Possible Coup attempt happening at Howard University after a million dollar embezzlement scandal.

[Anerdyblackguy]

Last night a whistleblower revealed that senior Howard officials stole millions of Dollars in financial aid money at the prestigious university.



Note: For the safety of student whistleblower, he will be referred to as “Chase” throughout this article. Administrators who provided information in the spirit of transparency while risking their jobs will also be unnamed.

Records obtained by a Howard University financial aid administrator show that former financial aid officials received nearly $1 Million in financial aid funds between 2013 and 2017 in an office-wide scandal that involved at least four other senior financial aid administrators.

Accounts given by current and former employees and students familiar with the embezzlement scandal suggest that HowardUniversity President Wayne Fredrick and hisadministration have been aware of this fraud since at least May 2017, despite making no public comments on the matter. Since that time, at least seven senior-level financial aid officials have either resigned or been quietly removed by the University. It is unclear whether the University has reported the theft to federal authorities or worked to recover any of the stolen money.

Wayne Frederick, 17th President of Howard University
During briefings and public statements on the University’s fiscal health, Dr. Frederick has repeatedly said that the Office of Financial Aid is in about $9 million of debt, which he attributes to students’ failure to pay their tuition. At nopoint did the President in any public forum admit that the debt was in part due to his own staff’s theft and misallocation of funds.

The embezzlement was allegedly first discovered by a student employee, Chase*, who noticed that the officewas dispersing refund checks nearing $100,000 in a singleaid year. Federal law and financial aid policies limit the amount students can receive to the cost of attendance budget. In 2017–2018, this amount was just $43,501according to HowardUniversity’s website.

“I noticed irregularities in thetype and amount of grants that were being awarded. And then I noticed that all of these grants were being awarded to my colleagues,” Chase said.
Phony grants were allegedly created and awarded to financial aid employees who were also registered for University courses. In somecases, these employees qualified for tuition remission and therefore weren’t charged tuition for their classes.Despite this, they still received large grants and scholarships that exceeded amountsgenerally awarded to normal students. These grants almost always exceeded legallyallowed amounts.

In 2013, for example, theAssociate Director of Financial Aid, Brian Johnson, received tuition remission, and despite this, also received “University Need Based Grants” totaling $35,400 one year and more than $68,000 the following year. These grants areintended for low-income students who are in desperate need of assistance and in danger of having theireducation disrupted by their inability to pay. The grant amounts usually rangebetween $2,000 to $5,500 a semester. A current financial aid employee described the amount awarded to the former Associate Director as “unprecedented” and “illegal.” Total aid received by the Associate Director neared $200,000.

Screenshot showing excessive aid awarded to former Associate Director of Financial Aid in 2014–2015, SOURCE: Anonymous Financial AidEmployee — Whistleblower
Unfortunately, however, this was not the last time a grant of that amount had beenawarded. Between 2014 and 2017, another financial aid student-employee, Tyrone Hankerson, was repeatedly awarded a $65,000 “University Need Based Grant.” In 2014, Hankerson was awardedanother $22,683 scholarship, labeled as a Mock Trial Scholarship. Sources who have been involved with the mock trial, including pastleadership, say the team has never awarded a scholarship of that amount and wouldn’t even have had the budget to accommodate a scholarship of that amount.

Screenshot showing excessive aid awarded to former student employee in 2013–2014, SOURCE: AnonymousFinancial Aid Employee — Whistleblower
Also during that aid year, Hankerson received a $6,000 “study abroad scholarship,” another $5,645 university grant, a $21,000 “Trustee scholarship” and multiple other atypical financial aid awards totaling $429,612 over 4 years.

He routinely received financial aid awards that doubled and even tripled the maximum allowed budget. In addition to money received via financial aid, many familiar with the situation claim thatHankerson also received stipends for unspecified amounts from the Office of Student Life & Activities and the Student Employment program.

While the records obtained show just 12 cases ofembezzlement or financial aid fraud between the two officials, the whistleblower and other University officials say this is just the tip of the iceberg. A senior level University official who confirmed the embezzlement suggested that the problem was so widespread, it went far beyond the Office of Financial Aid and involved many more employees and University offices. The President’s Office had no comment on this story.

A group of students called Howard resist is now calling for him to step down
https://www.google.com/amp/s/blavit...e-resignation-of-president-wayne-ai-frederick

 

[UserNameless]

Not Howard...


It has been some suspect stuff going on up there for the past couple years...

Guess Hampton, Morehouse, Spelman, Tuskegee and Fisk gotta hold down the Black Ivies until Howard gets its stuff together .

