ETC….)
People (educated and non-educated ) ARE DISCOURAGING BLACK STUDENTS TO ATTEND THESE SCHOOLS for the VERY REASONS that I POST ABOVE…..(registration, financial aid)….AND I GO TO A PWI…and suffered with these issues less than 2-3 times during freshmen year (NOT ON A CONSISTENT -EVERY YEAR BASIS…LOL…THIS IS PEOPLE’S MONEY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT)
BLACK PEOPLE LIKE ALL PEOPLE DEMAND HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE, EDUCATION, BUSINESS, ETC….would you cater your business to A POORLY-RUN BUSINESS just because the upper-class BLACK FOLKS’ legacy was built upon it….NO…so why should we support SOMETHING that SEEMS TO NOT FULLY INVEST IN OURSELVES BY DEMANDING BETTER SERVICE….
SUPPLY AND DEMAND…..there are NUMEROUS HBCUs BUT THEY ARE NOT IN DEMAND like they use to be…THE WORLD HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED..AND IT IS CHANGING EVERYDAY….
HBCUs NEED TO SERIOUSLY BROADEN THEIR HORIZONS AND VISION TO “ALL ETHNIC GROUPS” and SERIOUSLY RECRUIT THEM……because they ARE MISSING OUT ON OTHER TALENT THAT COULD SUPPORT AND TAKE HBCUS TO ANOTHER LEVEL IN EDUCATION….
I WANT ALL SCHOOLS TO SUCCEED, ESPECIALLY HBCUS…
These schools WERE NEVER FOUNDED FOR BLACK PEOPLE TO SUCCEED…they WERE MAINLY FOUNDED TO SEGREGATE BLACK PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE WHITE RACE DURING SEGREGATION AND GET THEM PREPARED TO WORK FOR THEM (it seems this trend CONTINUES TODAY…LOL) and ALONG WITH THE OTHER “MASSIVE SLAVES (ALL RACES OF PEOPLE)” WHO WILL WORK FOR THE SYSTEM – AMERIKKKA
WE NEED HBCUS…to teach their STUDENTS TO INVEST IN BECOMING MORE “OWNERS” AND BEGAN GOING AFTER “GOVERNMENT-CONTRACTS” to OPEN UP OUR OWN CORPORATIONS, ENTERPRISES, BUSINESSES, ETC….TO HELP EMPLOY “OUR” PEOPLE AND OTHERS AS WELL…AT GET THESE HOMELESS PEOPLE AND OTHER JOBLESS PEOPLE OFF THE STREET – ALL WE SEEM TO BE GOOD AT DOING – IS TAKING THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TICKET AND GETTING THE BIG VICE PRESIDENT JOB LOOKING DOWN ON PEACHTREE…Not just becoming another EDUCATED NEGRO WITH A SIX-FIGURED SALARY….because THERE IS ENOUGH OF THAT ALREADY…..LOL..yes I live in metro Atlanta..ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NUMEROUS BLACK BUSINESSES HERE…BUT DEFINITELY NOT A BLACK MECCA…THERE IS NONE (NOT WITH BLACK POVERTY IN ATLANTA NEAR 20-30 PERCENT AND D.C. (PRIMARILY PRINCE COUNTY MD) FILLED WITH POOR-MAJORITY BLACK SCHOOL SYSTEMS – THIS IS NOTHING TO BE PROUD ABOUT TO CALL OURSELVES THE BLACK MECCAS….WHAT A DARN JOKE!
———
Another post: UMMMMMM HELLO….Tell HBCUs to FIX THEIR STADIUMS AND KNOCK DOWN THESE DOORS OF ALL THESE “SO-CALLED ALUMUNI” AND CORPORATIONS….TO RECRUIT BACK ALL “THOSE TALENTED ATHLETIC PLAYERS” THAT THEY HAVE MISSED OUT ON THE LAST 20-30 YEARS OR SO….
