HCASC...what's the point anymore?

• From: suds1000 <no_reply_at_yahoogroups.com>
• Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 16:19:31 -0000
• Message-ID: <d5qmuj+k9eo_at_...>

Quite simply, the HCASC should be available to all teams across the 
country.  The fact that I do not attend a HBCU and that fact alone 
has precluded me from participating in this tournament, which I find 
to be both unfair and unnecessary.

Even pushing all race issues aside (I'll address those in a second), 
why can't CBI open the HCASC up to all teams that desire to play in 
it?  Or just combine the fields with their other tournaments?  I 
sincerely doubt that Honda would have a problem with funding a 
tournament featuring some of the best academic teams in the nation.  
Even if the reasons for previous separation of these tournaments was 
financial in nature (the only feasible reason I can possibly see), I 
really don't see why CBI couldn't just run one tournament and give 
equal amounts of money to all teams that qualify for nationals...and 
to anyone who attempts to assert that obtaining money from a HBCU for 
a tournament is harder than from a regular university, take my word 
for it that most programs in the country have a *very* difficult time 
getting funding as well.

---------------------------

Now, as for the comments of bignupebq:

--- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, "bignupebq" <tom_at_b...> wrote:

>> That you would attempt to distill "RosaParks52's" racist
tirades, minstrel colloqiualisms and condesending "concern" into a
passive aside about the evils of "segregating" HCASC is ludicrous. By
the way, HCASC has a far greater percentage of NON-Black coaches and
players than the "Circuit's" percentage of Black coaches and players.
That's segregation??? Please... I really wish folks would stop
commenting on "poor old HCASC" as though it NEEDS the help of other
programs to justify itself. It doesn't... THE STUDENTS ENJOY THE
EXPERIENCE! And those that want more, seek it at their leisure.
What's the problem? <<

The circuit that you regard with so much scorn has (at least to the 
best of my knowledge) never attempted to prevent anyone from 
participating in competition for reasons other than those based on 
academic eligibility or years of experience limitations.  This is in 
opposition to the HCASC, which itself smacks of de facto reverse 
racism, as it is unquestioned that the majority of students at HBCUs 
are black.  By not opening up the HCASC to all teams, CBI is 
necessarily and knowingly supporting this reverse racism, and thus 
they themselves should not be supported with any money from our 
universities, whose charters prevent them from funding any event as 
such.

It's that simple.

Sudheer Potru
Outgoing VP, UIUC Academic Buzzer Team