Being white pays off

This week, I have the opportunity to say something I never thought possible in a column -- Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union, is pissing people off!\nYes, ladies and gentlemen, the College Republicans at the Roger Williams University of Bristol announced the one -- and the only -- white scholarship! Any bona fide RWU caucasian is eligible for the single $50 prize. But, don't come on down if you're even slightly tinted because you will never make it past the photo verification of whiteness. The Republicans are pros at disgusting displays of trickery, so don't try anything shady. They will immediately disqualify you at the first "evidence of bleaching."\nAnd that's not all. As a contestant, you will have the opportunity to tell your future benefactors "Why you are proud of your white heritage and explain what being white means to you" in a 100-word essay. The fabulous prize will be awarded right before the guest lecture, "How the Civil Rights Movement Destroyed the Black Community," in honor of Black History Month.\nThe Master of Ceremonies is Jason Mattera, the scholarship's spokesman. The New York Times ironically describes him as a 20-year-old Hispanic who pays part of his tuition with a $5000 minority scholarship.\nWhew. This reminds me of a cracked-out version of the anti-affirmative action bake sale held by IU's own Committee for Freedom last December. Amazingly, RWU's Republicans garnered national support for their scholarship, making it a much more lucrative parody for that one lucky white person. Their Web site boasts more than $2000 in donations from across the country.\nNow, the world has a long history of making political points through ridiculous satire and parody -- hence such antics should not surprise us greatly. But race is one of those topics in America you do not touch with anything but the most serious of 10-foot poles.\nRegardless, Mattera and the RWU College Republicans believe they have a serious point to make, which he elaborated for the Times.\n"If you are a white student on campus, you don't have anyone helping you," he said. "Why is it that only students of color have this?"\nHe's right -- to a certain extent. Locally speaking, this version of white racism (ineptly termed reverse racism) exists at IU, as well, but it is neither absolute nor without reason.\nA successful diversity program at a public university proportionally mimics the state's demographics. Indiana was more than 90 percent white in 2000 and approximately 8.3 percent African American, according to the US Census Bureau.\nBut IU's Web site claims African Americans made up 3.8 percent of the 2002 enrollment. Therefore, the logical step for IU is to aid African Americans who are academically sound but financially unable to attend the University. Indiana University also has low-income financial aid and an affirmative action program for the low-income demographic.\n The RWU College Republicans err in thinking universities are mainly to blame for the skewed playing field. Their warped perception comes from the abundance of privately-sponsored scholarships for minorities. These, unlike state scholarships, have every right to restrict access to the funds.\n Conversely, most state-sponsored, specialized scholarships are not aimed at minorities because they are minorities. Rather, administrators direct their help at groups needing assistance, whoever they may be. It just so happens these two factors often coincide.\n Unfortunately, any aid system is bound to have faults. The current problem is well-off individuals with minority status can still apply for specialized scholarships even though they do not need the aid any more than well-off whites. To remedy this, the IU diversity office needs to focus its affirmative action programs on the individual applicants that need the funds, regardless of race.