Life
HBCUs must adapt to teach the 21st century student
When some participants at the conference lamented the lack of support that some young scholars receive from their HBCUs, Greg Carr associate professor of Africana Studies and chair of Afro-American Studies at Howard University, suggested a different approach.
“You have to ignore the leadership at Black schools first of all,” said Carr. “Don’t go looking for the grant first, do the work first and the rest will emerge.”
According to Carr, students and faculty need to collaborate in and generate interdisciplinary spaces and take a bottom up approach to their academic and research endeavors.
“Then when you go to the administration, you don’t so much appeal for resources, but demonstrate what has happened,” said Carr. “That’s where we really have the lesson to learn.”
Carr added: “You don’t ask for permission.”
Changes in the federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) program sideline many Black students who heavily depend on financial aid to get to college and earn degrees. The changes, which place heavier emphasis on previous loan defaults and foreclosures, disproportionately affected Black families who were hit hard during the housing crisis and economic downturn.
Over the summer, the Department of Education added a loan reconsideration process for students and parents who were previously denied PLUS loans.
