The University of Kansas has announced it will follow North Central University in establishing a scholarship for black students named after George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man brutally killed by a white police officer. Kansas already offers student scholarships based on ethnic or racial identification.
However, such race-based scholarships contribute to a divided mindset on the campus and the state. The recent outrage over the police racism led by #BlackLivesMatter highlights how deep divisions run in society. It is time for Kansas should stop race-based student scholarships and replace them with the needs of students to end divisions based on ethnic affiliations and support genuine students.
A good majority of students in the state look for assistance to bear the burden of higher education expenses. However, limiting scholarships to racial qualifications puts many of those in need of financial aid at a disadvantage. For instance, a caucasian student has to struggle or drop out because of their poor economic background, while a black student who is financially better off is funded only because of their race. Even when the tables are turned, scholarships should not be based on ethnicity.
The state's residents have a total debt of $11.31 billion in student loans. This makes a per-head debt of $30,370 for each resident and 35th ranking at the national level. On average, each student in Kansas owes $28,000 on an educational loan when he leaves college. Scholarships are a welcome relief for anyone who cannot afford college debt. Ignoring the genuine need for race-based scholarship is not fair in an educational institution that prepares students to succeed. The discrimination they see on campus shapes their mind and is most likely to influence their future actions.
Where every student needs assistance, providing racial-based scholarships negatively affects everyone. In this diverse nation, showing a preference for certain ethnicities continues to turn Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics against each other.
Both black and white populations have students who struggle to get good education due to their financial background—giving scholarships to underprivileged students from one racial group to the other. The state of Kansas secured a popular mandate to restore racial equality in 1861, years before the abolition of slavery, to protect African-American rights. Preferential treatment through scholarships violates that spirit of equality the state's history embodies.
Arguments favoring positive discrimination do not hold ground for race-based student scholarships. The very purpose of a grant is to motivate students to work hard and overcome a disadvantage. For students, access to education and financial support is more important than race or ethnic background. Not all minorities are in a disadvantaged position due to race. Scholarships are not for protecting their racial identity but to enable them to progress academically and succeed as individuals irrespective of racial affiliations.
Many see race-based scholarships as a step to offer a level playing field to "victims of past discrimination." But, should the past discrimination be highlighted to discriminate at present? When you dig deep into the past, it may fuel more animosity. Monetary help based on ethnic identity won't provide a level playing field unless people accept each other without racial exclusion.
Finally, scholarships are there to nurture talent and empower the best. Giving them based on race or ethnicity may demotivate those working hard to become the best. It also discriminates against talented students for their racial identity. The inability of talents to get to the next level is sure to impact national progress.
This puts a question before Kansas's people: whether to continue to award scholarships based on race instead of financial need or academic merit. If they support the race-based scholarships that discriminate more, it will hold the future of the state hostage to further racial division. Kansas must stop awarding race-based scholarships in favor of merit and financial need-based scholarships.
