The average pupil commits 13 years of his or her life in the pursuit of education. The first 9 years are spent solidifying the basic fundamentals. Next, the pupil moves on to supplementary education where one matures into an independent thinker. By this time the student is capable of making the choice to attend a higher learning institution. The average African American student is faced with one question when choosing to attend college: HBCU or PWI?
According to an article called School Daze, Panama Jackson establishes his argument that HBCUs trump all PWIs and Ivy League institutions. He attempts to support these claims by providing four reasons that show evidence in HBCUs prominence over other universities. These examples are drawn from his own experiences as an alumnus of an HBCU where he did his undergraduate work. In opening, Jackson identifies the arguments made against HBCUs by the media; they have been identified as units of second rate education, and are questioned of their usefulness. In defense, he states that HBCU’s offer a higher level of education than others because of the vast amount of African American contacts to be made for the professional world, responsibility learned from the shortcomings of HBCU administration, diversity, and more attractive women. I believe that these ideas are invalid in attempting to prove HBCUs’ superiority. In fact, these institutions are molded on inferiority, lacking in every area that other universities excel at.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities were established in response to the banishment of blacks from white institutions. They were the breeding grounds for the first African American scholars. They instilled pride and dignity within the African American race. As we move towards a time of tolerance and equality, HBCUs remain as a reminder of that segregation. African Americans have consciously chosen to remove themselves from the mainstream population by attending these learning centers. Jackson addresses both white and blacks when he states he knows more black people. While it can be beneficial to have a network of likeminded individuals within your own race, some might view this homogeneous support group as a crutch. Fear in competing and interacting with others outside of the African American race becomes evident. If anything, an HBCU teaches you to be a coattail rider, piggy backing on the accomplishments of other African Americans, instead of establishing you own. While some call this opportunity, I call it raping your race of its resources. Furthermore, the whole “my sista, my brotha, help me out” song and dance is a sign of entitlement that needs to be broken within the African American race. PWIs will help establish one’s independence, breaking away from a culture so reliant on others.
HBCUs are notorious for their poor performance in servicing students. Jackson shines headlights on this statement. True, inadequacies made by others trains students to be more pro-active, but, this can happen anywhere. This comment is more detrimental than supportive of Jackson’s thesis. The reader possibly would not have known this information if he had not addressed it without cause. In consequence, he created a major self-infliction, failing to recover.
Bottom line, HBCUs offer little diversity. Sure, someone on campus might drive an Aston Martin, or there might be that one Puerto Rican kid in your class, but is that really diverse? Cultural diversity can be described as a melting pot of different races, ethnicities, religions, social classes, sexual orientations, cultural belief systems, etc. HBCUs are confined to minimal exposure of this. We can pretend all we want but the numbers do not match. According to CollegeProwler.com, the diversity at Harvard is as follows: African American 7%Asian American14%Hispanic6%International13%Native American1% White47% Unknown12%. Compared the numbers at Hampton, African American 96% Asian American1% Hispanic1% International0% Native American0% White2% Unknown 0%, the PWI is the evident winner. The University of Wisconsin organization credits include the African Students Association, the Asian American Student Units, Asian Christian fellowship, Buddhists for World Peace, Chabab Jewish Student organization, and HipHop’s Last Hope, just to name a few. Florida A&M’s most noteworthy program is the International student organization.
Jackson’s last argument states that attractive women found at HBCUs create a better quality of life which correlates with a better education. While the social aspect of a school can contribute to the overall experience and performance of the student, this is obviously not the case at most HBCU’s. Although his opinion is subjective, let’s say it is law. How do we explain the higher retention and graduation rates at other universities which have less attractive girls, Miles College graduating 9% vs. University of Ohio at 78%? Nationally, HBCUs graduate 37% of their students within 6 years. The national graduation rate is at 55%.
Fisk, Morehouse, Spelman, Dillard, Howard, Clark Atlanta Hampton, and Tuskegee are supposedly the Black Ivy League, attracting top African American Students in the nation. Currently there are no statistics stating the percentage of students who were accepted into the real Ivy League who now attend HBCUs. We can infer an extremely small percentage since the average composite act score for the top HBCU (Spelman) is 20-24. The average for Harvard, Princeton, and Yale is 30-35.
Statistically, HBCU’s cannot compete with PWIs. For one they receive less funding, leading to insufficient resources and lack of the latest technology. Sad to say, a degree received from a PWI carries more weight than a degree acquired at an HBCU. Why do you think so many HBCU undergrads run to more renowned PWIs to complete grad work? Hiding in the shadows of HBCUs’ rich history won’t work for much longer. The reality of things is coming to light, and employers see these institutions for what they really are, underdeveloped, unreliable, and insignificant.

For a place of higher education, it was very sad to find Blacks who weren’t open-minded to opinions, political views, and ideologies other than the “Black status quo,” “Black consensus,” or just “Black majority.” For example, in 2008, waving Obama’s banner on dormitories without taking a poll. Or when Obama won, walking to every Black person saying, “We won,” with the assumption that every Black person voted for Obama. Out of a whole campus, I’ve seen only 2 Blacks ask other Blacks did they vote for Obama first. Of course, there are those who will lash out against my statements, but that is proving my point.

