Becuase Everything Else Sucks

Scholarship for Whites Only

By Manila Ryce
Published Thursday, November 30th, 2006, 9:30 am
Filed under: Society/Culture: Education, Society/Culture: Racism, Society/Culture, US Politics

A Republican students group at Boston University has started a $250 scholarship for white students. “We are trying to convey the absurdity of any race-based scholarship,” claimed Joseph Mroszczyk, president of the College Republicans. “I don’t think race should be part of any scholarship. It should be based on merit or economic need.” The scholarship may already be serving its purpose, as it has sparked a debate on campus about race-based scholarships and affirmative action.

The scholarship requires the recipient to have at least a 3.2 grade point average, and be at least one quarter white (by that definition, Malcolm X would qualify for the scholarship). Applicants must also submit a photo of themselves, and write two short essays about their race. The first question asks applicants to describe their ancestry. The other asks what it means to be a Caucasian-American today.

Kenneth Elmore, BU’s dean of students, said, “I want students to know that I encourage debate and will help students foster creative debate around the university. I hope the College Republicans and other students will try to do the same.” Elmore continued by saying he understands the statement the group was trying to make, but questions their approach. Executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party Brian Dodge said the state party did not endorse the group’s scholarship. He distanced himself further by saying, “Their actions are misguided and offensive.”

“It seems kind of childish to me. But it’s their $250; they can do with it what they want,” said Jonathan Morrell, a Jamaican/African-American junior majoring in manufacturing engineering. “They say they want to start the discussion, but it seems immature. It’s hard to take them serious enough to get upset,” continued Morrell, who does not receive a scholarship. Karla Mercado a sophomore from Guam, majoring in biomedical engineering, had no problem with the scholarship. “I know some clubs that offer scholarships for certain racial backgrounds, so I see no problem with it.”

Brooke Feldman, student body president at BU, said that the Student Union would probably hold a forum next month on race-based programs that includes representatives from all sides of the issue. “We want to have an open discussion on the implication of the scholarship and a larger conversation on affirmative action,” she said.

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19 Responses to “Scholarship for Whites Only”

  1. I don’t see how having Scholarships based on ethnic and cultural identity is absurd. That being said, I wonder at the need for a White, or Caucasian American scholarship, because the terms “white” and “caucasian” are not true ethnic nor cultural identities. It would be the same as a Korean student applying for a “Asian-Mongoloid” Scholarship, or a Native American applying for a “Red/Aboriginal” Scholarship. Plus, as you pointed out, the whole 1/4 rule means that this so-called “White” Scholarship would actually be open to thousands of mixed race students who, despite having a white grandparent, would not pass for white in terms of skin color.
    There is a real ignorance in this country as to the meaning of Race, especially among the so-called whites. European history is rich and vast, and filled with hundreds of cultures, languages, and tribal backgrounds. Given that the European empires are the most recent, the documentation of familial lines for those of European ancestry is intact and far more available than non-European descendents. Therefore, unlike the blacks whose ancestry was systematically cut off from their cultures and lineages, or many Latinos whose lineages were obscured by years of genocide and religious conversion, so-called “white” Americans have little excuse for not finding their proper ethnic identities. I would argue that few people would find issue with an Irish Heritage Scholarship, or a Norse Scholarship, or a Russian, Italian, Lithuanian, or any of the hundreds of cultural heritages available to those of European descent.
    Of course, I highly doubt that finding and identifying with historical pride is really the goal of these jackass Republicans. It’s apparent that their real problem is with the “mud-races” having access to advantages that they themselves are not. Their notion of the “absurdity” of race-based scholarships is aimed solely for the goal of eliminating them altogether; fairness is nowhere near their agenda. On the other hand, perhaps they seek to prove the absurdity of race-based scholarships based on the absurdity of Them posting a race-based scholarship! (Hypocritical? Yes, but as you know, to the Republicans, the end justifies the means, right?)
    Speaking of absurdity, Proof of ancestry, 3.2 GPA, a headshot and 2 essays? $250 is a bullshit amount of money for that much work, and last I heard, BU is not a cheap school. Most people wouldn’t even bother; I seriously wonder about those who do. It can only be personal. Perhaps we may be able to just sit back and let Natual Selection handle this. Smart, sensible students most likely will shrug this off, whereas industrious idiots with a flare for supremacy or possessing an inferiority complex might just feel too jipped once they get their race checks, and, unable to feed themselves, drop out of BU in record numbers!

