Virginia addresses ‘divide’
By Kim Chi Ha, staff writer      
Posted on February 5, 2007

The “digital divide” at historically black colleges and universities in Virginia will get a little smaller with a new $250 million federal technology grant.

The Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act was co-introduced last week by Senators John W. Warner, R-Va., and Jim Webb, D-Va.

“Historically, MSIs haven’t had the opportunity to build up strong endowments across the board,” said Arthur Dean, director of JMU’s Center for Multicultural Student Services.  “They’ve not had the resources of state land grant institutions funded by tax dollars.”

The Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act, if passed, will allot $250 million in federal technology grants to more than 200 Hispanic-serving institutions, more than 100 historically black colleges and universities and more than 30 tribal colleges in the United States. 

“Bridging the ‘digital divide’ in minority-serving institutions is crucial in a world where technology goes hand in hand with economic development and success,” Webb said in a press release last week. “Investing in our historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions will allow our students to compete with anyone, anywhere in the world.”

In Virginia, this means a technology boost on the campuses of its historically black colleges, such as Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, St. Paul’s College and Hampton University.

“We are very delighted and grateful to the Virginia congressional delegation for spearheading this well-deserved effort to close the digital divide that exists in minority-serving institutions,” said Adebisi Oladipupo, vice president for Research and Technology at NSU. “Unfortunately, in some cases, the divide is more like a digital ravine.  MSIs are known for always doing more with less; albeit painfully.”

Members in the JMU community agree the measure seems to be a good idea and somewhat overdue.

“A good friend of mine attends Virginia State University and spends a majority of her time in the library in order to have access to the school’s network,” said Michael Frempong, a member of the Black Student Alliance. “But with the help that this bill will provide, she’ll be able to utilize their network in a lot more places than just the library.”

This bill was previously introduced in 2003 and 2005 by former Virginia senator George Allen, and co-sponsored by Warner. Although it passed by unanimous consent in the Senate both years, the House failed to act.

“When it comes to educating and training the workforce … we cannot continue to do business as usual,” Oladipupo said. “That is why the passage of this bill is very critical not only to MSIs, but also to the nation.”

The grant will allow traditionally under-funded MSIs a chance to give their institutions a technological upgrade through better equipment and Internet connections, allowing students universal access to networks, and creating network and wireless capabilities and technologies.

“The bill will definitely help to provide instructional technology infrastructure and enable MSIs’ faculty and students to participate in high-bandwidth research networks consortia,” Oladipupo said. “The available funds will significantly increase the number of schools that will be able to utilize high-tech tools in educational instruction and research.”

Said Warner in a press release: “Many of our minority-serving institutions lack the capital to offer assistance to their students to bridge the ‘digital divide’ between students who are able to develop the skills necessary to succeed in a technology-based economy and those who are not.”