Free Republic

Jim Crow may be dead in most of America — but not at Columbia University. Almost 50 years after the Civil Rights Act ended legal discrimination, the bastion of liberalism is finally trying to change one of its scholarships, which is restricted to “whites only.” The Ivy League school’s Lydia C. Roberts Graduate Fellowship stipulates that the funds be given only to “a person of the Caucasian race.”

The latest version of the Senate immigration bill still repeals E-Verify but keeps it operational in the meantime so businesses in states that require its use can keep using it over the next five years. That change is part of a new 350-page amendment filed late Tuesday by the “Gang of Eight” senators who wrote the bill, which now runs to 867 pages and covers everything from legalizing illegal immigrants to boosting border security to rewriting the legal immigration system. “We have made some technical fixes and clarifying edits to the legislative language, but that’s it. This is a routine...

Four Hofstra University basketball players were arrested on burglary charges stemming from dormitory room break-ins, police said Friday. Detectives said the players were charged in six burglaries that occurred between Oct. 4 and Nov. 5, but they suspect there have been numerous other thefts starting at the beginning of the semester.

A Yale football player who said he withdrew from consideration for a Rhodes scholarship in order to prepare for his team's rivalry game against Harvard had in fact been informed his candidacy had been suspended, The New York Times reported. The Rhodes Trust had suspended quarterback Patrick Witt's candidacy when it learned, outside of official channels, that a female student had accused Witt of sexual assault in September, the newspaper reported. Witt had previously announced he had withdrawn his application because his interview for the prestigious scholarship was on the same day as Yale's game against Harvard, its ancient archrival....

Anwar Awlaki, now believed to be an Al Qaeda recruiter hiding in Yemen, is connected to at least two recent suspected terrorism cases – the Fort Hood attack and the attempted Christmas Day jet bombing. The American Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, considered by some to be one of the most wanted terrorists behind Usama bin Laden, was educated in the United States with taxpayers money, an ongoing Fox News investigation has found. Awlaki, now believed to be recruiting for Al Qaeda from hiding in Yemen, is connected to at least two recent suspected terrorism cases – the Fort Hood attack...

Educators say about 2,000 Libyan students who attend college in the United States are losing financial support from their home government. The Spokesman-Review reports the Libyan government stopped funding the Libyan-North American Scholarship Program after the U.S. froze about $30 billion of its assets. Nearly 40 Libyan students at Washington State University are among an estimated 2,000 nationwide who no longer will receive money for education and living expenses from the Libyan government at the end of the month.

How much should a college education cost? According to the College Board, the average cost of earning a degree at a private, 4-year university is now more than $100,000. If tuition prices continue to rise as quickly as they did during the past decade, a college degree will cost more than $200,000 by the time today’s third-graders are applying. That price tag is enough to cause most parents to break into a sweat. Is a college degree really worth this cost? Some bright minds think Americans are paying way too much. In fact, Bill Gates--one of the country's most famous...

(CNN) -- On Monday night, with millions of fans watching every play, Auburn will take on Oregon for the national championship of college football. If you're viewing at home, you may notice the same thing you can observe each season at every massive college football stadium or glistening big-time college basketball arena: Everyone working in the place is being paid: the hot dog vendors, the television broadcasters, the guy peddling game-day programs, the person who manufactured the university-logo jerseys and caps that are for sale at the souvenir stands, the employees changing lightbulbs in the tunnels. ... Everyone except the...

Johnson Wins District 30 Despite ScandalBy Carol Cavazos & Matt Goodman, CBS 11 News November 2, 2010 10:35 PM DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – In the midst of many Republican gains, the Associated Press announced that Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson had defeated her challenger for District 30 U.S. Representative despite a nationally publicized scholarship scandal. Her opponent, Republican Stephen Broden, didn’t want to discuss the race, and refused to concede until all votes counted. With 77 percent of precincts reporting, however, Broden was trailing by 54 percent of the vote. **SNIP** Broden would still not concede the race. In August, officials with...

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson said Monday that she should have been more diligent in overseeing the allocation of scholarship money that ultimately went to her relatives and the children of an aide. But she refused to apologize or acknowledge that she did anything wrong.

