The REAL Reason Black Men Don’t Go to White Schools
Posted April 12, 2011 by That Teowonna!
Last Sunday, Wayne Washington’s article in The State, Missing: Black Males on Campus, was very difficult to read. He outlined several reasons why black men do not enroll in SC’s top colleges. While I agree that the number of black men in college is far lower than I’d like to see, Washington completely disregarded many very important reasons why black men do not go to USC, Clemson and College of Charleston. Maybe, just maybe, they’d prefer going to a historically black college and university (HBCU).
Throughout the South, on HBCU campuses like Allen University, Morehouse, SC State, Norfolk State, and FAMU, the black male enrollment is significantly higher than the 3 percent Washington quoted. In fact, at Benedict College, the ratio of male to female students is nearly 50/50 (49.08 male to 50.92 female, to be exact). It’s unfortunate that SC’s statewide paper completely disregarded that fact.
But, that’s what I’m here for… to tell you the other side of the story.
So, you want some real talk why black men don’t go to white schools? Ok… here are the top 5 reason, according to That Teowonna.
5. Food. Let’s be real… the food at USC can not compare to the food at an HBCU. I’ve had both, and USC’s is truly lacking. In fact, when I was a student there, the hospitality staff paid me and other black students $10 to sit in a focus group to determine why black students were not eating the caf. Wanna know why? The food doesn’t taste like mama’s.
4. Sense of an extended family. From what my male friends who have attended HBCU’s have told me, they felt like everyone at HBCU’s, including the cafeteria ladies, really care about them. They care that a member of their family passed away; they care enough to tell them to pull up their pants; they care that they need an extra serving of food. I never got an extra serving of anything at USC.
3. Better Bands. Keeping it 100… the bands at USC, College of Charleston and Clemson just can’t cut the mustard. Black musicians want to attend schools that have great bands. Every black boy that was in my high school band fantasized about being on the SC State drumline… not Clemson’s. Does Clemson even have a drumline?
2. Honor their parent’s legacy. Many black men, like Charles Hickman, want to share the HBCU experience with their parents, and some, even their grandparents. For some black men, especially those from more affluent and culturally aware families, going to an outstanding HBCU is the standard. Anything else is unthinkable! You just might get kicked out the family if you even mention Carolina.
And the top reason black men don’t go to USC, Clemson, and College of Charleston… because they don’t want to! They want Morehouse, Hampton, Howard, SC State, Allen, Benedict, FAMU. They want schools that make them feel welcomed; make them feel like they are a part. They want familiarity; they want a quality education as well as solidarity. And they want what many perceive USC and the like can not provide… they want to belong.
Now run, tell that!
You know you pro black right. I know i know dont let ______ know you are cause he’s paying your bills. If you don’t believe me its ok. At least you are on our team
lol… I gotta get away from you… you rubbing off on me! I stand by my original statement… I’m pro people!
Well, I personally did not read the article in the state newspaper but I did read yours. And while I can’t speak for African American men as to why statistics show they prefer black colleges but I can speak for myself as to my experience with black colleges as well as those around me. First off, I’m assuming you have not attended an HBCU within the past five years as I think they may have changed a bit since you’ve dealt with them. I am actually an African American female that went to the University of South Carolina, however, 2 South Carolina HBCU’s were my first choice. I could have gone to Benedict but there were accreditation issues and they conveniently cut the degree program that had lured me to the school in the first place, telling me during enrollment that I would have to change majors. So Benedict was a no go. Now if you really want a story, you should look into doing one on SC State University. My experience with them was that the office staff was too trifling to complete my paperwork for enrollment. Not to mention the cost was ridiculous compared to that of USC which was completely covered by my grants and scholarships. If I had gone to SC State then I would be in serious debt right now. (And by the way SC State sent me my financial aid paperwork about 2 months into the semester…that is two months after I had contacted USC who promptly took care of my paperwork to get me enrolled). Not to mention all the scandals and embezzlement that has gone on at SCSU which have directly affected the students. I have friends that are at SC State and literally get no where when dealing with the office staff to get anything done. And State plays this little game of offering higher level classes that people need to graduate once a year, if that. SC State will also claim that it doesn’t have enough students enrolled to offer a class causing further delay in student’s graduation. These students can’t graduate if they take a semester off so they are forced to stay an extra semester or two to pay to sit in classes that they don’t need and to pad SC States pockets. Most people that I know who attend SC State didn’t graduate on time or ended up transferring. I know of too many people who have had to transfer from SC State as well as Benedict. And SC State advertises on their radio commercial that a large percentage of their graduates become army officers…in what way is this a good statistic? This actually means that most of their graduates with bachelor degrees can’t find jobs and have to resort to the military for a source of income as anybody with a bachelor degree can become an army officer. Not to mention the SCSU student (that supposed to graduate on May 6th) who was recently shot on the campus in which medical staff didn’t even noticed that he was shot which is most ridiculous. Many other students say they will not be returning. So I cannot agree with the peachy picture that you paint of these HBCU’s, not to say they are all like I described above but let’s keep it totally one hundred. HBCU’s are centered around a bunch of hype…hype which is targeted to appeal to black students, particularly males. The “HBCU Experience” should lead students towards graduating ON TIME instead of being shot, dropping out, transferring or be forced to stay extra semesters b/c of a class not being offered. I refuse to believe that black men “belong” in this group of statistics.
Sorry, I have to disagree with you for Reason #3. The bands at HBCU’s certainly aren’t “better” than the bands at PWI’s, they just have a different focus and cater to a completely different audience. USC has always had a very strong music program, and SC State or any of the other SC HBCUs really can’t say that. The problem is, they put so much into dancing and playing as loud as possible, that the product, while entertaining, isn’t very clean. I go to Claflin, and I attend many of the 101′s rehearsals, and I’ve seen them perform countless times at games. Again, their main focus is to entertain the audience with music they’re familiar with and play in a style that their expects. Volume certainly doesn’t equal quality. And marching is an entirely different aspect. Most HBCU bands couldn’t march in a straight line if it saved their lives. I’ve seen this for myself and I’m sure there are countless YouTube vids to suport this. I guess at the end of the day, we are all entitled to our opinions, but I can guarantee you that no music major at ANY school (HBCU or not) will ever agree that HBCU bands are “better” than PWI bands. It just comes down to preference of style, and weather or not the student wanted to attend a PWI.
As for the other reasons: I’m confident that most students who attend HBCUs today will agree that HBCUs are a mixed bag. Don’t get me wrong, I love Claflin, but there are certain opportunities that Caflin and most other HBCUs simply can’t offer me due to lack of suport, funding, and recognition. And while Claflin may not have this problem, the sad truth is that a lot of our HBCUs are beginning to see a rise in “less than desirable individuals” who are rapidly giving HBCUs a bad name.
PS: To be fair, I realize that USC’s marching band hasn’t exactly been a “crowd favorite” over the years, but it should be noted that as of Fall 2011, the band has a new director and has improved greatly.
A few years ago, State played USC in Williams Brice. I was in the top of the stands and looked down at both bands. From my bird’s eye view, State’s performance, including the lines, was a million times better than USC’s. Perhaps because they were performing at a PWI, State’s performance was tuned way down… traditional even. And it was still better. But like you said, we all have our opinions.