Bluefield State College Football

[boatcapt]

Blufield was not invited to join the MEC because they didn't sponsor football and had a more "intermural" outlook on sports in general than the MEC schools. They will now have football and clearly are making a commitment to intercollegiate athletics. Also say what you will about Capehart but he is clearly "pro athletics" with a proven track record of growing enrolement.

As for should the MEC offer them a full membership, I say no, not right now. I would bring them in as an associate member (basketball, swimming, ??) and do a "scheduling alliance" in some others. Couch it as a trial period that might lead to full membership if the school meets enrollment and athletic performance goals.

[CALUPA69]

From the official statement...250 new students. That's all you really need to know!

The VAST majority of these new students will be receiving no athletic scholly $'s so will be paying their full tuition and now (new on-campus dorm just opened) paying R&B.

If the logic is adding sports to bring in players to pay full tuition and fees why stop at 11 ? Off the top of my head I can think of CHEERLEADING, M&W LACROSSE, FIELD HOCKEY, WATER POLO, M&W HOCKEY and/or M&W FENCING. Also without a modicum of scholly support these teams are going to be equivalent of CHEYNEY athletics in whichever league they end up. Whatever is needed to balance for Title 9 issues would be reasonable, beyond that I'm puzzled.

[boatcapt]

Got to draw the line somewhere. Perhaps BSC's physical plant and academic side can only support 250 additional students at this point? Maybe if they are successful in integrating the 250 athletic students plus academic only student increases, they can add Water Polo, Fencing and Hockey.

Not saying HBCU's are doing well financially, but they do have additional funds that non-HBCUs don't have access to. For example, as part of the HEERF (CARES Act), HBCUs are specifically allocated a minimum of $500k per school. This is in addition to the increase in federal funding to HBCUs. For small schools like BSC, that's a huge infusion to their operating budget.

[CALUPA69]

Got to draw the line somewhere. Perhaps BSC's physical plant and academic side can only support 250 additional students at this point? Maybe if they are successful in integrating the 250 athletic students plus academic only student increases, they can add Water Polo, Fencing and Hockey.

Not saying HBCU's are doing well financially, but they do have additional funds that non-HBCUs don't have access to. For example, as part of the HEERF (CARES Act), HBCUs are specifically allocated a minimum of $500k per school. This is in addition to the increase in federal funding to HBCUs. For small schools like BSC, that's a huge infusion to their operating budget.

If this school is getting any additional $$$ as an HBCU that would come close to fraud. It was until the '60s an actual member of that exclusive group, but with a 7% AA enrollment BSC is less legit than CAL U at 11%. Taking funding because of it's origin rather than it's current status deprives actual HBCU like CHEYNEY from help they desperately need and shouldn't be allowed, IMO.

[boatcapt]

HBCU is schools that were founded as black schools. There are a number of HBCUs that are not majority black now.

[ESU Warrior]

HBCU is schools that were founded as black schools. There are a number of HBCUs that are not majority black now.

I didn't know schools can change their "identity". I guess it makes sense since there have been all female schools that have moved to co-ed, but I don't know if there was special funding allotted to them.

Boat, what are some of the other schools that have traditionned from their HBCU roots and are now not a majority of African-American population?

[ESU Warrior]

After looking at them on the map I see that the GMAC is most likely out of question. They basically border Virginia, and are not far from Roanoke. Would the SAC be part of their blueprint?

I'm sure they would make a replacement for UNCP when they bolt for Conference Carolina's, so that can keep the MEC at 12.

[boatcapt]

I didn't know schools can change their "identity". I guess it makes sense since there have been all female schools that have moved to co-ed, but I don't know if there was special funding allotted to them.

Boat, what are some of the other schools that have traditionned from their HBCU roots and are now not a majority of African-American population?

They aren't changing their identity. They are changing their racial mix. My guess would be that sometimes that is purposeful and other times it is just the normal flow of applicants. In Bluefield's case, I'd say it was both. Prettu easy to find the history of Bluefield State on the interwebs. It is actually pretty interesting.

To be designated as a HBCU by the federal government a school has to meet two criteria:

1. The school has to have opened prior to 1964, and
2. The schools primary mission has to have been the education of blacks.

Once designated as an HBCU, there is no mechanisim to "remove" this designation. So in short, once an HBCU, always an HBCU.

Without digging through the demographics of each individual HBCU, the ones that I've seen mentioned as no longer majority black are:

Bluefield State College
St Philips College
Kentucky State
WV State

Interesting note. Bluefield is a two time national football champion. They won the 1927 and 1928 Black College National Champion.

