Is HU being taken back? About a week ago, a hashtag, #TakeBackHU, trended nationwide, as Howard students took to Twitter for an online movement. They expressed feeling unappreciated by Howard University administration and flooded the medium with their day-to-day issues as a student at the University. But as the hashtag gained popularity, alumni began to chime in with their thoughts. Many alumni expressed experiencing the same issues decades ago, when they were students, tweets including the above.
Over the past few weeks, the financial aid office was closed down due to an IT issue. The entire system went down. Several schools, including the School of Communications, had not received their budgets, meaning that several students are with out scholarships. Refund checks have still not been distributed, which several students use to purchase books and pay for housing expenses. This has become such a huge epidemic at the school, and many alumni attest to the fact that this is nothing new. Many alumni participated in the protest, saying that they encountered the same issues when they were students at Howard.
For this story, I would talk to alumni about the changes, and lack thereof, at Howard. I would ask questions regarding alumni giveback, reasons why alumni donations are so low, and what needs to be done to put Howard back on the its feet. Besides alumni, I would talk to a student who is currently experiencing the turmoil being expressed.
I have contacted Mr. Calvin Hadley, who serves as the Student Ombudsman (see email that sent to the Howard University community, below). His role is to be an advocate for the student body and address issues that many students are falling victim to. Following the Take Back HU Movement, Mr. Hadley’s position was created in President Frederick’s office. I emailed him and received a very quick response for my own personal concerns. We also scheduled a date and time to conduct an interview so that he can answer question regarding his new position and what this means for the student body. I will ask him question regarding how he plans to tackle many large issues of the student body, and why there have been such small changes over the years to pass. I want to know why he thinks alumni are not giving back and what he plans to do to change that for future graduating classes. Our interview is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, at 1pm.
I am currently in the process of finding a Howard Alumni of over 10 years. Many of the alumni I have contact with have graduated within the last two or three years, which is not far enough to hold strong credibility, in my opinion.
Visually, I would stream tweets into my package. I would also get b-roll of financial aid interactions, people standing in line at the financial aid office, people walking in and out of the office, and students buying books at the book store. I would do my standup in front of the financial aid office after speaking with a representative.
Over the past few weeks, the financial aid office was closed down due to an IT issue. The entire system went down. Several schools, including the School of Communications, had not received their budgets, meaning that several students are with out scholarships. Refund checks have still not been distributed, which several students use to purchase books and pay for housing expenses. This has become such a huge epidemic at the school, and many alumni attest to the fact that this is nothing new. Many alumni participated in the protest, saying that they encountered the same issues when they were students at Howard.
For this story, I would talk to alumni about the changes, and lack thereof, at Howard. I would ask questions regarding alumni giveback, reasons why alumni donations are so low, and what needs to be done to put Howard back on the its feet. Besides alumni, I would talk to a student who is currently experiencing the turmoil being expressed.
I have contacted Mr. Calvin Hadley, who serves as the Student Ombudsman (see email that sent to the Howard University community, below). His role is to be an advocate for the student body and address issues that many students are falling victim to. Following the Take Back HU Movement, Mr. Hadley’s position was created in President Frederick’s office. I emailed him and received a very quick response for my own personal concerns. We also scheduled a date and time to conduct an interview so that he can answer question regarding his new position and what this means for the student body. I will ask him question regarding how he plans to tackle many large issues of the student body, and why there have been such small changes over the years to pass. I want to know why he thinks alumni are not giving back and what he plans to do to change that for future graduating classes. Our interview is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, at 1pm.
I am currently in the process of finding a Howard Alumni of over 10 years. Many of the alumni I have contact with have graduated within the last two or three years, which is not far enough to hold strong credibility, in my opinion.
Visually, I would stream tweets into my package. I would also get b-roll of financial aid interactions, people standing in line at the financial aid office, people walking in and out of the office, and students buying books at the book store. I would do my standup in front of the financial aid office after speaking with a representative.