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

It gets worse

President Frederick, Staff Exposed Student Whistleblower in Financial Aid Fraud, Targeted Protestors
Note: For the safety of student whistleblower, he will be referred to as “Chase” throughout this article. Administrators who provided information in the spirit of transparency while risking their jobs will also be unnamed.

Wayne Frederick, 17th President of Howard University
When a student employee in the Office of Financial Aid suspected his colleagues were conspiring to embezzle financial aid funds, he had no idea where to turn.

“There were so many people involved in this fraud that I didn’t know who I could trust. Just when I thought about telling a colleague, I’d soon learn that they were somehow involved with the theft of financial aid money. So my last resort was to tell the President,” the former student and Capstone scholar said.

The former student, Chase*, met with President Frederick and the student ombudsmen (read: Dr. Frederick’s wingman), Calvin Hadley, in a fourth floor conference room in the Administration building, just after the 2017 Commencement. Chase, who requested that his real name be concealed for his safety, said that he was surprised by the President’s response to his shocking disclosure. After the meeting with Frederick and Hadley, Chase wondered if the embezzlement had somehow reached the highest office in the University.

“I can’t say for sure that Dr. Frederick is involved. I have no proof of that. But it’s as if he’s tried to cover this whole thing up. When I first told him and Calvin Hadley, he seemed like he already knew what was going on and was just annoyed that a student had found out.”
Chase brought with him the financial aid documents another financial aid employee would later leak to student activists. These records were troubling — they showed unusual grants being awarded and approved by and for financial aid employees well in excess of the cost of attendance for any academic program. Already deeply upset by this revelation, Chase was further disturbed by what he says was “mistreatment and betrayal” from the Office of the [university] President.

“I asked him repeatedly to protect my identity and he promised that he would,” Chase explained, “but days after I met with him, I was harassed by my former colleagues who were upset that I had ‘snitched’ on them.” When Chase asked one former colleague how she learned about the meeting, she responded “Calvin [Hadley] told me.”

Following his meeting, Chase heard rumors that the President’s office has been running a smear campaign against him.“Calvin Hadley began telling people that I was blackmailing the University. I heard this from several people — student leaders and administrators alike.” Chase said he would have been worried about this accusation if he didn’t have exonerating proof.

“I recorded the entire meeting. Every single word. I recorded it on my iPhone. They had no clue,” Chase admitted. When asked why he would record the meeting, Chase said, “Dr. Frederick has a reputation for being dishonest. As does Calvin. They lie. They misrepresent facts. Many people advised me that if I was going to meet with him about anything, I needed to record him.”
Hadley and President Frederick were unaware of the recording when Mr. Hadley allegedly accused Chase of blackmail.

Since exposing the embezzlement, Chase claims that he has been blackballed by the University. Only one credit hour stands between him and graduating from what was once his dream school, but the full scholarship recipient has been unable to clear that hurdle for complicated registration and financial aid related reasons. If he could do the last year all over again, Chase says he wouldn’t have taken the information to President Frederick.

“I heard that Dr. Frederick was vindictive. I heard stories from student activists. I wasn’t trying to be an activist. I just wanted financial aid money to go where it belongs — to students. I wanted people to be held accountable. If I had known that standing up would screw up my life like this, I would have never said a thing. I guess that’s how they operate. He inspires fear which breeds compliance. Lesson learned.”
Chase believes his story is not unlike other students who stand up to the administration. Chase claims that it was widely known that President Frederick instructed financial aid administrators to deny discretionary aid to students who were headaches for Frederick and his administration. Specifically, student protestors, especially those affiliated with #HUResist were denied financial assistance for their “disruptive activities.”

President Frederick, in an interview with The New Yorker, discussed an unnamed students who “harshly criticized” his political activities with the Trump administration but later asked the President for help with financial aid. While Frederick never identified the student, #HUResist members say many of their members were denied for financial aid and forced to leave the University after protesting the Frederick administration in 2016 and 2017.

One notable example involved Durmerrick Ross, former Mr. Freshman of Howard University. On Twitter in August 2017, Mr. Ross alleged that a grant had been removed from his account without explanation or notification. Mr. Ross tweeted that Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Parris Carter, told him financial aid officials were fraudulently placing grants on student accounts with “money that never existed.” While no malicious intent can be yet proven, many of the students who were affected by this irregularity describe themselves as student organizers with #HUResist.

Neither Chase or Durmerrick are enrolled at Howard University, and have no plans to return.

The President’s Office had no comment on this story.

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

It’s still the Best HBCU. But this story is wild.

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

Not Howard...


It has been some suspect stuff going on up there for the past couple years...

Guess Hampton, Morehouse, Spelman, Tuskegee and Fisk gotta hold down the Black Ivies until Howard gets its stuff together .

Those are all experiencing issues in their own right. HBCU system really needs a revamp.

