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Page A4
December 27, 2006
O pinion
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Key is need-based financial aid
M arc H. M orial
O ver the past d e­
cade or so, the num ­
ber of African A m eri­
cans pursuing higher
education has hit new
heights, according to
a new report by the
W a sh in g to n , D .C .-
b a se d
A m e ric a n
Council on Education.
From 1993 to 2003, black en­
rollment at the nation's colleges
and universities surged nearly 43
percent, to more than 1.9 million
students. Students o f color made
up 27.8 percent o f nearly 17
million students on cam puses
across the country, up from 2 1.8
percent in 1993.
And, according to “The Jour­
nal o f Blacks in Higher Educa­
tion," blacks in 2(X)4 earned an
all -time high o f 13 1,2 4 1 bachelor's
degrees from four-year A m eri­
can colleges and universities, up
bv
6 percent from 2003
and more than twice
that o f 1990.
But don't go crack­
ing open the c h a m ­
pagne just yet. A ccord­
ing to the A m erican
Council study, African
A m ericans are more
likely to drop out of
college than any other minority
group. O f students who entered
in the 1995 to 1996 academic
year, only 36.4 percent o f blacks
received a degree, com pared to
42 percent o f Hispanics, 58 per­
cent o f whites and 62.3 percent
o f Asian Americans.
Obviously, somewhere along
the line there has been a major
disconnect. W hile blacks are en­
tering college at record highs,
they're lagging significantly be­
hind whites and other minorities
in terms o f graduation.
In September, a U.S. Educa­
tion D epartment advisory com ­
mittee on student financial aid
concluded that as many as 1.6
million degrees were lost in the
1990s am ong low - and low -
middle income students who de­
cided not to go to college be­
cause o f costs and other factors.
W ith a m edian incom e o f
the Project on Student Debt, 56 household and brought about a
percent o f black adults said they 24 percent hike in enrollment o f
worried somewhat or very often students from low-income fam i­
about not being able to afford lies.
education costs for their ch il­
H arvard’s decision in 2004 to
dren. Nearly 60 percent said (hey raise the financial aid stakes
felt students carried too much served as the catalyst in a chain
debt after college and 66 percent reaction among its com petitors -
said it was too hard to pay back. - including Yale, Stanford and to
a large extent my alm a mater, the
U n iv e rsity o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ,
which replaced loans with grants
for students from households
earning less than $50,000 a year.
"W e will accomplish nothing
significant in improving access
fo r stu d e n ts fro m low - and
middle-income families unless we
focus our attention on strength­
Back in March. Harvard U ni­ ening our need-based financial
versity announced that it would aid program," wrote University
no longerexpect households with o f Pennsylvania President Amy
less than $60,000 a year in annual Gutm an in a "W ashington Post”
incom e to contribute to their com m entary.
children's education. It repre­
"Financial aid based on need is
sented a m ajor expansion o f its the great equalizer o f opportunity
2004 financial aid initiative that in highereducation. Nothing pro­
set the cu to ff at $40,(XX) per motes equity and socioeconomic
Our nation's investment in
higher education is an investment
in our future. The less we invest,
the less our children will have
to celebrate.
$30,858 and net worth of roughly
$6,(XX), African American house­
holds are at a substantial disad­
vantage in affording college com ­
pared with whites, whose m e­
dian income is at least $20.(XX)
more a year and whose net worth
is 10 times that o f blacks.
According to a July survey by
diversity more effectively. Even
if tuition rates were frozen, a
college education would simply
be out o f reach for low-income
and most middle-income fam i­
lies were it not for need-based
financial aid."
Our dem ocracy cannot expect
to continue down the same track
and remain a superpow er if our
most talented children are denied
access to the highest-quality edu­
cation. The pow ers-that-be in
W ashington, D.C. and elsewhere
cannot expect our nation to con­
tinue to excel in the global m ar­
ketplace if they continue to cut
back Pell G rant funding and
dow nsizing federal and state fi­
nancial aid programs.
