Meanwhile, Rep. James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina who endorsed Clinton, said Sanders’ controversial idea for free public colleges would ruin historically Black colleges.
“If you say that you’re going to have college — free two-year college — among public institutions, why would a student go to an HBCU, most of which are private institutions,” Clyburn told reporters. “What will happen is these HBCUs will all close down all across America because they would not be able to afford to stay open.”
In the last two years, legislators in North Carolina and South Carolina endorsed bills calling for the closure of Elizabeth City State University and South Carolina State University, two historically Black colleges.
Eleven Black colleges have closed in recent years, including Western College in Kansas; Mary Holmes College in Jacksonville, Mississippi; Leland University in Louisiana and Kittrell College in North Carolina.
Bill Murrain, a former civil rights attorney and law professor at Morehouse College, said he is not a proponent of free college education.
He said the Democratic presidential candidates should push for capping loan repayments so that students should not have to pay more than 15% of wages in loan repayment.
Murrain, who recently stepped down after completing 23 years of service as a Trustee at Oakwood University, a historically Black college Huntsville, Alabama, also said HBCUs need broad support.
“Create a fellowship that would support faculty from HBCUs, who are generally poorly paid as compared to the broader college faculty community, a fund which would enable them to pursue advanced degrees,” he added.
Black colleges are facing financial hardships, declining enrollment and fiscal mismanagement. Fewer than 15 percent of Black college students today attend historically Black institutions.
Let’s hope the Democratic presidential candidates are offering real solutions. The survival of Black colleges is at stake.
What do you think?
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What Can Hillary Clinton Or Bernie Sanders Do To Save The Nation’s HBCU’s? was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
