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By Todd Hardy
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 20, 1996
A UA alumna who was reportedly offering a scholarship for Native American women who abstain from sex has now softened her criteria - but many students still think her conditions are unfair.Sally Keith, 90, is offering a $5,000 annual scholarship to the University of Arizona for Native American women from Arizona. She also plans to give $250,000 to an endowment fund upon her death. The offer was made to the UA Foundation, the university's fund-raising arm.
Keith, who earned her master's degree in Oriental Studies from the UA at the age of 75, said academic success is not a requirement for her scholarship.
"I am looking for a girl with curiosity and imagination," she said.
Also, in response to the high rate of teen pregnancies in Arizona, Keith said she originally considered chastity as a requirement for her scholarship.
She said that now, however, she will require applicants to be unmarried, without a child, and to refrain from pregnancy throughout their four years at the university.
"If a girl has a baby, I don't think we'd want her," she said. "You can't do much studying if you are going to have a baby."
Keith said she changed the requirement to the 'no pregnancy' clause because she didn't want to dictate morals.
Despite this revision, many Native American students and faculty members think Keith's conditions are unacceptable and insulting.
Lisa Perry, a White Mountain Apache with a 4-year-old daughter, said Keith should not be able to discriminate against students who have children. Perry, an environmental sciences sophomore, said having a child has motivated her to be a better student.
"I study a lot more now that I am a parent because I am trying to do the best I can for myself and my daughter," she said.
Perry said she anticipates a 3.0 grade point average this semester. She said having a child is a financial strain but does not keep her from succeeding as a student.
"Having a child makes me more determined," Perry said.
G. Bruce Meyers, assistant dean for Native American Student Affairs, said many Native Americans are forced to drop out during their freshman year of college because of financial difficulties.
Meyers said he is thrilled that Keith wants to give scholarships to Native American women, but said her requirements reflect a paternalistic attitude towards Native Americans.
"Attaching such requirements to a scholarship gives the implication that Native American women are loose, immoral, and need to be watched more than other women," he said.
"It reflects a stereotype that says Native Americans need more rules when they go off to college so that they won't party too much, or get pregnant.
"For these stereotypes to continue in this day and age is simply astounding."
Keith said her no pregnancy clause has nothing to do with stereotypes.
"In my generation, we all said 'no' to sex," she said. "The only real way to guard against pregnancy is to abstain from sex."
She said she included the pregnancy clause because she wanted the scholarship recipient to be able to give full attention to her studies.
"I'm not in any sense trying to define morality for these girls," Keith said.
She said the scholarship encourages the recipient to take courses in humanities, education, liberal arts, social and behavioral sciences, nursing or pre-medicine.
Dana Wier, director of communications and special projects for the
Foundation, said she could not discuss specific requirements for the scholarship.
Keith said she plans to meet today with Ken Dildine, UA Foundation vice president for planned giving, to finalize the scholarship's language.
A final copy of the scholarship's requirements must be signed by Keith and accepted by the university before it becomes official.
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