Best/Worst Week Ever: HBCUs

Have historically black colleges and universities ever had a more newsworthy week?!

Learning from Virginia Tech

On Monday, Delaware State University police arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for shooting two fellow DSU students and shooting at a third individual last Friday. While there’s some ongoing controversy about why the suspect was allowed to remain on campus for several days following the shooting, the university and it’s police department are being praised for their quick response and dissemination efforts to the potentially tragic incident.

Police didn’t know where the gun was nor did they have enough info to arrest Loyer D. Braden. But should he have been allowed to roam free? They said he was under surveillance, but should he have been allowed to re-enter the dorms?

Black voters, can I put you on hold?

Baltimore’s Morgan State University will host a presidential debate tonight that the four top Republican candidates have decided not to attend. The All-American Presidential Forum is designed to give the GOP presidential candidates an opportunity to address the concerns of black Americans and other people of color. It should air tonight and tomorrow on your local PBS affiliate.

The response has been mixed. Some are shocked that the candidates would be so bold to openly turn down an opportunity to get their message across to a group that is overwhelmingly Democratic. Others aren’t as shocked, calling the move Republican business as usual.

And there are those who defend the candidates’ decision, saying that they have to be strategic with all of these debates and they can’t spend time talking to a group that isn’t likely to vote in the Republican primary anyway.

Read an interesting analysis on it at BlackProf.com.

What do you think?

Battle of the Bands HBCUs

The head ranker in charge U.S. News and World Report will release its first rankings of America’s Best Black Colleges Friday. I can’t list the results, because the list is embargoed until tomorrow. But I will say that a YBP Guide editor is an alumna of the college in the top spot.

Is this a good thing? Do we need another ranking system? Does this put HBCUs in the national spotlight? Does this further separate blacks from whites in higher education?

Eugene is a journalist in Phoenix. Check out some of his lighter guest contributions at Intelligent Ignorance.