“At the urging of his family and due to the demands of work and church, Disnew began attending NSU in 1996 where he began learning how to read and write while pursuing  a music degree. During that time, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder—something that had plagued him all his life. After a year at NSU, the stresses and struggles of life—raising a family, working, going to school— took their toll on him and he dropped out.  More than 10 years went by—in fall 2009, he finally returned.”

“It’s been like coming up the rough side of the mountain,” said Disnew. But despite his difficulties, he credits NSU with helping him reach this important day in his life. “I was intimidated the first time I came here and then 10 years later,” he said. “There are a lot of good people here. There are people here who naturally try to help get you to where you need to go.”

Monzon, 19, was the driver of the car. Several other athletes injured in the wreck included Marcus Thompson, who was air-lifted to University Medical Center in Jackson, Miss.,  Rogers James and Joseph Hardnett, who were transported to the Greenwood-Leflore Hospital with minor injuries.

“We express our deepest sympathy and sincerest condolences to all of his family and friends. The Valley community will continue to pray for all of those involved in this untimely accident. Counselors will be available through the University’s Counseling Center for those members of the Valley family who need support during this very difficult time,” said Acting University President Alfred Rankins.

According to report, Southern Digest Editor-In-Chief Evan Taylor says that the April 15 vote to seize the funds to support ‘student scholarships, capital improvements and service initiatives’ was passed 927-169, but was not approved for referendum by the student senate. One student senator, Clifton Blouin, confirms that bylaws were not observed in presenting the vote to the campus. From the SPLC:

“Blouin said that all referendums must be written and then approved by the senate before they can be put up for a campuswide vote. In this case however, the senate passed a verbal version of the bill, which wasn’t written until Sunday and was then pre-dated to Friday, he said.”

“When he first saw the written bill, Blouin said his name was on it as an author and cosigner. He said he demanded that it be taken off because he “didn’t have any say so or knowledge of anything pertaining to the bill to enact the referendum.”

Taylor says the fund is financed by student fees and excess funds from the general operating budget, and grew substantially as salaries reserved to pay employee positions associated with the paper went unfilled over several years.

I am filled with a strong sense of pride when I think about Claflin University. Going to an HBCU wasn’t always my first choice, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I love how interactive the Claflin faculty is with the students, and how helpful they can be with helping you becoming the best person you can become within your field, and with finding a job post-graduation. The smaller classroom and close-knit environment really help to develop a family type bond with everyone in the school.

No, I don’t knock anyone for going to any type of school, HBCU or PWI. But the history that goes into most Historically Black Colleges and Universities is something to definitely be proud of. At one time, these were the only schools that would give African-American students a secondary education. Even our own Claflin University was founded in 1869 for freed slaves. No, I am not stuck in the past and I am not expecting other black students to fill obligated to attend an HBCU.

It’s been said that students who attend HBCU’s are stuck up because they feel as though they are “a better black person” than students who attend PWI’s. It’s been said that students who attend PWI’s are stuck up because they feel as though they are above attending a college where blacks are the majority, and that’s exactly where the problem lies.

The problem is not that students who attend HBCU’s won’t be able to make it in the real world, because “in the real world everyone is not black,” the problem is that black people don’t even know how to work with or accept themselves. In a world where we learn about the culture of other races and ethnicities, sometimes we forget about our own.

That’s what I love about HBCU’s. It shows that the power of black people working together can still be something great.

India Hill is a graduating senior at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC.