YGGDRASIL

Race Bias #5 - "Race Based Private Scholarships"

Apparently, preferential admissions aren't enough. American corporations also provide money on explicit race-based criteria to minority students just in case the race-based financial aid programs provided by the universities are not enough.

Notice that this money is not made available based on economic need or objective criteria of cultural or economic deprivation.

With more European Americans than blacks under the poverty line, it seems that this type of aid should be directed to those from deprived economic backgrounds without regard to color.

But then this is America!

Yggdrasil-

BUSINESS & RACE

----

By Leon E. Wynter

05/01/90 WALL STREET JOURNAL (J), PAGE B1

Seed Clouds Spread Over Engineering Pool

CORPORATE CASH is starting to flow to the nation's fastest-growing pool of engineering talent -- black and Hispanic students.

General Electric Co. has committed $35 million over 10 years for minority students and faculty. And General Motors Corp. has almost doubled its support for minority engineering students since 1984 to $1.9 million last year. "We're trying to make sure we have enough engineering talent," says Richard O'Brien, a GM personnel official.

Meanwhile, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, which distributes corporate funds to schools and minority engineering students, says it's running $500,000 ahead of last year's $5 million budget.

In 1989, blacks received only 2,122, or 3%, of the 68,291 engineering degrees awarded, about the same share as Hispanic students. On the bright side, U.S. engineering school enrollments turned up last year after a seven-year slide, with black and Hispanic students accounting for more than half the increase.

Of course, some professionals believe corporations haven't done enough. "Imagine at one point there was no money running," says Tyrone Taborn, who publishes three magazines for black and Hispanic engineers. "Now there is a trickle."

* * *


Back to Main Page

(c) 1996 Yggdrasil. All rights reserved. Distribute Freely.