I knew a guy in college who one day mentioned that he didn’t get a scholarship because it was given to a black student. He didn’t say it in a racist way but more matter of fact. And we were talking with other black students. His roommate was black and he hung out with other black people in the dorm.
Yet, I don’t think he ever made it through his second year of college. He spent too many night staying up and sleeping in. Another guy I knew was very conservative and hated Affirmative Action. He rarely went to class and ended up getting four Fs and one D for his first semester. He caused so many problems with his roommate who was dating a black woman that removed him from the dorm. Georgia Southern University had a higher rate of black students as opposed to the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech.
That sumbitch Reagan helped increased college tuitions and fees to keep non-whites out of colleges and universities. Affirmative Action became a hot topic during the 1990s but the irony is it’s helped more white woman than any other demographic. The last thing anyone wants to admit is that they’re not a viable candidate. I’ve applied for jobs and scholarships thinking that I had the thing in the bag.
But what if I was missing something? Sometimes, it’s a typo you missed on a letter or maybe someone else needs the scholarship for something better. I received a degree in communication. What if the other applicant was pre-med? Who needs more money? Who’s college degree is more important? It’s a difficult choice to make. Sometimes, the committees see certain students majors as more important than others.
The irony is there’s always been discrimination in education. I told this to someone who tried to argue that white women weren’t allowed in a nursing program over Latino males. But if you go back before Affirmative Action and DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion), there’s always been a problem. It all depends on where you live and where some people say you should go to school. If said school doesn’t have the programs you’re interested in, you’re screwed.
So many people over the years have had the talents of music (vocal and instrumental), art (drawing and painting) or even writing (journalism and creative), but never had the opportunity to express it because where they live or grow up. And since there’s already a big hurdle in front of them, most will just decide to take a job doing something they don’t like but it’s the only thing available to them.
My ex’s youngest daughter was part of Upward Bound, which is a federal program in which students from lower-income families who may have better chances at college, go to a summer program at a college for a few weeks. Some might say this is students who are typically non-white and that upsets them. But what’s the difference between colleges and universities spending so much money for students who can barely read or write getting free scholarships just to play a sport? And the institution can make money off the students and their likeness.
Where’s the outcry here? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill defunding DEI in public colleges in his state. He’s using the old-fashioned conservative stance that it discriminates people who are more deserving. And he is saying that it creates wokeness on campus. I’m not sure University of Florida and Florida State University could be seen as woke. It is Florida, by the way. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if this would encourage the sports programs at FSU and UF.
Every school, college and technical institute in America has discrimination. Sometimes, a teacher or instructor just likes one student better. Public education has to rely on ad valorem tax. This is why the richer more affluent students still get ahead in schools. I’ve covered sports and education, I’ve seen people bend over backwards if it means a football player gets a scholarship to the big university. And I’ve seen too many students blow those scholarships.
Imagine if someone you know needs an organ transplant, a new liver, heart or kidney and someone else who is of higher standing gets it and they do something stupid with it like drink themselves silly or chainsmoke Marlboro Red Death cigarettes, then you’d be pissed. Yet, people screw up scholarships left and right and no one says anything. Some college student athlete gets a free ride to a college just to become a P.E. teacher or sell insurance. No one cares because there’s the possibility of a championship title.
Sometimes, grades don’t matter. What matters is bedside manner and efficiency. If a white woman nursing student can tell you all you need to know, but freaks out at the sight of blood or sticking an IV needle, then they probably made the right choice choosing a Latino who may be better with the patient. I think most people don’t realize the discrimination because it doesn’t happen to them on a regular basis. It’s easier to say you’re having a bad day when something bad happens earlier in the morning but the rest of the day you didn’t have problems. Your alarm didn’t go off and you were almost late to work and didn’t get to shower is different than your alarm didn’t go off and you had a flat that delayed you getting to work and then your employer wrote you up for being late.
If you’ve never shopped in a store without people following you thinking you’re going to steal, you don’t know what discrimination is. If you’ve never had a cop stop you assuming that you had stolen your own car, you don’t know what discrimination is. Just because you don’t get something you feel you’re owed, it doesn’t make it discrimination.
I went to a school where Daddy’s Money was more important. I don’t know if I said this before but the administration at my school didn’t like me. I went to my school guidance counselour who was an awful human being. I said I needed some transcripts to send to college. She yelled and screamed saying she couldn’t give them to be because it wasn’t official. If another teacher hadn’t been in the room to calm her down, I don’t know what would’ve happened.
No, I know what would’ve happened. I would’ve had to call my mother and then there would’ve been a huge fight. But that’s the problems in our schools. Adminstrators and teachers are put there to weed out students who they don’t want to succeed. I believe what Winona Ryder said that she got expelled for getting assaulted and beaten up by other students. That’s our American public education system in action. Money talks.
And while DeSantis wants to appeal to his conservative base, this may have some serious repurcussions in the long run. As of this posting, word has come down that Disney isn’t not going forward with a $1 billion business deal following all the problems they’ve had with DeSantis and Republicans in the state. Construction sites say they’re not able to hire undocumented immigrants from some new policies that have been enacted that target them.
My guess is DeSantis is trying to get campaign donors and support for his inevitable 2024 Presidential run. I anticipate some students won’t apply to Florida colleges but it could affect its tourism base more than anything else. It sounds to me like DeSantis, who went to colleges at Ivy League elitist schools like Yale University and Harvard University, is wanting to show people he’s not an elitist.
And while it might satisfy the racists and MAGA supporters who call Florida home, it’s very likely, it could hurt Florida’s economy the same way his other policies have. But that’s the topic of another post. The country is watching. Will this succeed or fail? Time will tell.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 