So I think this whole heated debate started with a couple harmless tweets about OU homecoming:
I hate that all the HBCU alum & students on my timeline are crunk about Homecoming and I can't relate
1:03 PM Oct 13th via Echofon
Today's OU homecoming festivities consisted of free fruit on the South Oval. #shouldawenttoaHBCU
1:04 PM Oct 13th via Echofon
From there, for the last week or so, I've been in conversation with #afewofmyfollowers about the idea of HBCU vs. PWI, the quality of education and the culture experience. I was shocked to learn that a lot of my peers (African American peers at that) thought that attending a PWI better prepared them for the corporate world and felt as though attending HBCU would have put them at disadvantage professionally.Some of my peers also there are only advantages that HBCU had over an PWI are social (i.e. parties, greek life etc). Needless to say, I was appalled . SOO I wanted to bring some more people into this debate because I'm sure I can't be the only one who's jaw dropped at these statements.
The Question (or questions):
1. Are PWI's better than HBCU's?
2. Does an African American student gain a better "real world" experience attending a PWI as opposed to HBCU?
3. What advantages do African American students receive from attending a PWI over an HBCU and vice versa?
You really don't have to read any further to tell me WHAT DO YOU THINK
but keep reading if you want to know what I think.
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Let's rewind. Before I give you my opinion, here is some background information that you should be aware of in regards to this discussion.
What is an HBCU?
An HBCU is an historically black college or university. The first HBCU's were founded after the civil war and principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans according to Higher Education Act of 1965. Most of these institutions were founded in former slave states because the public universities in the area would not admit African American students. Though these institutions were established in the interest of African American students, enrollment in these institutions are not limited to African Americans. The term PWI refers predominately white institutions where these African American students were once denied admission to or any college or university whose Caucasian enrollment outnumbers the enrollment of any other ethnic group.
What I think:
If you as you ask me do I think predominately white institutions are better than historically black colleges and universities I will answer you with a resounding HELL NO! I will say that attending a PWI offers different academic experience, but better, I think not. Sadly, a lot of people suffer from a "just because it's white means it's better mentality". I've heard too many of OU students say "I went to OU because I want my degree to mean something" as to imply that a degree from an HBCU wouldn't hold as much weight, which is wrong in my opinion. The logical thing to do is evaluate each institution on a case by case basis. A bad school is a bad school whether it is black or white. But if you compare an academically sound PWI with an academically sound HBCU, HBCU's compete and in some cases trump PWIs.
Saying a PWI better prepares students for the "real world" better than an HBCU can is equally as outrageous as to me for many reasons, first of which is retention. An African American student is more likely to complete a 4 year degree from a HBCU than PWI. When PWI can only retain 15-20% of African American students long enough to complete a degree, how can one argue that they are more equip to prepare students from the "real world"?
I would also argue that HBCUs produce more culturally well rounded students than PWIs. Beyond the academic education HBCUs offer, the cultural education is unmatched especially for African American students who have spent their entire academic careers in predominately white enviroments. I personally feel that PWIs push African American students to assimilate as a means to succeed, but I think that's a separate discussion. In any case, the networking opportunities that HBCUs offer African Americans students have yet to be matched by PWIs... I really could go on and on, but I'm going to stop here. I really am interested to see if I stand alone in thinking this things.
WHAT DO YOU THINK
Some Extra Reading: (That I don't necessarily agree with)
http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/why-do-we-have-hbcus/27506?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/SAHE/JOURNAL2/2001/Challenges.htm
