I must admit I find the trip to be unfair and discriminatory. I take issue with the reasoning behind the trip that the post's author asserts. If you read the article it states a concern with lack of black participation in Rhodes study abroad programs. No direct statistics are given, however, for the purpose of this post I will assume this is true. It likely is.
The primary reason highlighted for lack of study abroad participation is that black students have little financing since they are already on scholarship and aid to go here:
"The next possible issue is finances. A majority, if not all, of the Black students in attendance receive financial aid to cover expenses. The idea that Black students are unable to afford studying abroad comes into play."Firstly, this is almost a stereotypical assertion. But more importantly, there are plenty of students who not of color that are on financial aid. Money is clearly a determining factor in their ability to study abroad as well.
But many Black students are not aware of the financial aid that is available to them because they never muster the courage to go to any of the study abroad sessions.This seems like an extremely weak point. All it shows, or rather assumes, is a lack of initiative.
Sabrina Brown, the Assistant Dean of Multicultural Affairs, understands these fears and has made possiblea trip to Belize over the winter break for students of color. With the trip to Belize, she has arranged to provide at least half of the finances to attend and has left the rest up to the student to obtain.Alas, here is the part I really take issue with. This is an exclusive trip in which students automatically get 50% of the cost covered because of their skin color. I am not particularly concerned with reverse discrimination usually, but this seems like an obvious example of it. Affirmative action was necessary, and may still be (I am still debating if it is just in the present), but this is taking it a step too far. For one thing, it segregates students. But more importantly, it discriminates against white students who do not have the funding to study abroad. These type of special privileges should not exist once you are in the institution. We're trying to break down barriers and fences - not reinforce differences. I am pretty startled that Rhodes is doing this and am surprised there isn't a bit of an outcry.
I had not heard of this trip until reading this article. I feel that some of these claims are unsubstantiated. While this very well may be true, some kind of evidence or views from more than one person would give the article more merit. I agree with Cecil that I try not to pull the reverse discrimination card, but as a white student here on financial aid, studying abroad is most likely only possible with scholarships. Studying abroad is not cheap, and I want to go as much as the next person. I feel that there is a generalized statement in this article that every black student is struggling with money, which I know not to be true. I feel that money offered to students to study abroad should be based on financial circumstances and not skin color. I am also curious if this applies to other students of color or just black students.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate what the Office of Multicultural Affairs does; don't get me wrong. I was a PA this year, and I heard about a program that students of color are invited to during Welcome Week. This program is offered at the same time as another program though, and I have heard that some students have felt torn between being a student of color and a Rhodes student. I like that we have an Office of Multicultural Affairs, but I think there needs to be a smoother relationship between being a student of color and a student at Rhodes.
After reading the article, I was very surprised by what the author had to say about her own race. I don't believe all of the difficulties that come with studying abroad apply to the African American students only, and I don't think she should make that generalization. If I ever chose to study abroad, leaving the country on my own an having to make an effort to meet and befriend new people would put me drastically far out of my comfort zone. I would also have to apply for scholarships because I would be faced with my parents unwillingness to fund my trip. Scholarships for everyone exist. The class of 2014 recently received an email about financial aid and scholarships for a Maymester in Oxford, and race was not mentioned in the list of requirements. If a student wants to know about studying abroad, they just need to check their email. Going out of the country is something that can be easily done at Rhodes, and I don't believe the color of your skin has anything to do with the reasons why you would or wouldn't choose to participate.
ReplyDeleteI am as equally confounded by this as you all are. Why the author found it necessary to specifically discuss black students and “their” struggles to study abroad at Rhodes is questionable. But this is what particularly bothers me. Regarding the large number of students who study abroad, she states, “unfortunately, this large group does not constitute many Black students”- as if to say there is a specific reason other than the fact that “many” black students don’t apply for study abroad that their visibility isn’t present. Regardless if this based on a desire to or a legitimate concern, such as financial aid, the wording doesn’t seem right to me. As previously noted, roughly a fifth of the campus is made up of students of color, 19%. I would hate to assume anything, but given the number of students who study abroad each year, 65% or so, and the racial make-up of Rhodes, it would make sense to me that fewer students of color study abroad. Yet, if someone wants to study abroad that badly, I would hope that they’d seek out the Study Abroad Office, figure out the procedure, and follow through.
ReplyDeleteI just don’t see where race has anything to do with the “lack of involvement Black students have regarding studying abroad,” nor how it can be argued as such. As Amanda noted, these concerns seem pretty universal to the Rhodes student. I think this idea of fear and placing oneself in uncomfortable surroundings, two factors also noted by the author, is a testament of how some black students at Rhodes don’t get involved or interact with the greater Rhodes community nor feel an obligation to “make the first move” as it’s been defined. I think this mentality hinders what could be amazing experiences amongst our campus’ social circles. It’s odd, however, that this becomes a justifiable excuse for a black student choosing not to study abroad. I think this author might have thought too hard about this one. It’s not as complex as that. Motivating black students to study abroad seems to be the bigger issue, but like Cecil said, privileging them financially doesn’t seem like the way to go, especially when they aren’t excused from the pool of scholarships available to students who wish to study abroad.