Many of you have heard of the elusive Doyle scholarship, but very few current students have received it. Well, it’s back. Starting next fall semester, the Doyle will be available to incoming students. Hold the applause, I said incoming students.

Many current students are wondering why, after four years without the Doyle, we are not afforded the opportunity to receive funds from the scholarship. After all, SRJC students own 51 percent of Exchange Bank in the form of a trust left by Frank P. Doyle. From our understanding, the trust is in the name of SRJC students, not future SRJC students. We are the ones who have made ends meet without the scholarship in tough economic times. Shouldn’t we be the ones to receive it first?

The answer is complex. During the four years that the Doyle was not available, the SRJC scholarship office has introduced something called the Bridge The Doyle (BTD) Program. Some students who started at SRJC directly out of high school received funds from this program. And scholarships that are not part of the Doyle or BTD programs are almost exclusively offered to continuing students.

In the past, the Doyle has dwarfed all other scholarships combined. But until Exchange Bank is able to fully recover from the recent economic crisis, the Doyle will be returning at a fraction of its previous size. That means overall scholarship opportunities are fairly close to being balanced between incoming and continuing students.

But what happens when the Doyle matures? Isn’t it time to consider offering this opportunity to incoming and continuing students equally?