From new buildings, upgrades to existing facilities, and neighborhood expansion, the university has seen drastic changes, and officials expect more to come.  

鈥淏ethune used to be a parking lot,鈥� said Robert Mitchell, class of 1980.  鈥淎nything past Bethune was the hood. You had to catch the shuttle unless you were from D.C. or a track runner,鈥� he said.  

According to the university鈥檚 Real Estate Development and Capital Asset Management page, at least 10 facilities on the campus have received updates ranging from computer labs and conference rooms to new furniture and laundry facilities.  

One of the newest additions to the campus is The Oliver, a mixed-use facility on Georgia Avenue that is both a dorm for some students and offices for faculty and staff.  

鈥淭his is the only building where that鈥檚 allowed,鈥� said Jenelle Howard, director of development, institutional giving, business and law. Howard is one of the administrators with an office housed in the new building.   

Directly behind The Oliver, Howard Manor鈥檚 revitalization delivered 鈥�80 permanently affordable homes capped at 60 percent of area median income for 99 years,鈥� according to the development website. Units in Howard Manor are open to alumni and other community members. 

In addition, the university has entered ground-lease agreements with buildings such as Meridian, Slowe, and Carver Halls. According to the development website, these agreements allow the university to retain ownership of the land, while creating affordable housing options for the neighborhood that generate revenue for the school to fund scholarships and operations.

Earlier this year, the Miner Building reopened after a major renovation. Miner houses the School of Education and the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science PCS. 

Also new this semester is Innovation Hub, a makerspace located inside Founders Library.

鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of traffic because people don’t know about it yet,鈥� said Selah Allen, a junior who works at The Hub.  

Allen said that, at times, it’s better than the library for getting work done. 鈥淚t鈥檚 another space for students to have on campus, which I think is very much needed.鈥� 

Students still see issues.

Despite the progress, current students still see issues that the university needs to tackle. Access to healthy food options remains a continuing struggle for students, and choices are increasingly limited.  

鈥淓ating on campus is hard, and they made it inaccessible,鈥� said Steve Texas, a senior at the university. 鈥淭he only things to eat are the dining hall, McDonalds, and Chick-fil-A.鈥� He said that while progress has been made on campus in general, it’s not enough.  

 鈥淚t feels stagnant,鈥� he said.  

 Other students, such as senior Aniyah Genama, said that off-campus options are shrinking as well.  

 鈥淐hipotle, Subway, and Negril are all gone,鈥� she said.  

 For junior Janeen Louis, the lack of progress isn’t just limited to food.  

鈥淚 don’t like the new bookstore vendor because we have less books,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e used to have study spaces, I don鈥檛 see that anymore.鈥� 

The university has added a caf茅 to the undergraduate library and upgraded kitchen facilities in some of the dorms. Overall, however, dining options are limited. 鈥淭he food vendors are hit or miss,鈥� Louis said.  

Even with these challenges, this week, the focus is on homecoming. 

鈥淲ith everything going on in the world, HBCU homecomings are important,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淗oward alum love coming back and pouring into the students,鈥� she said. 

H. Clay Smith, III, is one of those alum. Smith graduated from Howard in 1981, and from Howard鈥檚 law school in 1984. He stood on Fourth Street with three of his classmates reminiscing about his time at Howard.

鈥淥ne thing about Howard, you can come back even 45 years later and still see someone you know,鈥� he said.

The post At Howard鈥檚 homecoming, students and alumni note progress, continued struggles first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

 The gala will be held Thursday, Oct. 23rd, from 6-10 pm at the Blackburn Center on campus. This first of a kind homecoming event, along with other major university changes, is part of an effort to support the university鈥檚 military-connected community, an effort spearheaded by Paris Adon, director of student services. 

Howard offers Army, Air Force, and Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs鈥攕tudents who participate train, study, and graduate to become officers in their respective military branches.  

The military-connected community, however, includes student veterans and military dependents using their benefits to attend school.  