    PapaFigue
    11/30/06 at 8:40 pm

  2. One Million White Ethnic Scholarships Don’t Trouble Student Group Protesting Minority Scholarships


    One Million White Ethnic Scholarships Don’t Trouble Student Group Protesting Minority Scholarships
    by Chris de Morsella

    The Daily Free Press, the student
    newspaper at Boston University, recently ran
    an article covering the activities of a Republican student group     that was
    seeking to draw attention to what they call the “worst form of bigotry
    confronting America today,” Boston University’s College Republicans are
    circulating an application for a “Caucasian Achievement and Recognition
    Scholarship” that requires applicants be at least 25 percent Caucasian.
    Joe Mroszczyk president of the student group, Boston University College
    Republicans, told the college’s BU Today Web
    site “
    We think giving out a scholarship based on any race is crazy    ” I would ask
    Joe is it “crazy” only when the targeted ethnic groups are people of color? To
    expose the glaring hypocrisy and double standards that Joe is self-righteously
    engaging in I did a quick Internet search on various “white” ethnic scholarship
    search terms and got large number of hits. If Joe is so opposed to scholarships
    that have an ethnic focus, I would suggest he include in his noble crusade
    ethnic scholarships for students from the following ethnicities as well:
    Number of returned results on Google for the following searches:

    Polish-American scholarships ~ 57,100

    Irish American scholarships ~ 131,000

    Italian American scholarships ~ 223,000

    Jewish scholarships ~ 808,000

    German American scholarships ~ 142,000

    In order to further illustrate the gross hypocrisy that underlies the
    incendiary claims made by Mr. Mroszczyk, I have compiled a small sampling of
    the plethora of white ethnic scholarships.

    Click here
    to view a sampling of white/ethnic scholarships.

    Scholarships that are targeted towards some ethnic group or another literally
    number in the millions. The overwhelming majority of these ethnic-scholarships
    are NOT targeted towards minority groups. These awards are usually NOT for
    groups that HAVE been historically disadvantaged in our society – but rather
    they target various white ethnic groups such as those listed above.

    This phenomenon of white outrage at scholarships that target traditionally
    disadvantaged ethnic groups – a rage that is mute when it comes to the vast
    majority of ethnically targeted scholarships that are geared towards various
    white ethnicities is ignorant, ugly and unfounded. Currently there seem to be
    fewer and fewer scholarships that target minorities. I know this because we
    publish scholarship opportunities on our web site
    The Multicultural Advantage    . In it we list scholarships, grants, and
    other opportunities for, not only minorities, but also for women, veterans,
    international students, older students, GLBT’s, disadvantaged students, and
    students with disabilities. With each new year it is getting harder to find
    opportunities for minorities as these programs are being dropped as a result
    of the pressure being applied. Part of the reason scholarships that target
    disadvantaged minorities are being dropped is that this hypocritical white
    backlash only sees ethnic or race when they are non-white and ignores ethnic
    and race when it is white.
    I feel that it is time for a healthy backlash against this backlash that
    simmers in a veritable witch’s brew of misdirected anger and cloaked racism.
    There is nothing that evil about scholarships that have ethnic or racial focus.
    I doubt, for example that Joe gets hot under the collar regarding the numerous
    scholarships that exist for the descendents of Polish immigrants or those that
    are there for Irish, Italian or Jewish Americans or any number of other “white”
    ethnic groups. This leads me to seriously question why does this loud young
    Republican reserve his indignation, exclusively for the significantly smaller
    number of scholarships that exist for disadvantaged ethnic and racial groups.
    There is no consistency or integrity in this overly affected outrage, of his.
    It is false, and seems to me at least, to be motivated by something much darker
    than some righteous quest for justice or fair play.

    Chris de Morsella
    11/30/06 at 10:01 pm

  3. @Chris: Amen brutha!

