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    Dhiraj NaseenMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 1:54pm

    Clark Atlanta’s crisis is indicative of the problems of many small colleges...these kinds of issues become prevalent, especially at historically black colleges.<<<

    I reject this. I’m not attacking you personally Michael, but I’m tired of HBCUs giving these bullshit reasons for bullshit scenarios.

    HBCUs started to help young blacks. At some point, the focus shifted to lining administrative pockets. And that is how we arrive here. Disorganization and nonsense for the students, while admins ALWAYS get their money. On time.

    Meanwhile, they’ve managed to convince people that the fuckery is somehow part of the black experience.

    The hell you say to me!

    I went to Maryland over Howard. At the time of the decision, it was mostly because Maryland was huge and awesome. But over time, as I hung out with my homies on HU campus, I saw the nonsense first hand and I was relieved that I didn’t go. That’s a shame because my dad went.

    WTF is up with our HBCUs?

    I’m not arguing to close them or any of that. I just wanna know why so many cannot stop being effed up to their own?

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      ShirelleDhiraj Naseen
      8/23/18 7:52am

      You wouldn’t believe how many of my friends who attended hbcu’s encouraged me to just get past the administrative dysfunction. Excusing it as part of the process. I was in absolute shock. I refuse to accept this and when Tom Joyner basically said the same I was floored. We should demand excellence period. Thank you for seeing through the nonsense! 

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      Dhiraj NaseenDhiraj Naseen
      8/23/18 9:21am

      @Lenman

      You might experience overt racism at Maryland (which is subjective; I experienced more general assholery) but what you won’t experience is homelessness.

      As for the unfortunate stabbing incident, that’s a bit of a red herring: It happened on campus, but neither the stabber nor the stabbee was a current student. A fairer example would be if someone was just experiencing subtle race plays in the dorms or in a class, which I’m sure they do, because, America.

      But this isn’t about Maryland vs Howard or any other specific school pairing - that was just an example. The point is, why the eff are our HBCUs in this state? It ain’t one or two. It’s many, year after year. And charge a LOT of money. Why do admins do their own students this way, consistently?

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    butcherbakertoiletrymakerMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 11:12am

    Same shit happened at my state school, except they also wiped your class schedule on top of not giving you a place to live. Once had that happen to me due to a $500 deficit—which was actually the exact same amount as the work-study award I was supposed to receive. They acknowledged their mistake, but the deed was done and most of the classes that they had disenrolled me from had my spot taken by somebody else, so I was screwed anyway.

    Remember:  never, ever, ever trust a university financial aid office.  Always, always, always get written confirmation of receipt of money and/or documents at the time of submission.  Because, they will screw you and you will need that evidence.

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      Kitracebutcherbakertoiletrymaker
      8/22/18 12:29pm

      I was stuck going to school for about a year longer then I should because of some bullshit like that. Had my classes disenrolled over $250 and the real shitty thing was they were all once a year classes due to them being senior level exit classes. That little “snafu” almost cost me my education because I was ready to just leave I was so pissed. My dad ended up talking me into using the wasted year to complete a minor degree which helped me get my current job so I lucked out big time in the long run. 

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      cakes_and-piesbutcherbakertoiletrymaker
      8/22/18 12:33pm

      I started out at an HBCU and finished at a PWI. The main lesson I learned from an HBCU is exactly what you said. I was a Sophomore and the registrar’s office was still trying to put me on financial hold because claimed they didn’t have my high school diploma.

      That lesson carried on in my life. In the 10+ years I’ve had at my job, I still won’t delete any sent e-mails.

      Reply
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    pakathecatMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 10:08am

    “Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of Higher Education Policy and Sociology who researches college housing at Temple University, says colleges force students to live on campus oftentimes because colleges view housing as a money-maker.”

    Can totally confirm. Worked in higher ed a decade now, and at a previous place I worked, major university in the south, got chewed out a bit once for discussing (seen as encouraging) other housing alternatives as they wanted to push filling on-campus first... after filled, THEN you could talk other arrangements. I always disagreed with the idea that living in the dorms for at least your first year is great for everybody. For many, yes, it is a good idea and experience, to be a part of things, but personalities and needs are different. Some people do best with more privacy and having their own space. I’ve also seen the issues that arise from it, roommate problems and such, leading to everything from depression and anxiety to bad grades and loss of scholarships. And frankly, many student apartments are more or less run like private dorms these days, can be a better deal while offering more privacy and space, and unlike campus, generally don’t kick you out or charge extra at breaks, which is a big issue for students with nowhere else to go or who have to work. They have their issues, definitely - like the management can be bad and they love their fees for stuff, but for some it is the better choice. And that is what should matter most - what is best for the STUDENT, not the bottom line.

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      Sigma_Since93pakathecat
      8/22/18 10:58am

      Puts two Tubs in the collection plate. Schools hate to compete for services. Housing is the last thing many can hold onto. Schools with very limited housing never seem to have a viable solution for dealing with students that are not getting along or don’t mesh personality wise. Waiting until the next semester to make changes is not always the best answer. It’s funny that they never take roommate issues into account when they reduce / remove scholarship dollars.

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      JonsLegionpakathecat
      8/22/18 12:01pm

      Also can confirm. Walked my son through college enrollment recently. Everywhere wanted to go, he either had to be still ‘living’ at my house or in Campus dorms.

