“Perhaps these students should set their entitlement down for a minute and do what they’re enrolled at college to do; learn something. “
The student government at Western Kentucky University has crafted a resolution asking that the University allow black students to attend for free. In doing so, the authors of the resolution believe it should serve as reparations for the institution of slavery that occurred in the United States. The students are also asking that the college take measures to make it easier for black students to be accepted for admission.
The group wants the University to acknowledge that slavery is a debt that can never be paid. As such, they believe black students should be given free tuition. They also want a special task force created in order to accept more students based on geographical locations, saying this will make it easier for black students to apply and be accepted. However, what the student government fails to address is exactly how the free tuition would be covered in order to pay “reparations” for the historical injustice.
Other students would essentially have to pay tuition for black students when rates go up so reparations can be made. Passing such a resolution would also be highly discriminatory to students who aren’t black.
There isn’t a single thing anyone in the United States can do that will right the wrongs of the past. However, are any minority groups currently suffering from the same oppression that once plagued the United States? Claiming that African-American students are disadvantaged doesn’t mean that students of other nationalities and ethnic backgrounds should have to shoulder the burden of paying for their college education. There are scholarships and grants available to students who are struggling financially. Military service is also an excellent option that provides some of the best educational benefits around.
One of the authors of the resolution stated that, “If you really care about diversity, if you really care about inclusion, if you really care about making this campus safe and accessible to everybody, having the student government’s support of reparation for black students would be amazing.”
I fail to see how free college equates to a safe campus. Education is accessible to anyone who so desires to seek admission to an institution of higher learning. Native Americans faced a pretty brutal fate in the United States and I haven’t heard this particular group of students address that historic injustice. What about the way Irish immigrants were treated? Italian immigrants? Chinese immigrants? Perhaps these students should set their entitlement down for a minute and do what they’re enrolled at college to do; learn something.
The black population aren’t the only ones who faced disenfranchisement in the United States. History cannot be erased and the horrible things that occurred can never be atoned for. Every nation has a dark past. Attempting to tap into that for personal gain is ridiculous and offensive to the other groups who suffered discrimination in this country as well.