    PapaFigue
    12/1/06 at 4:07 pm

  4. the question is…if we are all humans why do racial based scholarships exist? Im not saying get rid of them. Change them to be culturally involved. An african american can be involved into a hispanic culture, or caucasian can be engaged in the asian culture. The fact of the matter is that to segrigate people by race is detrimental to human equality. This includes ‘white’ based scholarships.

    Joshua
    09/6/07 at 10:04 am

  5. @Joshua:
    Race based scholarships exist because Race Exists. The idea that we’re “all the same” is absurd. We are all human beings, and we are blessed to come in such wonderous variety. The solution to racism is not to ignore our differences, but to celebrate them.

    PapaFigue
    09/6/07 at 6:20 pm

  6. Ok this is ridiculous to use “Polish American scholarships” as an example. Many scholarships are for “African American” that includes ALL of a CONTINENT. Not jsut one country, so therefore shouldnt scholarships be European-American by the same logic?

    And no, i have not been able to find any scholarships that broad. Also i came across a scholarship for grad school for African americans and latinos.

    What is racism, racism is exclusions, feeling of superiority or saying that someone doesnt deserve somthing. Saying that whites dont deserve a scholarship becasue of their eethnic background is racism in its own. I am not rich, but i am white. Which is a bad combination, i am screwed from all sides. All of the people writing the crap about the republicans are probably black and afraid their minority protection is about to disappear, get a grip WORK FOR WHAT YOU HAVE, dont complain when others argue about their exclusion from opportunites, sounds like blacks wanting to vote? Sounds like mexicans wanting to come into America…

    Brian
    03/18/08 at 9:35 am

  7. @Brian:
    I have no doubt your frustrations are genuine, and your concerns valid. But pretty much all of your questions, at least the ones you posted here, have been answered in earlier posts. Check it out!

    PapaFigue
    03/18/08 at 8:51 pm

  8. Good job BU! The debate is on!
    Do I think a scholarship for whites only is absurd? Absolutely! Do I think scholarships for blacks only is absurd? Absolutely! BU you have proved your point!

    Colleen
    03/20/08 at 1:33 pm

  9. @Colleen:
    Just one quick thing, it wasn’t BU who was responsible for this moronic scholarship, it was the Idiot Young Republicans…

    (yes I know, it’s a redundant term. I’ll just say Republicans from now on. The idiot part…I mean, like there’s any other kind…)

    Oh and btw, see my comment to Brian…

    (I mean seriously, you guys are like those assholes who show up to open mic, read your lame-ass poem, and then leave right after. I mean, poetry nights are gay enough as it is, you don’t have to make it retarded!)

    Cheers

    PapaFigue
    03/21/08 at 8:24 pm

  10. I’m new at this arguement, but what it seems like to me is that some are having issues with there being color based scholarships… And the point for that arguement is plain and simple. Knowledge is power and the people with the knowledge for the subject inherit the power. Therefore the one who tries the hardest wins and where there is a will there is a way. (BTW I know I probally spelled alot wrong, but its been a really long day..)

    Ariel
    04/18/08 at 10:46 am

  11. Oh, and one other quick thing. I believe someone somewhere had a problem with the concept of Black Colleges.
    While I’ll agree that nowadays, this sort of institution might be outdated, just remember how and why these Colleges were started in the first place.

    Here’s a hint: It has to do with Segregation. Look it up. (And for a bonus, look up who instated that stupid law. I guarantee it wasn’t the “mud-people”)

    PapaFigue
    04/18/08 at 8:27 pm

  12. white, black, asian, and mexican recipients/providers of race based benefits promote racial tensions even further. and to the person above, whites established segregated schools and then someone called doctor king came along and taught us to be color blind on the issue of race in all aspects of society , so your support of segregating out whites from blacks and not promoting diversity is severely racist in itself and you make me sick. why should anyone be given help and aid, or not be allowed to go to a certain school based on their appearance, it just seems so skin deep, maybe they should just give it to who deserves it the most.

    Nate
    05/9/08 at 12:51 am

  13. Two quick points:

    MLK did not teach us to be colorblind. He taught us to accept our differences; not to ignore them.

    Secondly, justice and fairness are two different things. Are race-based scholarships and affirmative action fair? Sometimes not. Are they just? Yes, because they do make inroads to correct an injustice.