Complete title: Letters Show Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) Steered CBC Scholarship Money Directly to Her Grandsons Nine-term Dallas Democrat caught up in her own culture of corruption. On August 29, the Dallas Morning News dropped a bombshell into the race for House District 30 in Texas: Nine-term Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Democrat, had evidently abused her position to push Congressional Black Caucus scholarship money toward several of her relatives and the children of her aides over the course of several years.  According to the News: Longtime Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson has awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships...

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson apparently asked the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to send scholarship funds directly to her grandsons and great-nephews, rather than to their colleges, according to letters released today by her GOP challenger. It is unclear whether such a request is, by itself, improper under the foundation's rules.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a longtime Texas Congresswoman, repaid from personal funds about $31,000 to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation after disclosures that she had awarded scholarships meant for needy students to her relatives and those of her staff... "While I have unknowingly made a mistake and am, too, disappointed by this, I will continue my fight towards making opportunities for eligible young people and under-represented populations," Rep. Johnson said in a statement... The foundation, a nonprofit group that seeks the advancement of African-Americans, provides help for college-bound students by awarding money it receives through private donations. Every year, the...

After awarding as many as two a year Congressional Black Caucus Foundation scholarships to her family members and relatives of an aide, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) claims she did not know that was wrong. "Rep. Johnson told us that she did not know the rules of our scholarships, and that once she realized she erred, she would make retribution to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in terms of returning the money," she said. Now that she has been busted as another corrupt Congressional Black Caucus member, Rep. Johnson is willing to give the money back. I wonder if she...

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is investigating the way its members use its scholarship program after Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) admitted doling out education awards to relatives and her top aide’s children. 

In a lengthy statement Tuesday, foundation chair Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.) said the propriety of the scholarship selection process is of “extreme importance” to him, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the foundation’s leadership.

 As part of the audit, Payne said he has instructed every member of the Caucus, along with foundation staff, to immediately review systems to “ensure the highest degree of transparency,...

As if Democrats didn’t have enough troubles on the ethics front with two trials coming up in the House. Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters have company after the Dallas Morning News reported that Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson gave scholarships from a charitable fund to four relatives and the two children of her aide. The scholarships violated an anti-nepotism rule that keeps Congressional Black Caucus members from using such charitable funds as payoffs and featherbedding accounts:

A vanity request here. I am looking for information on sources to look up and apply for college scholarships. The problem is, as a *conservative* white male, I am too responsible to be eligible for Obama's "free money" (remember he's all about redistributing wealth to the "rightful owners" [sic]), but not yet rich enough that I can pay the costs out of pocket for a top school, or even a mid-tier school. And there is more than one up-and-coming high schooler in the family. Wondering about either merit-based scholarships open to white males (as if), or fellowships / scholarships /...

If you live in West Virginia, your child needs to score at least 203 on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which is used to screen for candidates for the National Merit Scholarship program. But if you live in Virginia, that score has to be at least 218, as it is in New York. The cutoff score for Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey is 221. In fact, the cutoff scores vary in each state, and they vary from year to year. Some college admissions counselors think this is patently unfair, and that a national scholarship program should...

With Congress phasing out the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, D.C. parents and students are looking to President Obama/administration to step in and save the federal initiative, which has given hope for a brighter future to thousands of families. However, Mr. Obama has been silent on the issue.... Asked ...why he didn't support the Opportunity Scholarship Program -- given that the Department of Education's own evaluation found it was benefiting participating students. Duncan explained that he was focusing on reforms to turn around the entire public school system, not just save a few children: "As a country, we like to save...

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin is pulling out of the National Merit Scholarship Program to focus on needs-based financial assistance. The university — second only to Harvard in the number of merit scholars enrolled — said budget pressures were causing it to end its participation in the merit-based program, which awards scholarships to top high school achievers. Colleges nationwide are struggling to meet higher demand for financial aid amid fewer resources from states and their own endowed scholarship funds. “The financial constraints brought about by the economy on families and the university require the redirection of...