O ur nation's investm ent in
higher education is an invest­
ment in our future. The less we
invest, the less our children will
have to celebrate.
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer o f the
National Urban League.
Medicare Prescription Help
There’s also
extra help for
low income
by
D ’N orgia P rice
come subsidy provided by the So­
cial Security Administration.
Individuals who are eligible for
Medicare can qualify for the extra
help if they are single and their
income is less than $14,700 or if
they are married and have com ­
bined income of less than
$19,800.
If eligible for the extra
help, individuals can en­
roll in a Part D plan now
through the end of 2(X)6,
which could provide them
with necessary prescrip­
tions.
Please share this important in­
formation with anyone you know
on Medicare because it could pro­
vide them with life-changing medi­
cations. Information about this
subsidy can be found by calling
Social Security at 800-772-1213.
I f you think you or someone you
know may qualify for extra help,
please call today. You could
change a life.
Everyday I work with
seniors in our commu­
nity who require numer­
ous medications to main­
tain their health. Many
of them are unable to
pay their prescription
bills and struggle to
cope with medical costs and daily
living expenses.
However, I have been able to
assist my clients and friends by
introducing them to a program that
will help them pay for their medica­
tions so they no longer have to
make these difficult choices.
Medicare beneficiaries can ac­
cess their prescriptions through a
Medicare Part D prescription plan
and, if they quality forextra help, all
D'Norgia Price is the adult and
or most of their prescription costs senior services director for the
would be covered by the low-in­ Urban League of Portland.
Sb
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Full and Fair Coverage
I hanks tor taking the time to com e down to the courthouse
Dec. 4 to cover my son's (Patrice Lumumba Ford’s) appeal.
("Political Imprisonment C harged," Portland Observer. Dec.7).
Yours was the fullest and fairest new spaper coverage we got.
I he public now understands that Mayfield was never in Spain
and that there was no TN T on K ariye’s luggage. I long for the
day when it is understood that the so called Portland Seven case
was, likewise, a product o f an overzealous FBI in the anti-
Muslim wake o f 9/11.
Despite the unfortunate plea bargain, (my son) went to China
- and only China - hoping to find a way to Pakistan to help
Afghan refugees in the cam ps there.
This is an important issue. Jus, now the civil rights o f blacks
and Muslims are jeopardized; tom orrow it can easily be everyone
else. I hope you will continue to take an interest.
Ken Lord
Northeast Portland
¿Elir
IJnrtlanb (Observer
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Help Reduce
Tobacco Use
Thank you for sharing with your
readers the work of the African Ameri­
can Tobacco Prevention and Educa­
tion Network, a mental health and ad­
dictions service provider under the
auspices of Lifeworks NW.
Our network brings together com ­
munity partners to discuss the to­
bacco problem and hold public meet­
ings to solicit community involvement
about ways to reduce tobacco use.
We seek to assess attitudes in the
black community about the affects of
advertising on initiation and use, cul­
tural norms, and brand loyalty regard­
ing tobacco products. What is clear is
the alarming health disparities linked
to tobacco use within underserved
populations, and in particular, smok­
ing behavior and the use of mentho­
lated cigarettes.
According to a 2(X)4 survey by the
Society for Research on Nicotine and
Tobacco, almost 70 percent of black
smokers choose a mentholated brand,
compared to 29 percent of Hispanics,
and 22.4 of whites. At the same time,
a survey of I (X) innercity convenience
stores found a great deal of window
advertising for mentholated cigarette
products, clearly presenting cultur-
ally-specific symbols and representa­
tions such as black models, black
speak, and hip-hop images. Our net­
work believes this is no accident.
Toget involved,contact me, Yugen
Fardan Rashad, program coordinator,
by calling 5O3-288-SOG6, extension 3011
ore-mailYugenR@LifeworksNW.org.