‘You just hope it’s not you next’: Students concerned after agriculture scholarship program suspended at VSU, 18 other HBCUs
VENN
UPDATE: Late in the evening on Feb. 24, the USDA announced that the 1890 National Scholars Program was reopened and applications will be accepted through March 15. The majority of this reporting, including interviews, is from prior to that announcement.
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia State University (VSU) students expressed their concerns after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 1890 National Scholars Program was temporarily suspended.
"I was kind of getting excited because I [was] like, 'Man, if I can get the scholarship, the rest of my expenses for the semester can be paid off,'" said VSU freshman Tobias Clark. "But I had applied, woke up the next morning and found out that it had been suspended."
The scholarship program is aimed at helping students of underserved communities receive higher education degrees in agriculture, science and natural resources -- like Clark, who is an agriculture major.
"It was super personal," he said of his reaction to the news of the suspension. "It was a shock."
The scholarship program was founded in 1992 as an agreement between the USDA and Black land-grant universities nationwide. There are a total of 19 such "1890 universities", including VSU. All are also Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
In an email to 8News, VSU said that 16 of its students are currently supported through this program, which covers full tuition, room and board, as well as some other various fees. It called the program an "invaluable resource" to both these 16 active students and all that came before them.
"A lot of us … it was hard for us to come to college alone. We can barely afford it," Clark said.
On Friday, Feb. 21 and for multiple days after, the USDA webpage for the program showed a message reading: "The 1890 Scholars Program has been suspended pending further review.”
It's unclear what the "further review" will be or why exactly funding was suspended, but it comes alongside President Donald Trump's administration making budget cuts surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
"The more Black faces we get in any field -- even outside of agriculture -- is going to push more Black individuals to go into those fields and ... it'll just be good for the community as a whole," Clark said.
Students of other majors expressed concerns, too, wondering where the next budget cuts will land.
"It's one day at a time," said accounting major Kayla Rose. "You just hope it's not you next."
VSU's full statement to 8News reads as follows:
"We are still assessing the full impact of the USDA's decision to suspend the 1890 Scholars Program, which currently supports 16 VSU students in their academic and professional pursuits within the agriculture industry. This program has been an invaluable resource for HBCU students, and its suspension could have significant effects. However, we remain committed to advocating for and supporting all our students as best we can." Spokesperson for Virginia State University (VSU)
In the late evening on Monday, Feb. 24, the USDA updated the scholarship program's webpage with the following statement:
"The USDA 1890s National Scholars Program application period has been reopened, and applications will be accepted through March 15th. Please check this page again for information about upcoming webinars." The U.S. Department of Agriculture
No further information, such as an explanation as to why the brief suspension occurred, was provided.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