       

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    NickMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 9:58am

    I wouldn’t let the fee go, it’s the principle of the thing. I would really urge her to, at a minimum, file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office: http://www.consumer.ga.gov/consumer-services/filing-a-complaint  

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      boredalwaysNick
      8/22/18 10:07am

      While, yes, that is the correct approach, I’m sure the racist Gerber baby and Dame B Dumb DeVos will get right on it.

      Illustration for article titled
      Illustration for article titled
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      Nickboredalways
      8/22/18 10:08am

      State AG, not federal.

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    JubiTheGreatMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 1:30pm

    Come on now, while CAU is having issues, they are in no way the only school, HBCU or PWI, that has issues getting students in housing. I went to one of the largest schools in the US for undergrad, and every year the school had to rent out the entire Days Inn on campus to house students. By the end of the semester, they’d have a spot in a dorm cause some other kid got homesick and dropped out.

    When are yall gonna run the series on all the issues at the PWIs?

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      ToddJubiTheGreat
      8/23/18 9:38am

      Well, there is the infamous RU Screw. It’s gotten better, but it’s still pretty bad. Their issue is a large administration spread out through a city where the left hand usually doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. The one issue they fixed was how a student with the same major would have 3 different sets of graduation requirements depending on the college they were in, so it was easy to get the wrong set of requirements, follow them to the letter, only to find out that you screwed up.

      There’s also the minor trifle of my alma mater screwing up financial aid for scholarship athletes, including the revenue generating sports.  Yikes!

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    Not2LuckyMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 11:21am

    Unfortunately, HBCUs have small enrollments and limited income, while state governments are squeezing the money that goes to state colleges. They are in a cash crunch. I heard that they also have smaller endowments, which means they have less flexibility with financial aid... all this adds up to them being in the red a lot. (it does not justify the lack of commutation, I know)

    The state of PA is coming to terms with this financial quandary. This is the 16 page summary:

    http://www.passhe.edu/inside/bog/Documents/Strategic%20Plan%202020%20Rising%20to%20the%20Challenge_dh.pdf

    There is a 127 document which shows how Cheyney needs a few million a year to stay afloat from the state; while the other 14 (larger? Whiter?) colleges in the system are close to break-even. I have the hard copy, can’t find the link.

    Wait for the Governer’s election to pass in November, then the hammer will come down.

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      bfredNot2Lucky
      8/22/18 12:03pm

      Even so, Clark / Clark Atlanta University has been around since the 1800s.  Slotting students into housing and communicating with incoming freshmen (not to mention returning students!) should not be a heavy lift.  

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      Not2Luckybfred
      8/22/18 12:32pm

      Unless they were trying to pull money from other sources to keep the fees down until the last minute, I know the College people have a grand exercise of “Squeeze the balloon” trying to get the finances lined up for the next year. I agree communication would have solved most of this, however a greater problem looms, which was my point.

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    MisanthropicMunchkinMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 10:25am

    Why can’t the school give out rooms now, and then sort things out once people have settled in? The first week of college is nerve-wracking enough without the threat of homelessness. When I had a housing dispute with my college, it’s because they billed me for housing that I thought I had already paid for. They didn’t kick me out or deny me a room. I was able to work out the dispute while remaining housed.

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    Dosadi's failed experimentMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 2:07pm

    Having worked in higher ed administration for years I can say that staffing and managing a financial aid office is the hardest thing to do. There are few people who are not fully trained at their job and job satisfaction is at an all time low for personnel in those offices. It is so hard to find a good financial aid person that most universities will pull any joe doe off the street.

    The senior administration who administer financial aid have no training in financial aid and do not understand the intricate nature of the rules and regulations.

    Most financial aid offices are a hot mess.

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    K__Michael Harriot
    8/22/18 8:24pm

    why are HBCU’s like this? I say this in a totally non shady way as I know tone is hard to read in text. I did not go to an HBCU. Im not saying loans are the way to go but why do even loans seem to not cover or be able to accommodate students. It seems there is always an issue with the financial aid office and I dont understand it (again not in a shady way just a truly I dont get it) I went to 2 undergrads out of my home state (transferred from on to the other) and 2 community colleges at home during the summer to get EC and finish earlier and transferred those credits and I also went to 2 grad schools (2 Masters degrees) and I never once had these problems. In fact it was quite simple. Got a few scholarships, applied for federal financial aid on my own (as in no parent plus loans), they made up the balance and that was it for undergrad. Grad school same thing, only less scholarships and grants, more loans and actually got/took advantage of excess in the form of refund. That was it. My family didnt and wouldnt even if they could , contribute anything to my education aside from an occasional $40 or so dollars here or there to only HELP, not complete, towards one of those expensive arse textbooks.Everyone always speaks of different funding and resources for HBCUs but how does that effect what the students can apply for loan wise? Like why is the process and outcome not the same? no one ever really explains, just says its different.  and again just to drive the point home because i know how folks on the internet are, this is all said non shadily, im truly trying to get an understanding of why this big difference

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    B'dilliBayMichael Harriot
    8/22/18 2:03pm

    That was my experience ever damn semester in college. Nothing like working trying to get my coursework done while working 32+ hours a week to make sure I could pay off the current semester so my grades could be recorded. If I couldn’t come up with the $$ the registrar would record my grades *in pencil* and I’d have until the start of the next semester to pay up so my grades would become permanent (recorded in ink!) and I could register for the next semester to do it all over again.

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