We talk about the failures and problems with the APR, but no one talks about the successes.
This is graduation season. Over the past few weeks, I've been taking notice of pictures of graduating athletes from various schools. Black athletes graduating, white athletes, girls, boys .... Redshirt juniors graduating with a year of sports eligibility left. Redshirt seniors with Master's degrees.
From my perspective, the APR has been an astounding success for most schools. Even if these kids are getting nothing but Physical Education degrees, it's better than them sitting at home with minimal options. A college education opens a world of opportunity and gives many a chance to have a life that otherwise may not have been thinkable.
HBCUs having less resources is nothing new. HBCUs were founded to provide education despite the circumstances. To provide the opportunity to achieve and excel despite the obstacles that must be overcome. That is the legacy of HBCUs. The APR challenge must met. Without asking for exceptions to be made or standards to be lowered, HBCUs need to rise to the occasion once again. This is not the time to let any excuse get in the way of what should be the main priority of all of our institutions - to educate the students. Success will be beneficial to not only the students and the universities, but to the community at large.