Debt-Ridden Morehouse Drop Out Needs Help With Student Expenses

ATLANTA -- A student who dropped out of Morehouse College two years ago because of rising student debt would have had all of his expenses paid, thanks to this past weekend's commencement announcement from billionaire Robert F. Smith that he is paying off the class of 2019's debt. Jordan Long is now attending an Oakland, California, community college, and has set up a GoFundMe to help with his educational expenses.

"I entered Morehouse in the fall of 2015 as a freshman on track to graduate in 2019," Long writes on his online fundraising page. "I was a very active student on campus and involved in multiple campus organizations and on the executive board of the LGBTQ student organization that had just brought the writer of Moonlight to speak on campus as our keynote speaker for Morehouse Pride Week 2017. I was flourishing at Morehouse but I couldn't bare [sic] putting my family deeper into debt.

"I now attend community college back home in Oakland, California to obtain an associate degree in business with Morehouse credits and an associate degree in sociology before I transfer to finish with bachelor's degree in sociology. I use my education to build sustainable community based organization to eliminate inequality in my community and foster self-determination for my community."

Smith, the 2019 commencement speaker at Morehouse College, made international headlines when he told the graduating class on Sunday he is creating a grant to eliminate their student loans.

Long says he is saddled with more than $50,000 in student debt from Morehouse and no Morehouse degree. "Any help removing this heavy financial burden is appreciated," he writes.

On Monday, Morehouse President David Thomas said wealthy black communities have not been supporting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and hopes Smith's grant will spur similar donations. Thomas made the remarks on the SiriusXM Joe Madison The Black Eagle show.

"We have people in our community with significant wealth and if we look at how many HBCUs, for example, are struggling, I think you could make a case that our community, those of us with means have not prioritized supporting them because many of them should not be struggling the way that they're struggling," Thomas said.

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