Elite universities should not be asking, “Why do we have so few low-income students?” but “How do we have so many wealthy ones?”
By Robin J. Hayes
The Atlantic - Feb 27 2014
Yale Alumni Magazine’s cover announced
this month that the university “seeks smart students from poor
families.” As the illustration of a white man in a business suit
reaching past low-hanging fruit demonstrates, Yale believes “they’re out
there—but hard to find.” I guess my alma mater feels fortunate to have
found me–a native of East Flatbush, Brooklyn and the descendant of a
housekeeper, doorman, drug addict, and prisoner. I completed a Master’s
and Ph.D there in African American Studies and Political Science in 2002
and 2006, respectively.
The article the cover refers to, “Wanted: Smart Students from Poor Families,”
argues that decision-makers at this school and others (including
Amherst and Vassar) are sincere in their efforts to both recruit more
low-income students and make them “feel more at home” once admitted. The
piece inadvertently reveals how the privileged point of view of
trustees, administrators, and wealthy alumni donors present serious
obstacles to these intentions ever manifesting into reality. Since
graduating from Yale, I have taught courses at Williams College and
Northwestern, published articles, as well as given lectures and
trainings related to the politics of structural inequality. Here are
three reasons why I believe elite universities and colleges continue to
fail to economically democratize their student bodies.
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