Adon said, 鈥�80% of the students who use our services are dependents.鈥�  

Adon heads six university offices, including the Office of Military and Veteran Services (OMVS), Advocacy and Support, Student Accessibility, Bison Intervention, the Pantry, and the Office of Interpersonal Violence Prevention (IVPP). Since he came to the university, there have been several renovations, the most recent being the Veterans Resource Center.  

Armed with a grant from the Department of Education and significant investment from the university, Adon has overseen major changes. The grant allowed for renovations to create the Veterans Resource Center, and the university added staff to help support the military-connected population, which has grown to nearly 700 students since Adon arrived.  

The success of the VRC is in large part due to the community being built within the space, Adon said. He said he takes pride in the fact that it’s a popular destination, even with students who have off-campus housing. 

鈥淭he students come down here to enjoy themselves,鈥� Adon said. 鈥淭he SVA meetings are packed.鈥� 

The SVA is the Student Veterans of America, a student organization that uses the space for meetings and is made up of mainly military-connected students. Restarting the chapter was another win for Adon.  

Mentorship from the Ohio State University SVA chapter helped make the Gala possible. 

The Ohio State chapter suggested Adon pitch the idea to the school鈥檚 development office.

鈥淲hy don’t we do it during homecoming?鈥� the development office asked Adon. 

The gala will honor Brigadier General Ronald Sullivan, an Army judge advocate general (JAG), graduate of Howard鈥檚 ROTC program, and the School of Business. There will be additional awards for cadets and SVA members. 

鈥淎 lot of campus partners don鈥檛 realize how connected this community is,鈥� Adon said.  

For the students, the community is a huge draw.  

鈥淚f you come down here often enough, you鈥檒l know everybody,鈥� said Xavier Rodriguez, a junior.  鈥淚t’s a chill place where a lot can go on, and nothing can go on.鈥�  

Adon said he has tried to attend the commissioning ceremonies for the programs the university offers. His constant effort to make more connections across the campus is evident whenever he steps outside of his office.  

鈥淲e鈥檝e done so much under his leadership,鈥� said Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Cynthia Evers. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing amazing things, and now others call on them.鈥� 

Adon said he is most proud of what the students are doing with the space that he has helped create.  Not only is it a place for them to hang out, it’s a place for them to get answers, he added.  

鈥淎ny resource that Howard has, someone here knows about it,鈥� said Joshua Gaither, a sophomore.  

Armani Bostic is a third-year law student at Howard who visits the VRC often.  

Bostic said she completed a work study program with the Veterans Administration and has found both community, and mentorship opportunities.  

鈥淚 go to school on west campus,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is a great way to interact with the main campus.鈥�

Adon said the staff he has built in and around the center is just as focused on creating those positive outcomes.

鈥淲e want to be the number one Student Veterans of America chapter,鈥� Adon said. 

Keshala Fluker, one of the VRC case managers said for her, it鈥檚 about helping the students when they鈥檙e navigating hard times.  

鈥淪ometimes you don’t know you need something until you experience it,鈥欌�� she said. 

She also said, there are more great things to come.

 鈥淚 think the more traction the VRC gets, the more positive outcomes we鈥檒l see,鈥� she said.  

Tickets for the event, which start at $100, are still available, and can be purchased online.

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If you didn鈥檛, you are not alone. It鈥檚 been 50 years since the first ANC elections, but D.C. residents are unaware that these neighborhood commissions administer community grants.听听听

While a lot of confusion remains about the role and power of ANCs in the District, the community grant program can have visible impact, if you鈥檙e lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that offers them.听听

听According to the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions FY 2025 , the role of the ANCs is 鈥渢o advise the District government on matters of public policy,鈥� which range from planning and social service programs to health, safety, and sanitation.听听

The ANCs provide advice and recommendations to the D.C. Council, the mayor, and various agencies, boards, and commissions of government. Some ANCs also award grants to help their communities.听

鈥淎NCs do a tremendous amount of work,鈥� says Executive Director, Kent Boese. 鈥淲e are in a much better city because of them.鈥�听

The OANC oversees each of the District鈥檚 individual neighborhood commissions. When it comes to grants, both the OANC and the ANC receive the applications.听听

