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Issue: 1058 Date: 12/2/2010
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為華大與東聖路易建起一座橋樑
華大黑人同學會走入社區 鼓勵高中生
Bridging the gap between East St. Louis and the Danforth campus
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| Students from East St. Louis middle schools smile for the camera in Ursa's Caf?on Monday afternoon. The students spent the day at Washington University as part of a program called "Prepping for College Prep," sponsored by the Association of Black Students. (Sarah Maurizi | Student Life) |
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【時報訊】在聖路易華盛頓大學黑人同學會組織安排下，50位來自聖路易地區最糟糕之東聖路易地區中學生，日前和老師、父母親一起訪問離東聖路易祗有20分鐘車程之聖路易地區最好的大學之一華盛頓大學。一位八年級的黑人同學在一整天的參觀活動後，看著華大的科學實驗室說「有一天我將會在那裡面」。
東聖路易是聖路易地區最令人詬病的地區，兇殺犯罪率比全國平均高18倍，99%之東聖路易高中學生為黑人，平均ACT成績祗有15.1分，比起華大學生平均ACT成績31到34分祗有一半而已，但是這些都不會讓華大黑人同學會對東聖路易失望。
據華大黑人同學會社區服務同學Brandon Wilson表示，這項參訪活動就是要鼓勵東聖路易的黑人高中生暸解，祗要努力就有成就，千萬不要被環境所誤。
東聖路易市市長Alvin L. Parks也在受邀之列，和同學、家長一齊參觀華大，並與黑人高中生家長及華大黑人同學會互動，增進雙方暸解，為黑人高中學生立下高目標及好榜樣。
公立教育或許問題叢叢，但是華大黑人同學會並不袖手旁觀，而且起而力行，向東聖路易區伸出雙手，拉近彼此距離，為自己的社區貢獻一份力量。
Bridging the gap between East St. Louis and the Danforth campus
(November 17, 2010 - Elizabeth Germack Scene Reporter)
"I'm going to be here one day," announced an eighth grader from East St. Louis when passing the Laboratory Sciences Building at Washington University on Monday.
The student was one of 50 East St. Louis middle schoolers invited to spend the day at the University as part of a program called "Let's Get it Started: Preparing for College Prep."
Located just 20 minutes away from Wash. U., East St. Louis has one of the highest crime rates for any St. Louis metropolitan area, with 18 times the number of murders per year than the national average and 17 times the number of assaults. The city's schools were featured in Jonathan Kozol's 1992 book "Savage Inequalities," an expos?on the shortcomings of public education in America.
At East St. Louis High School, where 99 percent of students are black, the average ACT score is 15.1. Among Washington University students, the middle 50 percent have ACT scores in the 31-34 range.
These numbers represent a larger set of achievement gaps in America: According to a recent Columbia University study, black students are only half as likely as white students to earn a bachelor's degree by age 29.
Tackling this on a national level is a daunting feat, and according to leaders in the University's Association of Black Students (ABS), local solutions are where to begin.
Monday's event aimed to expose middle school students from East St. Louis to college life and help get them excited about the prospect of an education beyond high school.
Parents and teachers accompanied the young students during their visit to Wash. U. as they toured campus, ate lunch and asked questions of current students. Alvin L. Parks, the mayor of East St. Louis, also visited Wash. U. during the event and interacted directly with the students. In addition, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity spoke about membership in Black Greek life.
According to Brandon Wilson, community service officer for ABS, the central goal of the event was to demonstrate the attainability of a college education to the students before they enter high school.
When Wilson asked what the students planned to do in order to get into college, one girl replied, "I already have good grades and behavior, but I'm going to work even harder."
Wilson said that the students' reactions are what made the day meaningful.
"While many people put a lot of time and planning into this day, it was the students' and parents' excitement that was of real importance," he said. "I certainly think the day was a success, but there was nothing I could have done to make it so. It was all up to the students, parents and teachers, and they followed through."
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