FROM THE GRIO — Spelman College, the all female HBCU, has made the difficult choice to abandon its athletic program in exchange for improved fitness facilities and a more inclusive wellness program for its students.

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“When I was looking at the decision, it wasn’t being driven by the cost as much as the benefit. With $1 million, 80 student athletes are benefiting. Or, should we invest in a wellness program that would touch every student’s life?”

Spelman might not influence other schools in the region where sports are more intertwined with the identity of the university. But some schools suffering from deep budget cuts could consider following suit.

Tatum is more concerned with the students’ health and the responsibility to help. She told the Journal-Constitution, “one out of every two students has high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or is obese.”

“I have been to funerals of young alums who were not taking care of themselves,” she said, “and I believe we can change that pattern not only for them but for the broader community.”

HBCUs have endured bleak financial reports in the recent months, including the collapse of Morris Brown and alleged money woes at Morehouse College.

Recently, $228 million in grants were given to HBCUs by the Department of Education. Many have speculated about how that money would be managed when schools like Morris Brown were in financial peril due to financial mismanagement, corruption, financial aid theft and foreclosure.

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4 Comments

  1. this makes no sense to me. you’re going to cut programs that benefit young black women who actually don’t mind being active and healthy in favor of some nebulous effort to get those who don’t mind being overweight and unhealthy and inactive to be the opposite of who they are?

    these girls are in college. if they want to do better about their health, they should be smart enough to do google searches to figure out how to eat. right? just don’t understand depriving some people in HOPES of others figuring out they should do better about their eating and exercise habits.

    “Spelman College, the all female HBCU, has made the difficult choice to abandon its athletic program in exchange for improved fitness facilities and a more inclusive wellness program for its students.”

    i don’t get this sentence either. schools with athletic programs often actually have improved fitness facilities. why would this program improve facilities and how?

  2. Its a decision I think shouldn’t have been made…

  3. Conservative politics at its finest. Spelman has no intention of fostering real growth from young women, keeping them in white dresses for the system. Cutting sports out in a guise of obesity politricks. Sad day

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