The OANC reviews the grant for fiscal compliance and makes a recommendation on if they feel it would be an appropriate expense. The ANC can then decide if it still wants to support it, Boese said. 听

For community members who want to apply for a grant, there are rules, of course. Grants can be as much as $3,000 and are available to organizations, not individuals, based on D.C.听听

Organizations can鈥檛 receive more than one grant in a year.听

Can鈥檛 duplicate a city service.听

Also, for a group to receive a grant, it can鈥檛 be for a program that duplicates a city service. Boese said that line is clear, but there is nuance.听听

鈥淔or example, the city has a program where you can ask for free tools during the fall for community clean-up. However, the city doesn鈥檛 operate a program for that during the winter,鈥� he said. A grant for a winter program would be allowed, but the ANC would need to retain ownership of the tools, he said.听

Additionally, grants can鈥檛 be used for things such as food, must benefit the community (not a person or organization), and must be for a future event, Boese said. 听

Ward 1 resident Wendy Singleton, a board member and logistics coordinator for , has helped her organization get an ANC grant for the past five years. The organization, founded by Ransom Miller III, has used the money to support their annual Thanksgiving food distribution. This event, celebrating its 30th year, helps Project Giveback support over 5,000 families with bulk food distribution throughout the city.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a hard process,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to get in early. The ANCs want to make sure their constituents are being served.鈥�听

听Not all commissioners offer grants.听

Since the ANC鈥檚 have final say if an organization or event gets funded, single member district representatives can sponsor a proposal for an organization that is based outside of their ANC. This is important because not all ANCs offer grants.听听

For example, Anna Krebs, commissioner and treasurer of ANC 6B06, represents one of those districts.听听

鈥�6B does not currently have grants available, but it is something that we are actively working on,鈥� she said. 听

She said her neighborhood commission is working with the OANC to see what kinds of grants have been approved for other neighborhoods.听听

Before becoming an ANC commissioner, Krebs said she hadn鈥檛 heard of the grants either. However, she added that she does see the value of them.

听鈥淧art of why we want to bring back grants is so we can put money back into the community,鈥� she said.听听

So who decides if an ANC will offer grants or not? According to Boese, that鈥檚 up to the ANCs as well.听

听鈥�It is important when reading the Code to pay attention to the words 鈥榤ay鈥� and 鈥榮hall.鈥� 鈥楳ay鈥� means that a Commission is allowed, but not required, to do something. 鈥楽hall鈥� means that a Commission鈥�must鈥痵o something,鈥� Boese said.听

Boese is referring to section 1鈥�309.13(l)(1) of the D.C. Code, which says 鈥�Expenditures may be in the form of grants by the Commission for public purposes within the Commission.鈥�听

Some commissions have elected to start creating programs themselves, rather than issue reimbursements to organizations, Boese said.听

According to the OANC Annual Report for FY24, ANCs receive an approved allotment in the D.C. budget by the mayor. For the last two years, that amount was $915,688, which comes to $1.327 per District resident based on the 2020 census.听听

The OANC can also recommend that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer withhold a portion of an ANC鈥檚 allocation if that commission has spent money for something that is not allowed (e.g. a committee luncheon) or is not in accordance with the procedures for spending money (e.g. the expenditure is not recorded in the minutes, or the check does not have two signatures). It is the OCFO that makes the quarterly allotments to the ANCs.听

ANC budgets are restricted to two main uses: administration and community support. Admin can be office supplies, business cards, signs, advertising, or rent for office space or community meetings. The commissioners themselves are not paid, however.听

A common theme is a lack of awareness. 鈥淓ven if people don鈥檛 get involved, they should know we exist,鈥� Krebs said.听听

Singleton said she found out about the grants from a member of her church.听听

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 publicize,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou need to be active in the ANC, and you need to go to meetings.鈥澨�听

Boese said his office is working to fix the lack of awareness of the grant program. In addition to improving individual websites, his office is working on an initiative in conjunction with local libraries to bring more attention to the commissions, and the work they do, before next year鈥檚 election.听听

The post ANC community grants: An underpublicized feature not uniformly offered first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Howard’s Homecoming has been rapped about, referenced in popular media, and responsible for the of many stars in a wide range of industries. Attracting alumni, members of Greek-letter organizations, businesses, tourists, athletes, movie stars, and recording artists, the event is a major economic booster for the city.

