Photo : Howard University

Shortly after a (now deleted) report leaked that officials at Howard University allegedly stole nearly $1 million from the university’s financial aid office, one former student-employee was dragged by Black Twitter into the spotlight and became the face of the controversy.




According to NBC4 Washington, six employees were fired from Howard University last year after an internal investigation revealed the misappropriation of university-based grants. Former student-employee Tyrone Hankerson Jr. found himself at the center of the scandal when it was reported that he allegedly scammed $429,000 from the university.

Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick stated that he was made aware of these discrepancies in December 2016 and has since issued a statement that the university will be implementing new policies moving forward.




It is said that when a new supreme emerges, the old ones lose their power, and such seems to be the case with the rise of Hankerson. After the news broke about Hankerson, #BlackTwitter had a field day, and thus new memes were born.



I remember attending college and seeing my peers not being able to register for class because they had a balance and I felt bad for them ... not Tyrone:


Erykah Badu told you to call Tyrone, but she wasn’t aware that he wouldn’t help you get through school:


Presumably it was hard to hear the pleas of students over the amount of cash he was counting. I mean, money talks:


In a statement released by Hankerson’s attorney, the former student-employee stated that he has done nothing illegal or wrong and that he followed all the rules and protocol with the approval of the then-financial-aid officers:


It is unclear how this will end for Hankerson, but the burning question on my mind is whether he is going to have a yard sale so I can wear a couple of his pieces at the Real HU’s Homecoming: