Straight-A Africans

In rushing pell-mell to U.S. campuses, African students often find a bitter reality of poverty, loneliness and academic failure. One cure for this mess, which wins the U.S. no friends in Africa, is a common-sense group called the African Scholarship Program of American Universities. Developed three years ago by David D. Henry, former admissions dean of Harvard, A.S.P.A.U. now links 24 African countries with 213 U.S. campuses. By working with the African branch offices of the African-American Institute, it seeks to solve the key problem: selecting the right students for the right campuses before they go to the U.S. Last week Director Henry issued a report that should stir pride all over Africa.

The academic record for last year's 503 A.S.P.A.U. students showed 22% A's, 36% B's, 31% C's, 8% D's, and only 3% F's. Outstanding among them were the Nigerians, who comprise about half of all A.S.P.A.U. students. Some of the brightest scholars:

> Timothy Farinre led his sophomore class at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering with straight A's in subjects from energy conversion to political science. Last summer he worked on a team sent out by an engineering consultant firm to survey the U.S. fallout-shelter program.

> John C. Amizigo, a civil engineering student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led his freshman class with straight A's in courses from calculus to history, also played soccer.

>-Ebong W. Iyoho earned straight A's as a freshman at North Carolina's St. Augustine's College, is now majoring in math.

> Bose Onabawo, a Nigerian girl whose native language is Yaruba, polished off her first semester in the U.S. by tying for first place in a class of 131 at Brooklyn College of Pharmacy.

> Harvard's Christian Ohiri, a junior honors candidate in modern European history, won a name for his TV speeches to schoolchildren in New England. He is also the Ivy League's star soccer player this year, holds Harvard's career record with 31 goals.

A.S.P.A.U.'s success is based not only on rigorous selection but also on ample financial support for deserving winners. African countries pay transportation; other help comes from U.S. foundations. Full tuition scholarships averaging $1,000 a year are provided by U.S. campuses. Room and board averaging $1,800 a year is paid by the Government's Agency for International Development. Last fall, when Congress slashed AID's funds, A.S.P.A.U. almost met death, but the cries of admiring college presidents were finally heeded. As a result, Henry announced last week that A.S.P.A.U. will bring in 300 more Africans next fall, and thus embrace 803 of the 3,000-odd Africans now on U.S. campuses.

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