THE BLACK MAN HAS TAKEN HIS SKILLS TO THE “WHITE CAMPUS” AND NOW THE WHITE MAN IS REAPING ALL THE REWARDS…WHILE BLACK PEOPLE STILL STUCK ON PLAYING THE SAME TRADITION HOMECOMING SONG WITH A LOSING-STREAK OF FOOTBALL SEASON AND BASKETBALL SEASON…LOL this is ridiculous…..GET THE ATTENTION OF THESE NFL, NBA, ACTORS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC….TO ASK FOR MONEY AND SUPPORT TO GET HBCUS BACK ON THE MAP IN TERMS OF THEIR FUTURE SUCCESS…SHOOT…WE PAY MANY OF THESE FOOLS AND YET NOT ONE CONTRIBUTATION OR CAMPAIGN IS MADE TOWARDS THEIR SUCCESS….YEAH IM CALLING OUT THE “MASTER P, PLIES, JAY-Z, BEYONCE, TYLER PERRY, KANYE WEST, KEYSHIA COLE, USHER…..HECK WE SUPPORT THESE PEOPLE…..
GET ON THESE MEGA CHURCHES TOO….MULTI-MILLION BUDGETS AND COMPLEXES AND BLACK PEOPLE FAILING OUT OF SCHOOLS AND HBCUS LOOKING RUN DOWN….COME ON PEOPLE…
DID YOU KNOW THAT BLACK PEOPLE DISPOSBALE INCOME WAS CLOSE TO A TRILLION DOLLARS…YET NOT ONE HBCU HAS A “BILLION ENDOWMENT…”…HECK, all of these HBCU endowments TOTAL TO LIKE 2-3 billion….COMPLETE SAD…..THINK ABOUT THIS: SO WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT OUR “RACE” OF PEOPLE IN TERMS OF CATERING TO HBCUS…DO YOU THINK ANY OF THAT MONEY IS GOING TO HBCUS…NOPE..NOPE…well, a little bit….lets just say perhaps under 5-10 million…
Then, we have UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND THAT BLESS ITS HEART..TRIES THEIR BEST AND RAISES ONLY 1 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR….(think about what I posted just a moment ago – A TRILLION DOLLARS to 1 billion)….
NBA/NFL altogether for black athletes bring in over a billion dollars EVERY YEAR (salaries, endorsements, contracts, etc)…YET HBCUS STILL LOOK deteriorated-like……..in fact, type in BLACK OVER-CLASS…and I believe it stated that these players bring in over 3-4 BILLION DOLLARS…..once again look at HBCUS…
I have posted a LOT TO SHOW YOU THIS: EDUCATION MEANS NOTHING IF WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH OUR EDUCATION TO GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL (WHATEVER THAT NEXT LEVEL IS FOR YOU IN LIFE)…We, as a race, should be STRIVING TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITIES, SCHOOLS, ETC…to MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT AROUND THE “WORLD”…..that is why diversity is important….WE (college educated, high-school degree, some-college degree, WHITE, BLACK, ASIAN, homeless, etc) NEED EACH OTHER TOGETHER TO FIX THE MASS PROBLEMS AT HBCUS so THAT MANY QUALIFIED AND UN-QUALIFIED STUDENTS WOULD BE BEATING DOWN THE DOOR TO ATTEND….AND NOT JUST SOME LAST RESORT….OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT JUNIOR COLLEGES AND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS…SO LETS STOP TREATING THEM AS SUCH….
Our SCHOOLS SHOULD ATTRACT THE BEST, HIRE THE BEST, EMPLOY THE BEST, TEACH THE BEST, PLAY THE BEST, LOOK THE BEST, ACT THE BEST, ETC…….WHY BECAUSE WE DEMAND TO BE THE BEST….SO BEFORE YOU POST “WHY HBCU’S ARE BETTER THAN WHEREVER YOU WENT”…THINK ON THIS NOTION….
Please remember I TYPED IN CAPS…to EMPHASIZE major points …I’M NOT YELLING AT ANYONE…I am speaking truthfully HERE BECAUSE THIS IS THE RAW DEAL and I care more about HBCUs then your actual 4 reasons (no arrogance on my behalf at all)….I didn’t even want to entertain your 4 reasons because they are trivial to the matter that of addressing the points that I made above….IN FACT…it would be interesting if you posted MY LONG COMMENT as an open discussion for other to see and think about….HOPEFULLY…MY “BLACK” CARD WON’T GET REVOKED…LOL
In case you didnt’ know…I attend a PWI in Atlanta (that is enough to say but do I WISH I was attending an HBCU – if that makes you happy – BUT I KNOW THIS IS WHERE GOD WANTS ME TO BE AND I AM CONTENT…..
