Alyssa GregoryThe Rodriquez and Ervin Scholarships for minority students have recently become a topic of debate on this campus. Recipients of these scholarships have demonstrated excellence academically and in their communities as a whole. Their presence on this campus is a valuable addition to Washington University, and the scholarships that brought them here are valuable assets.
The Rodriguez and Ervin Scholarship programs are given out every year to the most qualified Hispanic and black students, respectively, in the applicant pool. At most, five Rodriguez Scholars and at least 10 Ervin Scholars are selected annually. Each scholar receives a stipend which covers the full tuition of all four years. Both of these scholarship programs are privately endowed, largely by WU, and they are run through the College of Arts and Sciences.
It must be understood that the Rodriguez and Ervin Scholarship programs are put in place to bring some of the brightest and most active applicants to this school. Therefore, the goal of these scholarships is not simply to bring more Hispanics and blacks to WU, but rather to entice minority applicants who have astounding records at their respective high schools to join the WU community and make it stronger.
Once on campus, members of the distinguished programs become active leaders in the community.
Though these individuals do take part in programs specifically designed for them, they are not segregated from the rest of the community. In fact, the scholars are often the leaders of many groups on campus. Whether it be in ALAS, ABS, Student Union, or Student Life, Rodriquez and Ervin Scholars play a pivotal role in what occurs on campus.
Some people might assume that these scholars do not become leaders of the entire WU community, but rather the leaders of only the Hispanic or black communities. This simply is not true. The reason that recipients are selected for the Rodriguez and Ervin Scholars programs is specifically dependent upon the proven willingness of these individuals to expand their horizons and to actively become involved in every facet of the community they come from, regardless of race. And when they get to WU, the story does not change. These individuals do not segregate themselves.
For example, Alba Ponce de Leon, a member of the Class of 2004 and a Rodriguez Scholar, has roommates who are Irish, Jewish, and Asian. Though Alba is extremely active with ALAS, her community is not limited by race.
However, one thing that must be asked of these scholarship programs is whether these individuals go on to give back to the communities that have provided them with the funds for their education. Though from the face of the issue, it would seem entirely likely that Rodriguez and Ervin Scholars would do so (because of how active they were in high school and in college, and it can only be presumed that such would be the case in their post-WU careers), there is no such requirement.
To instill the condition that these scholars must provide some type of service back to their community after college might be a fair requirement. In essence, they would be paying back to the community, the fruits of their endowment.
Therefore, the Rodriguez and Ervin Scholars programs are not racially biased programs that segregate and divide, but rather tools for WU to improve the caliber of students on this campus and also a way of drawing to WU, individuals that will contribute to every facet of what goes on at WU. Rather than call for their termination, these programs should be supported.