Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Bob Jones The Luckiest Bigoted School Ever!

Posted by Greg Hambrick on Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 9:04 AM

Props to the Post and Courier’s Diane Knich for today’s story on Bob Jones receiving state aid while extra money for low-income students of public schools gets nixed.

Last year, low-income public school students received, on average, $1,158 in grants while their private-school counterparts received $3,100, nearly three times as much.

This year, the private school funding will increase to about $3,200 and includes an exclusive new addition: Bob Jones University, says Eddie Shannon, executive director of the Tuition Grants Commission.

Shannon said that although the bill didn’t specifically mention Bob Jones University, “it happens to be the only new one that qualifies.”

Before the legislation was passed, Shannon said, private colleges had to be nonprofit organizations, have a major campus and headquarters in South Carolina and be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Under the new legislation, a private college can meet those criteria or it can simply be a bachelor’s level institution chartered before 1962 with a major campus and headquarters in South Carolina, the latter of which allows Bob Jones to qualify.

I’m not sure why Bob Jones couldn’t get SACS accreditation, but it probably has something to do with this line in the association’s guidelines:

The governing board is free from undue influence from political, religious, or other external bodies and protects the institution from such influence.

What’s funny is that other private, religious schools on the list for state aid have received this accreditation. Why should Bob Jones University be the only school not held to this standard?

Topics: Schools
  |  

Comments (6)

Showing 1-6 of 6

Add a comment

I'm not sure what you are whining about. Bob Jones University will more than likely not accept the funds. Poor low income students can have my share. I work hard for a living to provide for my family unlike most of the lazy low income citizens of South Carolina sucking the system dry.

report   
Posted by Darrell on July 31, 2007 at 7:25 PM

Maybe "Darrell" would prefer to pay the estimated $30K per year per prisoner in one of the state's many prisons. I'd rather help pay for someone getting a better education before that less traditional form of education becomes the option of last resort. Because the cost of putting someone through McDougall Maximum Security is about the same as Bob Jones, I'd prefer that this support be limited to those qualified for the State U's. It's a good investment and a lot cheaper in the long run.

report   
Posted by anonymous on August 1, 2007 at 11:28 PM

I'm a BJU alumnus. We're not bigots. Gallup has found that 83% of Bob Jones University faculty, staff, and students are nice people. =) Please come and visit us. mlwj

report   
Posted by Mike Wood on August 2, 2007 at 8:45 AM

If only that 17 percent wasn't running things.

report   
Posted by Greg Hambrick on August 2, 2007 at 8:50 AM

The BoJos are indeed "nice people" -- and it runs all of one inch deep. I used to be one. And I've seen plenty of what lies beneath that "one inch of nice." On the BoJos & bigotry: http://www.nobojo.org/kkk.html In 1983 Bob Jones III wrote an article claiming that accreditaion -- ANY accreditation -- was forbidden by the Bible. In 2006 the school received accreditation & the BoJos quietly flushed Bob's article down the memory hole. I have preserved it: http://www.nobojo.org/accreditation.html Bob Jones University...whose every action comes pre-parodied and self-satirized. Just add water.

report   
Posted by Nobojo on August 5, 2007 at 4:56 AM

mlwj As I said else ware, one's disposition has little bearing on the quality of their education or the validity of their argument.

report   
Posted by Rev. BigDumbChimp on August 7, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Subscribe to this thread:
By Email
With RSS
Showing 1-6 of 6

Add a comment

Greg Hambrick
News Editor

Press Time Tweets

City Paper Blogs

RSS Links

Classified Listings
{ more } Recent Comments
{ more } Reader Reviews
Most Viewed

Powered by Foundation   © Copyright 2012, Charleston City Paper   RSS