But this year, what the event will look like is still unclear.

In August, President Donald Trump invoked emergency powers, allowing him to increase the number of federal law enforcement officers in the district and deploy the National Guard in an effort to reduce crime. Since then, the Guard’s initial 30-day orders have been extended through Dec. 3, and seven additional states have sent troops.

Federal agents from various agencies have conducted checkpoints and arrested individuals on the streets, sparking protests throughout the city. All of this, in addition to weak economic data and rising unemployment, has had a chilling effect on Howard alumni and local business owners, sources told 最新蜜桃影像.

Michael Vasquez, who lives in Maryland, is one of those alumni.

鈥淚 am currently undecided about attending homecoming,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he current political climate in the city makes me uneasy. With the recent threats directed at HBCUs, I worry that the university could become a potential target.鈥�

So far, Howard has not said it will change its regularly scheduled events for this year’s homecoming.

On campus this year, the university has been using numerous methods to help students feel safe, including the , the , and issuing a to the community in March, detailing how one should handle an encounter with ICE. While these efforts are aimed towards students, alumni are still expressing concerns.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to be coming back to the area because of what the Trump administration is doing to D.C.,鈥� said Ahmeen Muhammad, an alumnus who lives in Houston. 鈥淏eing a military member, I have no problem with the National Guard being in D.C., but I’m not coming back to homecoming so I can feel like I’m outside of a [military] post again. I’d rather stay home and sit this one out.鈥�

Even without the addition of troops and federal agents, businesses, alumni, and residents say they are dealing with the reality of economic uncertainty as well.

Matt Fay is an advisory neighborhood commissioner on ANC 1B, the district covering Howard University, Ledroit Park, and the U Street Corridor, a popular business district nearby.

鈥淗onestly, I don’t know,鈥� he said when 最新蜜桃影像 asked how U Street businesses are preparing for the event.

鈥淭he additional presence of policing resources on U Street have definitely had an impact,鈥� Fay said. 鈥淎 lot fewer people are going out to eat, to bars and clubs. Business is down.鈥�

Others echoed that sentiment.

Carl Brown is the director of the Howard University Business Development Center. His clients, who are mostly small businesses in D.C., have said similar things.

鈥淓mployees sometimes don’t come to work because they hear ICE is in the area. People are not coming to the district to eat. It’s very disrupting,鈥� Brown said.

Those disruptions are being felt all over. Howard alumna Keya Stanford is a travel nurse from Georgia. The economic slowdown is forcing her to change her homecoming plans as well.

鈥淓conomy, economy, economy,鈥� Stanford said. 鈥淓ggs cost crazy money, and I don’t even eat eggs.鈥�

Brown said he has noticed the university is increasing campus police presence and security, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department driving through campus more frequently. MPD usually works with the university and the ANCs to create traffic management plans.

In years past, the month leading up to the event has been filled with unveilings of performance lineups, ambassadors, and party schedules. The website currently lists 18 scheduled events, information on sponsorship, and a vendor application.

Questions surrounding homecoming events are not uncommon. With so many changes happening in the district, however, some alumni are simply making other plans.

鈥淚 most likely will not be attending,鈥� said Howard Alumnus Tristen Neal. 鈥淚t has nothing to do with the presence of soldiers. Donny ain鈥檛 gonna stop me. I just have prior engagements.鈥�

Another alumna, who asked not to be named, said she will not be going to Homecoming because 鈥淚 was just there for my 10-year reunion last year and only plan to go for significant milestone class reunions.鈥�

The university did not respond to requests for comment.

The post Economic uncertainty, federal law enforcement surge loom over Howard鈥檚 101st Homecoming first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.