re: Has Affirmative Action caused HBCUs to crumble?

I don't know what the all of the underlying causes are for HBCU's declining. I do know that in this year's state budget, funding for Alabama State University dropped from 40 to 30 million, and they were the only school to see such a significant (25%!) cut in the state.

My personal speculation (as a complete nonexpert) is because ASU alums aren't well represented in the Alabama state legislature, so when there's cuts that need to be made in spending, the hatchet swings disproportionately harder on them.

I received a full-ride offer from Howard (as a black male) but opted for Alabama instead. One of my main concerns was that HBCU's are often losing and gaining and then relosing their accreditation. Last I heard, the engineering programs at Alabama's HBCU's aren't ABET accredited. Honestly, considering their comparative lack of resources, the only legitimate reason I can see for attending an HBCU is because you want to experience what life not as a minority is like, which is understandable. I was the single black kid in all of my honors and AP classes and at times that was annoying.