…..LOOK OUT FOR ME IN THE FUTURE…BECAUSE GOD IS TAKING ME, ALONG WITH OTHERS WHO WANT TO TAG ALONG, TO GREATER HEIGHTS!
Take care
And God Bless
@time out,
very long post indeed….you made some good points but you might have missed it on a few…there’s no way I could address all of them though….HBCUs may only enroll 15% of African American students but HBCUs also only make up about 3-4% of all the colleges in the US and many of them are very very small compared to their PWI counterparts…FAMU, the largest single campus HBCU enrolls 12,000 to 13,000 students per year. The largest 100 PWIs all have more than 25,000 students (there are only just over 100 HBCU’s total and most of them have enrollments under 3000). So do the math…the handful of tiny HBCUs are still educating a disproportionate number of black kids compared to PWIs. This means we need to care about their plight. Yes HBCUs need to work on finance management. And yes they definitely need to improve their focus on empowering black people instead of just training them to work for white people. But they won’t do either if we let the fall to the wayside.
@klysha, thanks for your response…and I concur with everything you stated….however, it would be nice if you addressed some of my points within my post ALONG WITH THE MAIN AUTHOR OF THE ARTICLE…I thought to myself-perhaps the author was just being humorous in his approach BUT IT SEEMS LIKE HE WAS SERIOUS (these are not reasons to pursue COLLEGE AT ALL
….I was not in anyway DEGRADING HBCUs or PWIs…I was just spitting out my biased opinions on the future of hbcus…..moreover, education for African Americans period…..ALL SCHOOLS must empower everyone to achieve and train them to work together!
Since I am not an alumuni of HBCUs, perhaps you could address these issues they I have brought up within your next HBCU alumni association and SEE TO IT that these issues get addressed…(if not already)…lol
once again…take care.
time out
Dang, can you all at least spell your words correctly (even in the article). I mean, you don’t have to always spell correctly, but at least for THIS article. Chill out on the typos. You’re not representing any school well at all. And I’m not talking about the purposeful typos either. And clean the cursing up. Use some more meaningful words (act like you kept your college dictionary and actually opened that book at least.) And yes, I did go to an HBCU, and graduated #6 in the class, and that only because two professors (one African, one White) succeeded in plainly cheating me out of two grades despite dispute. And yes, also went and took a computer programming course at a HWCU as well and aced that too. Please people, make your English professor proud. And by the way, the article was a bit of a joke. Admit it. Learn the difference between “to” and “too.” I hope you all caught that one: “Lucky for me, I don’t have too.” ??? That’s fourth grade.
Wow this is such an interesting topic…
I attend an HBCU and I absolutely love my school and would not trade my experience for the world. The adminstration bothers me a lot but I must say the good outweighs the bad. I can only speak for myself but I applied to many PWI’s and got in but I chose an HBCU because I knew I would get an an excellent education from professors that actually care! The professors at my school are way underpaid yet they have a SINCERE interest in their students. I am not a number they know more than just my name they know ME. I have an excellent relationship with many of my professors and I will continue to keep in touch with them after college.
I do know a lot of black people but @Blue Skyez I am almost positive I know just as many if not more people from other nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. Don’t be so stereotypical. I attended a predominantly white high school and I live in one of the most diverse places in the country. I have been interacting with white, asians, europeans, hispanics and africans my entire life. If anything I needed to interact with my own race. Many of my black friends go to PWI’s and there is nothing wrong with that..but they do not have a rich tradition of their school like I do. Oh and let me be clear many of my high school teachers ENCOURAGED me to go to a top HBCU.
The professors at my university are amazing I even have white teachers and they are excellent also! I know that I am a part of a legacy that many other African-Americans were apart of also. Knowing your past and where you come from helps pave your future. HBCU’s make on feel as if they are in a family. I mean don’t get me wrong people do disrespect others but that is anywhere you go. I love the l