As far as connections, I make connections regardless to race. I am not seeing the validity, or better yet, the necessity of having to know all of the Black people in town. It’s not that I oppose “we as a people,” but I get to know and establish a rapport with all races. Besides, I cannot assume that Blacks are in all of the places where I want to go, thus I have a lot of useful Whites and Asians in my pocket for connections and recommendations.

Responsibility? I was at the Fiscal office chilling because I knew where the money was in my school, and my tuition was paid. This girl with a 3.8 GPA’s mother called 2 weeks before finals asking where to find money for her daughter. Shame the girl could not research it for herself.

Back to your poor English, Panama. Next time, take your paper to the Writing Lab before you publish online.

To whom this may concern:
First, I agree with your overall message and reasoning, but the responsibility factor should not be a positive for attending HBCU’s. You found a positive out of a negative, which is great for you. I attended Southern University and A&M College and I would have to say things were similar here in regards to the staff and administration not processing information via computer software properly. The schools are fighting for state funding, therefore the schools don’t have the latest technology equipment at there disposal. The attitudes between the students and employees do flair up when a students finances are at stake and the weather is 87 degrees or hotter. I don’t have an answer for that problem, but I do understand both sides.

Second, the women are fine at HBCU’s, but honestly the average african-american female is fine. Giving HBCU’s the credit of having finer women is true due to the fact that there are more of them that meet your standards of quality. At other university’s the males, and now, even females are competing for the very few fine woman of all races that are on campus. The false perception that african-american women are fine but they are not pretty is broken at Southern. Don’t get it twisted, there are some that have those assets, posses a great attitude, and dress for the occasion (dudes know what I mean).

Third, having an African-American Network is a positive that can’t be duplicated. At Southern I meet so many people of color for all over the world. I used to live in Minnesota so when I told people that as a freshman I was labeled an “out of stater”, which does have its benefits (out of towner’s get the most attention). My close friend was from St. Louis and we still speak on a weekly basis. I meet individuals from all over the United States, from places like Seattle, Nebraska, Chicago, Baltimore, and Orlando. I noticed that each city had there own style; like how they play basketball, how they dance, and how they speak. Southern has provided me with people who have explained to me the current African-American culture in the city or state they are from. Where else can you study, sleep, eat, and party with young black people from all over the United States everyday for four years or more while obtaining an education?

Finally, the education I received was better then I expected. Honestly, I thought Southern was all party since LSU was ranked the #7 party school in America by Sports Illustrated in 1999 and Southern was considered the trendsetter. After attending classes I realized that the education I would receive was dependent upon my personal effort. The teachers were not giving out easy grades, in fact they pushed you to try harder. I respect the teachers but I honestly still feel like I deserve better grades then I received.

African American graduates from PWI and HBCUS have both equally failed out communities. How many HBCU and PWI graduates have pooled their money together to created black economic centers.

This webpage really shows you how ignorant we are as a race. You got the house negro minded people bragging I went to a white school with massa children . vs. blacks who supported institutions that keep black professors with steady unemployment. I think black HBCU as well as black PWI graduates are a joke. And I have seen white HR directors toss black PWI grads resumes into the other bin as well.

What is funny to me is that poor whites, asians and hispanics are flooding HBCUs and actually doing well there then going on to bigger and better things. When you look at the out of shape white females who are majorettes at HBCUs, no way in hell they would have made it at BAMA. I didnt have one black professor in the business school, then you have white professors at PWIs who flunk all non whites. Its alot of dirt on PWIs that people dont dish.

I think you will always have black people who are MIS educated and will always put down anything black in favor of something that is white, but to be fair you do have poor black management, but thats because black males are who are standup in American society are usually never given opporunity to change and end up having to run to whites for jobs.

We are really screwed as a race if HBCUs are done, because PWIs arent crazy at all about the avg black person. Unless, you want to be a ruling class lacky like Obama, or a opporunist like Roland Martin then PWIs are for you. But I think if i had the power I would create an EBONY LEAGUE, invest my money in Africa and African people and live in my own little Ebony world just like every other groups does.

African Americans are in a great depression degree or no degree, so I think our real problem is lack of a Black Private Sector that compliments the mainstream 99% white controlled private sector.

OK, I feel better.

Go Blue!

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 graduated from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and a lot of the things you received from your experience at an HBCU, I received from my experience as well. Was it as diverse as an HBCU? Of course not…but we had the traditions as well (like “The March to the Big House” on football Saturdays, Midnight Madness (where all Greeks would come out for the step show on The Diag), painting of The Rock….the list goes on and on….). We have some of the highest quality professors, programs, and academic divisions….we have the largest alumni base in the WORLD (nope, I didn’t make that fact up), and that connection we have with other Wolverines is really genuine. We also were able to party just as much as any HU, Spelman, or HBCU student with Detroit being just a quick car trip away. Plus, I gotta say, although I’m a straight Black female….we had some gorgeous, intelligent, physically active, and involved women on campus (yes, I’m talking about my sistas here!)! Was it perfect? no way, but I’m definitely enjoying that UM degree….DEFINITELY…