[LegalRam]

They aren't changing their identity. They are changing their racial mix. My guess would be that sometimes that is purposeful and other times it is just the normal flow of applicants. In Bluefield's case, I'd say it was both. Prettu easy to find the history of Bluefield State on the interwebs. It is actually pretty interesting.

To be designated as a HBCU by the federal government a school has to meet two criteria:

1. The school has to have opened prior to 1964, and
2. The schools primary mission has to have been the education of blacks.

Once designated as an HBCU, there is no mechanisim to "remove" this designation. So in short, once an HBCU, always an HBCU.

Without digging through the demographics of each individual HBCU, the ones that I've seen mentioned as no longer majority black are:

Bluefield State College
St Philips College
Kentucky State
WV State

Unless something recently happened I was under the impression KSU was still majority African American.

From my days of attending various HBCU focused conferences I can honestly say I never saw Bluefield State take part in anything; however, KSU and WVSU were very active and always had representation.

I have never been to WVSU's campus, but I have met people who say it looks like a PWI during the day but an HBCU at night. I guess alluding to the fact that WVSU's numbers are made up of a lot of commuter students. Don't know how much truth there is to that though.

[boatcapt]

Unless something recently happened I was under the impression KSU was still majority African American.

From my days of attending various HBCU focused conferences I can honestly say I never saw Bluefield State take part in anything; however, KSU and WVSU were very active and always had representation.

I have never been to WVSU's campus, but I have met people who say it looks like a PWI during the day but an HBCU at night. I guess alluding to the fact that WVSU's numbers are made up of a lot of commuter students. Don't know how much truth there is to that though.

What I've read, Kentucky State is about 47% black. Blacks are the largest individual racial group but are under 50% of the total.

Not surprizing about Bluefield not partisipating in HBCU conferences. While they are an HBCU, their are almost all white right now. A lot of reasons for this...intentional and unintentional. Like I said, it is an interesting read. A big factor in the change was the closing of on-campus housing. Effectively this shifted the college from a residential college to a commuter college. Local demographic of that area was white so the demographic of the college changed to reflect that.

The new President has talked regularly about moving Bluefield back toward its origional mission and I note that the opening of on-campus housing will help. Also, probably a large % of the 250 new "student athletes" coming to BSC in the fall will be black.

[SW_Mustang]

What I've read, Kentucky State is about 47% black. Blacks are the largest individual racial group but are under 50% of the total.

I believe that's called a "minority majority."

They don't make up 50%+ of the total student body population, but they are the largest of any of the groups.

[LegalRam]

What I've read, Kentucky State is about 47% black. Blacks are the largest individual racial group but are under 50% of the total.

Not surprizing about Bluefield not partisipating in HBCU conferences. While they are an HBCU, their are almost all white right now. A lot of reasons for this...intentional and unintentional. Like I said, it is an interesting read. A big factor in the change was the closing of on-campus housing. Effectively this shifted the college from a residential college to a commuter college. Local demographic of that area was white so the demographic of the college changed to reflect that.

The new President has talked regularly about moving Bluefield back toward its origional mission and I note that the opening of on-campus housing will help. Also, probably a large % of the 250 new "student athletes" coming to BSC in the fall will be black.

Yeah, I read up on the history of Bluefield State a few years ago. It was a calculated move and got the results they were looking for at that time.

It will be interesting to see how many flock to the school with the new sports offerings and on campus living. I look at Chowan as a test case. Not an HBCU, but after joining the CIAA they altered their recruitment strategy and are now majority African American.

[NWHoops]

I believe that's called a "minority majority."

They don't make up 50%+ of the total student body population, but they are the largest of any of the groups.

Plurality. Most common when discussing voting but it can refer to any situation where there are more than 2 options and 1 of those has the largest quantity but it is not enough to be a majority (over 50%).

[SW_Mustang]

Plurality. Most common when discussing voting but it can refer to any situation where there are more than 2 options and 1 of those has the largest quantity but it is not enough to be a majority (over 50%).

I've heard it a lot when discussing racial demographics of the United States - it's predicted that caucasians will become a minority majority in the next X amount of years. They'll still be the top group % wise, but they will no longer make up 50%+ of the population.

[CALUPA69]

I've heard it a lot when discussing racial demographics of the United States - it's predicted that caucasians will become a minority majority in the next X amount of years. They'll still be the top group % wise, but they will no longer make up 50%+ of the population.

Back to the beginning. The number of AA students at BSC is 7%. Nationwide AA students are 13% of all undergraduates. Historically HBCU, yes. Actually HBCU, not even close for a number of years. Might those numbers change with the addition of 12 sports, absolutely. However I don't see a great boost from ACROBATICS, W GOLF, W TENNIS and M/W SWIMMING & DIVING. Time will tell.