Sept. 10 will kick off National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, when we praise schools that “have allowed many disadvantaged students to attain their full potential through higher education,” in the words of a U.S. Senate resolution. At many HBCUs, those words mean everybody deserves a shot at a college education. But how many are asking whether everybody really does? Overly liberal admissions policies can lead to more work for faculty, frustration for those students who are ready to work and false hopes for those admitted to schools they aren’t really prepared for.
As editor of Black College Wire, a news service that aims to improve the quality of newspapers at HBCUs, I see the problem in both the news and the students. And journalism educators bemoan students’ lack of critical thinking skills, poor command of basic grammar and ignorance about current events.
In June, the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal reported this embarrassing story from Delaware State University:
“Two former DSU admissions staff members say the staff was told to enroll as many as 250 academically unqualified students … because the university was facing a $657,000 budget shortfall and needed the money.”
To be sure, HBCUs provide the extended-family atmosphere many students seek. At Howard University, journalism chair Phillip Dixon points out “we have students who made their parents angry by turning down places like Harvard and MIT.”
He also says some have problems with basic grammar, but compensated in other ways in high school. At Howard, those students are sent to an English teacher for remedial instruction. Dixon also says critical thinking — a key characteristic of a successful journalist — is in shorter supply than it should be.