 

[UserNameless]

HBCU system really needs a revamp.

This ...

When a scandal like this makes its way through the HBCU ranks to hit Howard, you know a revamp is loooong overdue.

 

[Treblemaka]

Those are all experiencing issues in their own right. HBCU system really needs a revamp.

Im not sure anything can be done to fix thinga for HBCUs at this point

What would u suggest be done?

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

I don’t know how stupid you have to be to award yourself almost a half million dollars in grant money and expect not to raise any red flags. If the President knew and did not inform the University during a time of financial crisis, his time has come.

If this was a few rogue employees stealing a few grand, by all means fire them and keep it pushing. But when you’re blaming the lack of funding on students not paying tuition when you know there are millions being stolen from the students themselves, it speaks to a high level of dishonesty and, more than likely, some kickbacks going on at the executive level of leadership.

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

This is not good.

I have to monitor this because it is prime hiring season and things like this are related at this time specifically to undermine the incoming class. Accusing financial aid fraud is an easy to get a college put on probation and unaccredited

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

Im not sure anything can be done to fix thinga for HBCUs at this point

What would u suggest be done?

Honestly, I know it’s a tired point, but until alumni money can create endowments like Non-HBCUs I don’t know if there’s much than can be done.

We (black folks, both graduates and non-graduates of HBCUs) don’t support monetarily, so it forces them to rely on the government faucet, which can be cut off or lessened at any point.

I believe HBCUs and their environment offer a lot to young black folks, but the leadership is filled with old-school thinking blacks who either refuse or have zero idea on how to market and attract the new generation. “Homecoming” is not enough to sell a kid born in the year 2000 to come to a HBCU.

It needs some new blood, IMO

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

Im not sure anything can be done to fix thinga for HBCUs at this point

What would u suggest be done?

A reinvestment from states, marketing to all state residents not just black ones, a revisit to Title 3 and Title 5 which fund HBCU's

Stop allowing businesses to determine the curriculum of HBCU's. I went to a congressional meeting of the HBCU Caucus and the focus on STEM while ignoring the humanities and fine arts turns these colleges into industrial trade schools like Tuskegee once was.

We also have to stop devaluing the education we receive from these colleges.

My daughter is going to Spelman

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

A reinvestment from states, marketing to all state residents not just black ones, a revisit to Title 3 and Title 5 which fund HBCU's

Stop allowing businesses to determine the curriculum of HBCU's. I went to a congressional meeting of the HBCU Caucus and the focus on STEM while ignoring the humanities and fine arts turns these colleges into industrial trade schools like Tuskegee once was.

We also have to stop devaluing the education we receive from these colleges.

My daughter is going to Spelman

When big businesses give us money, they view us coming from a place desperation and need, so they feel they have the right to tell us how to teach our kids. We don’t approach from a position of power, so they don’t treat us as such. Look at how that Trump meeting went.

I definitely agree with your overall points

 

[Idaeo]

Hampton was being put on blast on Twitter recently over its old facilities, food safety issues, and the administration. We had those issues when I was there over 10 years ago...not surprised to see the same, but still disappointed. It’s hard for things to change at a lot of HBCUs because you have people in high ranking admin positions for decades with little to no accountability.

 

[UserNameless]

Honestly, I know it’s a tired point, but until alumni money can create endowments like Non-HBCUs I don’t know if there’s much than can be done.

We (black folks, both graduates and non-graduates of HBCUs) don’t support monetarily, so it forces them to rely on the government faucet, which can be cut off or lessened at any point.

I believe HBCUs and their environment offer a lot to young black folks, but the leadership is filled with old-school thinking blacks who either refuse or have zero idea on how to market and attract the new generation. “Homecoming” is not enough to sell a kid born in the year 2000 to come to a HBCU.

It needs some new blood, IMO

Yeah, it’s really broken at the top. And it has been so for yeeeears... and the black upper class alums have KNOWN that for yeeeeears and stood idly by, so they’re complicit ... these are our elders, y’all.

@Papa Shango in the flesh is right ... this could very well end up as an accreditation issue. It’s bad enough that many “lower tier” HBCUs have been hit with scandal and egregious money mismanagement over the years , but when it hits the black Ivies then there’s an obvious, institutional problem ... if black folks still turn a blind eye and still bury their heads when it’s the EDUCATION of our future at stake, then ...

... it’s really a free for all outchea . Feel sorry for the teens today ... they have to fight all this bull shyt seemingly alone the mid 20s and 30 something’s need to be continuing to get their bread up and amass leverage to work within the system to get rid of these people ... shyt is getting uglier by the day.

 

[Wiles]

This is nothing new

The admins stay stealing bread