Black folks don’t tip…nor give back to their alma mater

Stingy mofoes! Just kiddin’. 😉 As I get a kick out of catching up with my old college buddies online this past week, I got back to thinking when was the last time I sent a check to Morgan State? If you went to an HBCU, when was the last time you sent a check to your alma mater? I know Tom Joyner has drawn attention to it. A few years back, when the MEAC conference playoffs moved to Raleigh, I began to get more involved with the local alumni chapter. It was then that I was reminded how little we give back to our HBCUs. I think Morgan was even sending letters out sharing how little money they receive from alumni.

Many of the nation’s HBCUs report disturbingly low levels of alumni contributions, a fact that no doubt contributes to the financial strife experienced by so many of these institutions. Strong financial support from alumni builds strong endowments, and swapping 50,000 dollars in loans for 50,000 in scholarship funds during at students’ undergraduate years could mean a return of 4 to 5 times that amount in future donations.

Not surprisingly, it has been those institutions with the strongest endowments and the highest levels of alumni contribution that have taken the lead in eliminating student loan debt, Harvard and Princeton among them. In the end, however, It will be those schools with the lowest levels of alumni contribution and the least secure financial profiles that will gain the most from instituting these enhanced aid programs. A focus on eliminating student debt will transform the opportunities availble to graduates from HBCUs and other institutions that serve economically diverse student populations. (source: http://blackoncampus.com/category/hbcus/)

Money talks. Money builds buildings, improves college ratings, funds students, funds programs. My hubby kicks my ass about it every year and often sends money on my behalf as he sends his annual contribution to his undergraduate school. Honestly, I think my issue is trust. I want to know that my little check is going to land in the right spot. So, I usually give and specify to give the funds directly to a student organization (usually NSBE for me).

So I’m challenging myself and you all to take a minute to write a check to your HBCU this coming week. They got us where we are today, and we should be grateful.

Black on Campus says:

June 22, 2008 at 2:30 am

Thanks for this post. The issue of trust is one I never thought of. I wonder how many other HBCU alumns have similar feelings. Alumni distrust of the administration or uncertainty about where donated funds might be applied would certainly post a challenge to a college’s fundraising efforts. Your solution — to give to a specific student organization — is a good one. Giving to a specific department or organization, starting a scholarship fund, or endowing a chair are good ways to make sure you know where your funds are applied, if that is an issue for a donating alum.

Anyway, once again, thanks for posting this (and thanks for quoting my blog).

affrodite says:

June 22, 2008 at 2:37 pm

@black on campus…no problem! i enjoyed your post on this subject. i’m glad to see this topic get a little attention because it really is a concern. my trust issue is rooted in how many financial aid “goofaws” i witnessed while attending morgan state. even on a scholarship, they used to share your grant money with other students. i get it in concept, but it seemed a little shady in practice.

i recall battling the scholarship office after they told me i owed them $200 because they gave me too much of a book stipend one semester. of course this appeared out of nowhere the semester i was graduating, and in the end (after much very logical battling), i paid it just so they could let me graduate.

2 out of 4 of my siblings (3 if i count myself) have attended hbcus and have gone on to do great things with our lives. i’d never take my choice back to attend one because there are so many more benefits beyond strictly an educational experience.

i could go on and on…maybe that means i need write another post about the hbcu experience…

again, thanks for returning some blogger love. =)

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