February 13, 2023 . Volume 80 . Issue 2
all:” Isaac Greggs: Honoring the former Director “Together Counseling of the Human Jukebox Center’s New
Online Service
Kailen Bourne
THE SOUTHERN DIGEST
Jaidyn Nix
One aspect of Black History Month at our historically Black college campus that cannot be overlooked is the legacy and positive impact Isaac Greggs has left on The Human Jukebox. Dr. Isaac Greggs has left people with great memories, words of wisdom, and overseen performances that include six SuperBowls, four Allstate Sugar Bowls, and three presidential inaugurations. Dr. Greggs retired in 2005 and was inducted into the Louisiana Black History Hall of Fame in 2013. He was known for his excellence pertaining to the musical genre and for creating a beautifully composed sound consistently within the band. Not only was he Southern University’s legendary band director, but he was also a mentor, leader, and father figure. This is how four of The Human Jukebox’s Alumni
A Different World: The HBCU Experience to other Races Jasmine Meriedy
THE SOUTHERN DIGEST From the electrif ying band and f a b u l o u s majorette dancers to the joyful homecoming and community, the Historically WHEELER Black College and University ( H B C U ) experience is unlike any other. Naturally, most black students at HBCUs feel comfor table as they are BOOTHLY surrounded by a community of people that look like them and may come from the See HBCU page 3
THE SOUTHERN DIGEST
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band members describe Dr. Greggs; a true hero in their lives and development as adults in society after college. Trumpet player and Southern alumnus Tamill
Acker, who marched with the Jukebox from ‘92 to ‘94, shared his experience with having the pleasure of being a juke under the leadership of Dr. Greggs. “The band was
everything to me. Dr. Greggs was larger than life, very motivational, influential, and a disciplinarian. He taught See GREGGS page 3
Financial Aid FAQs: Growth within a Flawed System Debrandin Brown
THE SOUTHERN DIGEST
The general feeling among college students is that financial aid is an apathetic entity that does as it wants to make the students’ process more difficult than it has to be, regardless of the actions a student does correctly. In terms of Southern University, students’ own particular experiences with financial aid; however, department leadership doesn’t view the perception to be the reality in terms of how detractors may view their progress in recent years. The role that the Office of Student Financial Aid on Southern University’s campus plays, according to the department, is to ensure that the student body has access to the federal student financial aid gateway, which is more than $112 billion nationwide in college grants, work-study funds, and federal student loans, as well as certain state-
Tiren Causey/DIGEST
based aid programs. “We strive to make sure they are aware of the availability of the programs to guide them through the process for applying for and receiving aid toward the cost of their program of study,” said Director Taishieka Davis regarding the availability of student services offered by the department upon request and via outreach. According
to
Director
Davis, the department’s main initiative as far as outreach has been to remain connected to students and ensure they are aware of and prepared for the availability of financial aid resources. The Office of Student Financial Aid continues to implement many outreach programs and services through various communication
See FINANCIAL AID page 3
Mental health can be a blockage to the success of a college student’s academic career. Southern University’s Counseling Center (UCC) has joined the numerous list of colleges and universities that have begun to take initiatives to support their students’ mental health. Togetherall is an online mental health support service that was founded in 2007. The program is currently established throughout 4 countries: New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The service has a unique feature that allows peer-topeer support on the platform allowing students to engage with other students online but discussions on the platform are regulated by licensed professionals. The service will be available to all students across each of the five campuses under the Southern University System. The President of Togetherall North America, Matthew McEvoy, explained how the partnership will benefit Southern University system students in the long run. “By partnering with Togetherall, the students have access to mental health resources they can trust to be safe, anonymous, non-judgemental, and allinclusive.” McEvoy divulges. “I think that it’s pretty cool how the program is going to allow students to vent to one another and look for support, but it also is still being supervised by actual professionals who can give professional advice. It’s common for us to go rant on social media and try to get some help. Very rarely can those people really help you fix the issues though because they aren’t mental health experts”, said Kamani Cannon, a junior criminal justice major. The process of implementing Togetherall in the Southern University system stemmed from the SUBR University Counseling See COUNSELING page 3
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA