from: The K104 Morning Show
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs son Justin Combs has received a $54,000 merit-based scholarship to UCLA, where he’ll play football. Some say the family should return the scholarship and Diddy should pay for his son’s education and taxpayer money should go to students with greater financial need. Other say Justin Combs earned the scholarship through his grades and athletic ability, and deserves to keep it. What do you think he should do?
Many have already commented on the page itself so please check that out, but we think we should also have a discussion here, and to start off I will say this:
“I realize that just because his dad is a douche bag, doesn’t mean he should be punished, he did earn it….”
This is one of those issues where I am riding the fence. It could just be because the story is fresh, so I have not had much time to really think it out….but my initial thoughts are as follows:
1. By and large, the majority of student athletes in this country are either working class or low income. So it would be very easy to say that since this young man comes from an affluent family, he can afford to go to any school he wants and have his father pay for it. That would also mean that the 54k could go to one or more other students who may have more of a need for financial assistance than young Diddy (as I will now call him).
2. On the other hand, I would say that I respect young Diddy because this accomplishment does seem well deserved. He has athletic talent and he also remained a good student academically, and like many other students in this postion who work towards something, he has accomplished this. Further, it says something about who he is and maybe wants to be as a person and as a man because he achieved academic and athletic success and this could be an example for many other your Black boys and men. It says something about him that he has set himself up in such a way where he does not have to be as deep into his rich father’s pocekts as many other rich kids. Diddy does not have to “buy” his son’s way into a good college (like some who will remain nameless), instead he has done it more or less on his own.
So at this time, I am still on the fence…..
Though he did earn it, it would show great maturity and understanding of his situation if he was to recognize that even though he did earned with his physical and mental gifts, the situation from which he comes from is one of plenty and it contributed greatly to his achievements, and it would be an act of pure greed to accept the scholarship knowing that there are others who don’t have the financial means, who without the scholarship that he’s taking, would otherwise go without or experience great hardship trying.
The University and the University of California system released statements about where the funding for his scholarship came from. In their statements they provided insight into the funding stating that the money is not from tax payers, tuition or student fees, and instead is apart of institutional development from private funds and donations and they feel that he is well deserving of the scholarship as many other prospective students are. The scholarship was not based on financial need, rather it is a merit scholarship based on his athletic ability and grades. Further, Diddy’s son attended a prestigious private school in which he maintained a GPA over 3.8 in a competitive atmosphere. This may not change the opinions of those who feel that he does should not keep the scholarship or is not deserving, but it does present more insight and factual information concerning this story.
Truly that does provide insight, but he should give it back because overall he does not need it any any way shape or form.
So instead you pose that he should just have his father pay for him to go to college? So that he can then be criticized for just being another rich kid who never earns or works for anything on his own? How is this fair?
I agree with deovian. That is unfair to him. He could have easily not played sports, flunked his classes, stayed in trouble, etc knowing that at the end of the day, his step-dad would have the means to take care of him but he did not. He advanced in sports and in academics so why not reward him? Because of his circumstances? I don’t think that would be right.
It almost sounds like you are saying we should give the rich boy a cookie because he took advantage of his already privileged and advanced position in society. That he should be rewarded for not being another spoiled rich brat.
why do you ask the question like its a BAD thing for his father to pay for him to go to college?
I would care less about the criticism that he would get for being able to pay for his college without any outside financial help, because I don’t think that its really all that much of a hardship to be able to pay for college.
His father paying for his college education is just as fair as anything else. Why should he not pay for his own education because he can afford it?
Basically its just a shitty thing to do to be able to afford college and then not do it. And I have no sympathy for people who are in that position but would rather take more to add on to their already ample supply of good fortune.
One might also think that it would be a point of pride to be able to pay for one’s own education, I mean hell his daddy paid for all his fancy private schoolin’.
I did not think it was a bad thing for his father to pay, but what I am saying is that society points a finger at him either way..either he gets scholarships which people will say he does not deserve because he is rich, or his dad pays and he is looked at as another spoiled rich kid with a dad who is always paying his way….I do not think it is wrong for him to give it back, clearly he does not “need” it..that has already been established. My thoughts are only to look at both sides of the situation…for the sake of a young man…One thing that does bother me about all of this is that there are many young rich kids and kids of celebs who have received scholarships of all kinds, so I wonder why this is onyl a big deal with Diddy’s son? Will Smith’s son received a scholarship, Denzel Washington’s son, and Master P’s son…what is so different now…?