While I can appreciate the argument Vickie Noyes makes in her June 23 letter, “Elevate education to proper status,” I’m also troubled by the faulty logic she uses.
First, there is no connection between the scholarship money awarded to Shaynne Goodwin and the scholarship money denied to Lauren Lackaff. Goodwin’s funding came from private donations to the Clark College Foundation while Lackaff’s scholarship money would have come from government funding had she received her money. These are two separate scholarships (one private and one public) and it’s unfair to suggest a cause/effect relationship between the two.
Second, while Goodwin did indeed spend time in prison, this was not the main reason he was awarded the Clark President’s Scholarship. That scholarship is awarded to students who show financial need, academic promise and a track record of service to the college. Goodwin’s criminal background was simply used to put his life in context for the readers. Goodwin didn’t receive that scholarship because he spent time in prison; he received that scholarship in spite of the fact that he spent time in prison. There is a big difference, and to suggest that prison is now the only road to receiving financial aid for college is insulting to Goodwin’s accomplishments.
Dave Kosloski
Vancouver
