November 4, 2015
Page 7
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O PINION
Higher Education Fails Poor and Minorities
Our focus on
equity and
affordability
m arC h. m Orial
Confronting the is-
sues of higher education
completion and – most
importantly – afford-
ability, acting U.S.
Secretary of Education
John B. King, Atlanta
Mayor Kasim Reed and
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will
join dozens of other elected offi-
cials, university presidents and
education experts this week for
an unprecedented national summit
presented by the National Urban
League and USA Funds.
Even as millions of America’s
young people are desperate to
find work, the nation’s employers
could be scrambling to find qual-
ified candidates to fill millions of
jobs in the next five years.
By every measure, the nation’s
higher education system is failing
the nation’s poor and minorities,
leaving the most vulnerable com-
munities behind. College com-
pletion rates for students of color
by
are abysmal: Barely 40 percent of
black students and barely half of
Hispanic students complete four-
year degree programs within six
years of enrollment, compared
with more than 60 percent of
white students.
The summit kicks off
with the release of Gal-
lup’s first-ever survey
of minority student out-
comes. We look forward to
the nation’s most in-depth
look at the challenges
facing minority students,
which will illuminate and expand
upon last year’s National Urban
League Report, “From Access to
Completion: A Seamless Path to
College Graduation for African
American Students.”
That report found that a ma-
jor barrier to college completion
is financial: A majority of Afri-
can-American college students, 65
percent, are balancing their stud-
ies with full-time work and family
responsibilities. As a consequence
of these responsibilities, African
American students whose in-
comes qualify are likely to receive
less financial aid because they are
enrolled less-than-fulltime.
African-American
students’
part-time status also leads to re-
ductions in their maximum Pell
Grant award and other state and
federal financial aid.
Our research found that higher
levels of financial support cor-
responded to higher graduation
rates. Coupling financial aid with
sus data released last month shows
the median weekly salary for a
college graduate is almost twice
that of someone holding only a
high school diploma.
But it’s not only income that
rises along with education. Voting
rates, volunteerism, intellectual
among high school dropouts, 9
percent.
Meanwhile, the potential skills
gap our nation faces will have
employers scrambling to find
qualified candidates with postsec-
ondary credentials required for an
estimated 5 million jobs by 2020.
A majority of African-American college students,
65 percent, are balancing their studies with full-time
work and family responsibilities. As a consequence of
these responsibilities, African American students whose
incomes qualify are likely to receive less financial aid
because they are enrolled less-than-fulltime.
personalized supports for students
has already shown promising re-
sults in state higher education sys-
tems and individual institutions.
The monetary value of a col-
lege degree is well-document-
ed. Study after study has shown
college graduates can expect to
anywhere from a half-million to a
million dollars more over a career
than those without a degree. Cen-
curiosity and tolerance for other
viewpoints also correspond to ed-
ucational level. More education
means better health, and the more
educated someone is, the more
physically active they are.
The unemployment rate for
college graduates at 3.5 percent
is well below the nation’s median
rate of 5 percent. For high school
graduates, the rate is 6 percent and
Government leaders must sup-
port innovative, results-driven,
more affordable ways of deliver-
ing postsecondary education and
training to at-risk youth so they
are prepared for quality employ-
ment in jobs that are in-demand in
the workforce.
Marc H. Morial is president
and chief executive officer of the
National Urban League.
Instead of a Pardoning a Turkey, Free this Man
The case for
clemency for
Leonard Peltier
J Ohn K iriaKOu
As Thanksgiving approach-
es, I’ve got a suggestion for Presi-
dent Barack Obama.
Instead of following the White
House tradition and “pardoning“ a
turkey destined for a holiday din-
ner table, Obama should extend
that courtesy to some of the thou-
sands of human beings caged up
in America’s federal prisons.
Leonard Peltier should be one
of them.
Peltier was a Native American
activist on South Dakota’s Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation in the
1970s. On June 26, 1975, two FBI
agents went to Pine Ridge to look
for a young man named Jimmy
Eagle, who was wanted for rob-
bery. Soon after they spotted his
car, a shootout ensued.
Both agents and one of the
occupants of the car were killed.
A later shootout at the gunman’s
home ended in two more deaths.
An FBI investigation turned up
a gun with Peltier’s fingerprints
on it, although
there was no
evidence
he’d
been
involved
in the murder of
the agents. Pelti-
that courtesy to some of the thou-
sands of human beings caged up
in America’s federal prisons.
Leonard Peltier should be one
of them.
Peltier was a Native American
by
Instead of following the White
House tradition and ‘pardoning’ a
turkey destined for a holiday dinner
table, Obama should extend that
courtesy to some of the thousands of
human beings caged up in America’s
federal prisons .
A later shootout at the gunman’s
home ended in two more deaths.
An FBI investigation turned up
a gun with Peltier’s fingerprints
on it, although there was no ev-
idence he’d been involved in the
murder of the agents. Peltier was
placed on the FBI’s most wanted
list and eventually captured in
Canada.
It really looks like our govern-
ment has locked up an innocent
man. Isn’t it time to fix it?
With his presidency coming to
a close and Thanksgiving around
the corner, it’s the perfect time for
Obama to offer a gesture to help
make amends with our nation’s
original people. Instead of par-
doning a turkey, he should pardon
Leonard Peltier.
OtherWords columnist John
Kiriakou is an associate fellow
at the Institute for Policy Studies.
He’s a former CIA counterterror-
ism officer and senior investigator
for the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee.
The Law Offices of
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
er was placed on the FBI’s most
wanted list and eventually cap-
tured in Canada.
As Thanksgiving approaches,
I’ve got a suggestion for President
Barack Obama.
Instead of following the White
House tradition and “pardoning“ a
turkey destined for a holiday din-
ner table, Obama should extend
activist on South Dakota’s Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation in the
1970s. On June 26, 1975, two FBI
agents went to Pine Ridge to look
for a young man named Jimmy
Eagle, who was wanted for rob-
bery. Soon after they spotted his
car, a shootout ensued.
Both agents and one of the
occupants of the car were killed.
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
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Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com