The Observer, April 20, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 25
Outside the Circle
College accused of favoring Islam over Christianity
Minneapolis Community and Technical College proposed installing a basin where Muslim students would be able to ritually wash their feet before praying. This opened a storm of accusations that the college favors Islam over other religions, mainly Christianity.
Those opposing the plan cite an incident when a coffee cart on campus was made to stop playing Christmas songs during the winter season. "College authorities quickly quashed the practice," columnist Katherine Kersten wrote. "They appear to take a very different attitude toward Islam."
The college says that the current situation poses a safety concern, as Muslim students sometimes resort to washing their feet in public bathroom sinks. This poses a concern for the students trying to balance and for the other students who later have to cross the wet floor. Around 500 of the 11,000 students enrolled at the college are Muslim.
"Recently, a student who was washing her feet in the sink fell and was seriously injured. That brought renewed attention to this issue. We said, 'Well, we think the most reasonable response, or at least a reasonable response, is to explore what kind of foot-washing resource we could provide to ensure the safety of our Muslim students and also those that come in behind them,' " said president Phil Davis.
Many also worry that this will open the gates for other religious groups and special interest groups to request special accommodations. "If somebody wanted to put up a waterfall for peace or something, just some water flowing over a rock ... once you open what's called a limited public forum, a part of a government facility for the placement of one item, you're really literally opening the floodgates for everybody else to insist that their item be placed there as well," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
So far, at least 12 other public institutions offer the basins to their Muslim students. Minneapolis Community and Technical College has not yet reached a decision.
Financial aid officers receive kickbacks from lenders
As more and more student financial aid officers are brought to task for receiving kickbacks, incentives, and stock sales from lending agencies, it seems that students are still mainly indifferent or in the dark. Those trying to fight the corruption often cite how much it hurts students and how upset they are about it, but it seems that their true feelings are not as strong as they are depicted.
"Across New York and throughout the nation, people are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of college tuition, and allegations of trips and gifts from lenders to higher education officials raise significant concerns," New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said. "When making recommendations on how to make tuition more affordable, there must be absolutely no conflict of interest at the expense of students and their families."
Students seem to be mostly concerned if the corruption is discovered at their own school or, more importantly, with their own loans. "I'm not really that aware of the system, which is kind of shameful because I'm in it," said Rowena Njie, a junior in college. "If they're ripping anyone off, I would like to know. They're not going to tell me they're ripping me off, are they?"
Students and experts think that a more transparent loan system could help alleviate the problems. Financial aid officers maintain that corruption is not prevalent. They say that the biggest risk comes from students panicking at the news and losing trust in their own financial aid officers.
Special courses for black men
Higher education is in a frenzy over the growing gap between the performance of black women and black men. In all categories, it seems that black men are falling behind. Community colleges across the nation are trying to fight the problem by offering courses designed for black men that discuss the issues and problems they face.
Cedar Valley College (CVC) is one of the schools that is adopting this new approach. About 57.8 percent of the students attending CVC are black. More than 61 percent of those students are women. The graduation rates for black males are grim. Compared to Latino students, who are only 12 percent of the student body, male Latinos were graduating at much higher levels than black male students.
"Any way you look at it, this was a black male issue," said Jennifer Wimbish, president of CVC.
So the college has been offering a section of a human development course that focuses on black male issues. It is open to all students, but with the exception of one woman who took the class, most students who aren't black men move to a different section. Instructors explain in the beginning of the class that the focus will be on black men and their issues.
Some of the topics discusses include dangerous rites of passage, such as jail time, children out of wedlock, and violence. The instructors work to provide open communication between themselves and the students, to really get at what the most pressing issues are.
It is too early to judge the success of this venture. Administrators caution against letting these programs make people forget about these problems or think that they have been solved. Said Ray Burrell, division head for business and computer technologies at Wayne Community College, which also has been adding programs for black males, "This isn't going to happen next year or in the next 10 years, but we can start."
