Your Scholarships, Their Future: A Metaphor for Systemic Inequity
In his words: Mark Largent
Your Scholarships, Their Future: A Metaphor for Systemic Inequity
In his words: Mark Largent
June 16, 2020A Metaphor for Systemic Inequity
In his words: Mark Largent
Mark Largent is the associate provost for Undergraduate Education and dean of Undergraduate Studies. He is one of the people leading the charge to make MSU a more equitable place for all. Instead of illustrating his point through potholes and playing fields, he tells a story about highways and bridges.
The story is that of Jones Beach in Long Island, New York.
Built in the 1930s, Jones Beach was a beautiful creation, an oasis for New Yorkers during the stifling summer months in the city. And unlike so many waterfront spaces, Jones Beach was open to the general public.
Anyone who wanted to go to the beach, could go to the beach.
Sort of.
At the same time the beach was being hailed as a shining example of a recreation space for the masses, the expressway built from New York City to Jones Beach had overpass bridges intentionally designed with such low clearance that buses were unable to pass beneath them.
So, yes, people who wanted to go to the beach by car could go to the beach. But people who relied on the bus system—a demographic overwhelmingly composed of poor people and people of color—could not go to the beach.
“Our university, like all others, is full of low bridges,” Largent says of the metaphor. “Things that were accidentally or intentionally designed to keep people from ‘going to the beach.’ It is our job to find them, to root them out, to fix them and to build new expressways.”
Read on…
- On the surface, a university looks like the “great equalizer,” the place where every student has equal access to a bright future, upward social mobility, “the dream.” But it is not actually level playing field. Learn about the work MSU is doing to smooth it out, and how, in some cases, scholarships are the answer.
- Donors and alumni Ann and Jeff Feld talk about their connection to Michigan State, and how creating scholarships has allowed them to strengthen their bond with their alma mater, build a lasting legacy, and “pay it forward.”
- Current MSU student Evan Griffis, STARR Scholarship recipient, talks about the path that led him to MSU, and how having his tuition and fees covered through the generosity of private donors is allowing him to pursue his passion to the fullest.
- Catch up with recent grad Carlot Dorve, who, thanks to scholarships, was able to earn a degree in trumpet performance in 2016 and go on to an international performing career. He’s in Missouri now, working toward a Ph.D. in music education.
- Study the numbers! An initial investment from an endowed gift can make an immediate impact. But as it continues to grow, so, too, does the number of students it can impact each year. Find out how.
