Is issue raised in 'School Daze' true today?

[Bartram]

In Spike Lee's movie 'School Daze' there is classic scene where the school president and a liason of the "Snoggrass estate" are discussing finacial support of HBCUs. He asked, "why won't blacks support (enter your HBCU here)". When the pres. manage to squeeze out a "yes", he quipped, "BARELY!" and pointed out that HBCU are basically funded by the federal government, corporations and philanthropists, not its alumni or blacks in general. He went on to point out in start contrast that the Moormons alone support Brigham Young, the Catholics lon support Notre Dame,, etc.

This was a movie and probably somewhat emblellished, but is the general message accurate today? Do we as a black race support HBCUs more? Quite frankly I don't believe the majority of the black population gives a rat's arse about HBCUs when it comes to supporting them. The HBCU core constituency is among its alumni when it comes to financial support of the institutions which is a small segment, so I believe the message in 'School Daze' holds today; why won't we support our institutions?????????

 

[Robber]

I'm a young lad, but I give JSU all the financial support that I can. I send checks routinely to my school. There was a point when I didn't, and could have. I just didn't think about it, and the school never asked for a dime. That ain't a problem now because Pres. Mason got his hands out all the time. And I like that. As long as I can afford to give to JSU, I will.

I think we don't like giving money away, period. Except to the church. The issue is still relevant today. The extent of contributions for many of us is a ticket to the game. Then we feel like we can run the school.

I look forward to the day when I'm able to drop a mil or two on JSU and not think twice about it.

 

[Grazioso@GSU]

I, too, contribute to GSU, financially, giving back of time and talent, as well as, encouraging high school students to attend. The one thing that I have a TRUE probem with is those persons who constantly complain about the conditions at HBCUs, but do nothing to contribute to the uplifting of the institutions. These are the same institutions who provided us an education that led to us becoming gainfully employed. But, we won't even join and support the Alumni Associations. Some of us support the institutions athletic programs -- but try to get FREE tickets if it's at all possible. Although I don't make a WHOLE LOT OF MONEY, I do try to answer the call when asked to.

 

[chocalate_topaz]

Yes this issue is very much true. A lot of alumni pay those "alumni dues" of $15 - 35/year and think they have really contributed a great deal. When a crisis arises like it did with our coaching situation last year at ASU, lots of beotching and moaning but no serious contributions. Like I tell all my alumni, money talks! Put your money where your big mouth is or STFU.

Real or perceived mismanagement of money is another reason people are not interested in giving. Especially when the perpetrator (real or imagined) are still present at the university.

 

[Bartram]

Maybe more successful black owned business will help?

I see mainly corporate big wigs carrying the mail at the PWCs, single-handedly building whole new "engineering buildings" for example. I think this is what we will need at HBCUs to really make our institutions more independent. It will take more time/generations to amass this kind of wealth to send to our colleges. Then again, this will become harder because increasing numbers of successful blacks don't necessarily come from HBCUs.

 

[EB]

Originally posted by Bartram
......

..... Quite frankly I don't believe the majority of the black population gives a rat's arse about HBCUs when it comes to supporting them. .....

This is a big part of the problem. For instance if there was not a Prairie View, Texas would have a lot fewer Black teachers.

I will bet that individual Catholics, including those who did not attend a Catholic school, support Notre Dame, St. John's and Holy Cross. Individual Jews who did not attend Brandis will support that school.

But a lot of Blacks will not have that love or respect for an HBCU. Something is going to have to change.

 

[Bartram]

Yes EB, tis why I pose the question.

I keep trying to identify exactly WHY this is. I believe I have found some reasons. For one, I just don't think we as a race are far enough into generations of wealth/prosperity where we have, #1, the financial resources to give to a black college just to be giving for a cause. #2, I think we are in a phylosophical "no man's land" as a race. By that I mean we are just beyond the point of misery and tremendous struggle where our number one objective was saving money and getting an education, but we are not at the point where there is a prevailing consciousness throughout the race to perpetuate our schools and education.

We have had a few generations graduate HBCUs, PWCs and we have "made it" and that's it. We are so glad to be successful and have jobs that we don't too much care/worry about anything else, generally speaking. As I said, I think the core graduates of HBCUs do the most to support our colleges, but I just don't see support among the black community in general. Where I work, for instance, there are a majority of blacks who barely got out of high school and college was not stressed in their family growing up. They don't have a concept of an HBCU and they can barely pay their bills, so supporting an HBCU is a ridiculous notion to them which I can't really argue with; they have so many other problems and issues,,,,, like single moms with live-in boyfriends in debt, living from paycheck to paycheck, getting little if any financial support from the male, the male doesn't have any education beyond high school,,, etc. It's a bad situation that I can figure out how to change other than continue to preach the continued elevation of the race through education and massing of economic wealth/land. This is a topic to itself.