    Manila Ryce
    05/9/08 at 1:29 am

  14. To further understand Manila’s first point on Dr. King, I suggest we familiar ourselves with what the Rev. Wright repeatedly voiced not too long ago: “Different does not mean deficient”. It’s okay to be different. It’s okay to embrace the differences that make us unique. There’s nothing inherrently wrong with that as long as we accept that our differences does not make us superior or inferior to another.
    In addition, color-blind seniority systems favor whites over minorities because the senior employees tend to be white. Presently, a color-blind system will not correct injustice, but only reinforce it.

    Secondly, there seems to be much misuderstanding (not necessarily here, but society in general) about race-based scholarships and affirmative action. Ideally, it would be super if we no longer NEEDED affirmative action. But we can only move to this ideal when preexisting inequities — continuously being perpetuated to this day — are addressed.

    For more information regarding affirmative action, visit:
    http://www.understandingprejudice.org/readroom/articles/affirm.htm

    Be sure to browse through the rest of the site, it has numerous educational functions.

    FreeThinker
    05/9/08 at 2:40 am

  15. @Nate, and anyone else ignorant enough to a) believe that “white” is an ethnic and/or cultural identity, and b) too lazy to read the previous posts in which all your retarded arguments are already covered/rebutted:

    One MORE thing, you idiots are probably the same people who have a problem with Black History Month. You say shit like, “If there were a White History Month, people would call us racists! Waaahhhh!”

    I’ll say it again for the cheap seats, “WHITE” IS NOT AN ETHNICITY NOR A CULTURAL IDENTITY!!! This is the 3rd freakin’ time I’ve stated this. For an explanation, get off your lazy ignorant ass an read the rest of the previous posts.

    And by the way, according to the US Census bureau, there are two nationally recognized months that you might find interesting. March and October are designated Irish American and European American Heritage Months respectively. They’re easy to remember because of little holidays called St. Patrick’s and Oktoberfest. So fuck off with your whining that somehow black people get their own month. If you were really interested and educated about your heritage, you’d realize that you might have TWO!

    Whose fault is it that you don’t celebrate your celebratory months when you should? Here’s a hint, he or she is in your mirror, and is probably not black.

    PapaFigue
    05/10/08 at 8:50 am

  16. Now since the slave masters just had to have sex with their property, which they considered to be animals (would they have sex with the dog, probably did), then i feel that any person born black in america have some white in them. Just like ALL people, according to a geneology study by the national geographic (a very credible source) originated from Africa.

    With that said, blacks/african-americans/colored/negroes have the right to put their ethnicity/race on anything we feel like because whites started it first with their Jim Crow laws. We just use(d) it to our advantange. Drag us here in chains and tell us to ‘go back to Africa’. So why don’t they go back to England? All they know is take take take. Take the land away from the natives, take the slaves away from their land, take the cultures because the only culture they possess is the delirium of being superior, take the lives of those that have proven that they’re not.

    MBA
    08/26/08 at 7:29 am

  17. I completey agree with what they are doing. I’m Irish American and, although I have searched far and wide, I am sad to say I will not be recieving any money for being white. Every time I fill out a college application, I wish I could have been born black, asian, hispanic… anything else. Affirmative Action is ridiculous. We have a black president-elect now. Do minorities really need fair treatment?!?

    Molly
    11/16/08 at 5:33 pm

  18. by fair treatment. I meant unfair treatment as in… unfair advantages.

    Molly
    11/16/08 at 5:34 pm

  19. @Molly:

    http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/opportunity/scholarships/diversity/ehtnic-white-scholarships.asp

    Of these literally dozens of European Ethnic Scholarships, Irish American Scholarships included in this list are:

    Mitchell Scholarships
    Irish American Scholarship Fund
    Irish American Scholars Program

    That’s 3 that I found within 5 mins of a simple Google Search.

    So really, how hard did you look?

    Btw:

    http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/opportunity/scholarships/diversity/bias/White-Ethnic-Scholarships-Dont-Trouble-Student-Group-Protesting-Minority-Scholarships.asp

    That’s right, over 1 million scholarships available to those with European Heritage.

    All this has been covered.

    Stop being a brick.

    PapaFigue
    11/16/08 at 8:06 pm

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