Black on Campus News Briefs — March 24, 2009

This sign welcomes new and returning students to the Morris Brown campus.

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• For the first time it’s history, Omega Psi Phi will have an undergraduate presence on the campus of the College of William and Mary. William and Mary has employed members of the historically Black fraternity in the past, and has also enrolled Omegas at the graduate level. The institution has never been host to an undergraduate chapter. See “Historically Black Fraternity Comes to Campus” by Mason Watkins, in The Flat Hat, the College of William and Mary’s student-run news daily.
• In a 3/23/09 editorial, Black PR Wire argues that historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) may well be the institutions of choice for African American men. The claim is based on arecent finding that, on average, Black men who graduate from HBCUs earn 1.4% to 1.6% more than their counterparts who graduate from majority white colleges and universities. There are no figures listed for African American men who graduate from majority Black colleges and universities that are not HBCUs. Most heartening is the news that male enrollment at HBCUs has increased 8% since the 2004-2005 school year. See “HBCUs Spell Out Success for Black Men,” in Louisiana Weekly.
• BET.com reports that Atlanta-based Morris Brown College was able to make a significant payment on its water bill, thanks to a successful emergency fundraising campaign. Last month the finacially troubled HBCU was nearly forced to shut down its operations due, in part, to an outstanding water utility bill of over $215,000. See “Morris Bornw Pays Off Water Bill, Stays Afloat,” on BET.com.

Posted by Ajuan Mance