Days after reports surface about the possible firing of Southern University Human Jukebox marching band director Nathan Haymer, the university confirmed the termination yesterday afternoon.
Haymer, a Southern alumnus, and director of the band since 2014, told the Baton Rouge Advocate that he is considering legal options for appeal.
“Being the director of bands at Southern has indeed been the honor of my life and I will always treasure the experience,” Haymer said in his statement. “I leave our Human Jukebox in a better place today in terms of funding, equipment and popularity than ever before.”
Haymer was accused of attempting to secure financial kickbacks from external groups in exchange for public appearances by the Human Jukebox, regarded in recent years as one of the most popular collegiate marching bands in the country.
In a letter to the campus, Southern System President Ray Belton said that the university would move forward, and named former band director Lawrence Jackson as interim director while the university conducts a search for a permanent band executive.
It is unclear if Dr. Haymer, who served as an endowed professor of education in 2017, remains employed as a faculty member in the system.
6 thoughts on “Haymer Out as Southern Human Jukebox Band Director”
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Great article. Today there are much discussion concerning the injustice of black males being unlawfully killed for no or minor crimes. Many of these injustices and others are due to the fact that many in America see black life of little value compared to other nationalities. Believe it or not, we, black Americans, have help to build that perception. We tend to run away from anything that is black. We grew up in the black communities; but as we became educated by attending HBCUs then started receiving high paying jobs, we abandoned our black neighborhoods for greater pastures, the white communities where there were parks and swimming pools. But unbeknownst to us, we taught our kids to devalue anything black. Many didn’t want there kids interacting with their old black communities because they were afraid that the vernacular of the old community would rub off on their kids, thus infecting them with blackness. As a result, embarrassing them in front of white america. Now our kids grow to desire all that is white. As George Jefferson once said, we’re moving on up to the east side to get our piece of the pie, not realizing the pie that we need were in the black neighborhood. So today, our kids look down on HBCUs. Our black athletes would rather go to a PWI to play football than to go to an HBCU to play. Now you have head coaches at University Alabama and Ole Miss making over $4.5 million per year on the backs on our sons. The NCAA threatens them if anyone dare give them a free lunch. It’s a shame. The bible says,”my people are destroyed because of the lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) How true is God’s word.
I agree Doug
Well put! In high school, when I told some of my black classmates and family I wanted to attend a HBCU … it was quite normal for me to get a negative reaction. But what’s interesting is that I don’t remember ever getting a negative reaction from my non-black counterparts.
And I turned out just as “successful” if not more than my former colleagues who graduated from the bigger state schools or the well-known private schools. I can tell you one thing for sure …. they on average have more college debt than I do. The universities most of them attended were over-priced and expensive.
As far as answering the question should black students at Ivy Leauge Schools get a reprive from taking finals becasue of the injustice on black males being killed. Hell no, you chose to go to the PWI institution and in many cases they did not want you there in the first place. So to my black students at PWI instituions take the discrimination and injustice like our forefathers did and grind it out. Do well in school but realize that the environment you chose to put yourself in is not going to be ammenable to anything that can benefit you and your education. What did you think you was at an HBCU? REALLY!!!
They have outed themselves as being mentally weak and not up to the task of leadership.
I didn’t know you can ask for a reprieve from finals …. note to self.
And no they shouldn’t get one unless maybe they’re family members of the deceased. But life is tough, you deal with it and work through it …. the earlier they understand that the better off they will be. This generation is so weak and entitled.
You think James Meredith (1st black student at Ole Miss) asked for a reprieve from finals when Ole Miss students were constantly threatening to kill him and assaulted him almost on a daily basis … NO HE DIDN’T. He handled it with class and grace and ended up graduating from Ole Miss (with honors if I’m not mistaken). These Ivy students’ situation don’t even compare.