#EPS518: Twitter Blog #1
In the article, “Syracuse U. Curbs Work with Program to Help Urban Youth Attend College,” Ry Rivard focuses on the new budget cuts at Syracuse University directly affecting the Posse Foundation. The Posse Foundation is a leadership scholarship program that recruits youth from urban areas and urban public schools. The program is not solely focused on low-income minorities but based on the student populations they draw from they have been able to provide college opportunities for these students. The new Chancellor, Kent Syverud, is making it his responsibility to increase funds at Syracuse by implementing budget cuts with one of the first to be removed: the connection with the Posse Foundation.
Currently in its third year at Syracuse, the Posse Foundation is assisting 60 students. Syracuse accepts students from Miami, Los Angeles, and Atlanta with approximately 10 students from each city annually. Syverud is only maintain the connection with Posse through Miami and no longer accepting students from Los Angeles and Atlanta, decreasing opportunities for about 20 scholarships per year for deserving students.
Former Chancellor Nancy Cantor, worked tirelessly throughout her term to increase enrollment opportunities for students of color and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. She received much pushback in her efforts as she was accused of decreasing the school’s quality and college rankings. However, in the 2013–2014 academic year, 3500 students were admitted with 32 percent minorities and 16 percent first-generation students. The Posse program has proven to increase the racial and economic diversity at Syracuse University. These students also have been a benefit to the campus community as many of them have excelled through academic life with GPA’s of 3.0 and higher and/or lack risk of academic probation. In addition to cutting back on the program, Syverud has also replaced the enrollment director at the university, who was also directly overseeing the Posse program at Syracuse.
In so many ways this angers me, as an alumni of the institution, as a first-generation, low-income student of color from an urban area, and as a person who has directly worked with students from the Posse Foundation at Syracuse. As a graduate assistant I worked with a large student population in my job as a volunteer coordinator and many times was privileged to work with Posse students in developing volunteer programs or attending their events and functions across campus. To say that these students add great value to the Syracuse community is an understatement. I have witnessed these students excel in leadership across a variety of organizations both social and academic. When I saw this article it was very disheartening but it forced me to immediately think, “of course the programs that serve our people are the first to be cut.”
This article also makes me think of the readings from this week, specifically Hoxby & Avery (2013) that address colleges and their need to reach out to high-achieving, low-income students. The Posse Foundation is a program that bridges that gap and provides support to both students (by assisting them with direct access to college and providing the financial means) and colleges and universities (by targeting students in urban areas and funneling them directly to the schools). This also makes me think of other readings and discussions we’ve had in class addressing the need for low-income students to attend college to increase their chances of mobility during their lifetime and the importance of attending selective schools. Solutions like the one Syverud is implementing completely removes this opportunity for students at Syracuse. I think limiting educational opportunities through the Posse program is a huge mistake and continues the cycle of restricting college access to minorities and low-income students. When will cuts to programs that serve these student populations no longer be the first solution? What can we do to remove this vicious cycle that forces the underprivileged to remain disadvantaged in society?
