The parade of pandering Republican candidates for President continues Monday (MLK Jr. Day) when Donald Trump becomes the latest to visit the evangelical hub known as Liberty University.
These days, most non-right wingers know of Liberty University as the college where – in the wake of the San Bernardino mass shooting – school president Jerry Falwell, Jr. called on students to obtain and carry their own guns on campus.
“Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here,” Falwell told students on Dec. 4th while referencing a Glock pistol in his back pocket, according to the Washington Post’s Nick Anderson.
Now when we think of Liberty University, our thoughts focus on, well, education. Liberty University is one of the worst colleges in America for poor and minority students. It has high price, high debt, and deplorable black student completion rates as compared to peer institutions serving similar students. Here are the numbers, according to university-submitted data to the U.S. Department of Education.
High Price & High Debt
Graduation Rates for Black Students
High Price & Low Graduation Rates for Minority Students at Liberty University
As Compared to Peer Colleges Serving Similar Students
We don’t expect Donald Trump will say anything about Liberty University’s record with minority and low-income students. But someone should. In fact, civil rights accountability hawks should go further and demand Liberty take action or lose some of its very generous federal aid. With liberty comes responsibility.