Photo Credit: Luke Freeman
By: Fitz Harris
A comment regarding the Goah scholarship program at Convo on Sept. 20 sparked controversy on Milligan’s campus.
During a presentation on diversity and ethnic relations, Chad Brennan and Richard Johnson, guests from ReNew Partnerships, displayed a student’s opinion on a slide.
“It does not make any sense to give people money because of their color or race,” the slide read. “They did not do anything to earn it.”
Students receiving a Betty Goah scholarship and the supporters of the scholarship are upset at what they feel is a misrepresentation of the program.
“It was needed and it still shows us that we still have a lot of work to do on campus,” said senior Abenezer Abraham, Goah scholar and Goah president for the past three years.
Abraham is trying to view the dig at the Goah scholarship as positive by saying that he now knows that there is still a need on campus for understanding of diversity. He wants to reach people and help them “understand the message of the Goah and why it’s on campus.” He feels that the negative reaction to the program is due to its inaccurate portrayal on campus.
“People label us with just a scholarship but it’s a program,” said Natalia Rivas, another Goah scholar. “We are here to give back to the community.”
Other Goah scholars made similar comments about the comment.
“I wish that someone would have told me that someone thought that … it hurts more to have someone say that to you,” said Alexandria Elizabeth.
The Goah program is in its fifth year of existence at Milligan College and sponsors approximately 75 students from African-American, Hispanic, Caucasian, Romanian, Ukrainian and Asian backgrounds. The scholarship is awarded based on criteria including academic excellence with a 3.0 GPA and higher, good leadership abilities and athletic performance or involvement in the fine arts.
“We give scholarship money to students that we know would enhance life at Milligan College,” said board member Dr. Lee Magness, a professor of Bible.
He highlighted that scholarship money is granted to “good leaders” and athletes who “have developed a sense of discipline.” He described the Goah program as a continuation of the philosophy of discipline, academic excellence and leadership in building “a strong sense of the diversity of God’s kingdom.”
There has been “a lot of positive change,” said Abraham. “We made up the MERT, a multi-ethnic resources team where at the end of each year the Goah report on their contributions to Milligan, what was done and what could be improved. We have people in dance and tennis.”
Plans for the Goah program include playing off the theme “action speaks louder than words.” President Greer as well as other college leaders are encouraging and supporting the mission of the Goah program.
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