Carnival cash: Southern's Human Jukebox drums up earnings from Mardi Gras parades


Unknowm

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When the Southern University Marching Band marches with the Krewe of Zulu parade on Tuesday, it will be the culmination of a great season that didn't play out on the football field.

The band, known far and wide as the Human Jukebox, is putting a wrap on Mardi Gras season. That time of year when marching means money.

This Carnival season, the band brought it's high-step marching style to six parades, earning about $15,000 after expenses.

Some parades, like Sunday's Bacchus and Tuesday's Zulu, ponied up $10,000 each (a profit of about $4,000 after paying for food and transportation) to bring the high-energy unit to the Crescent City, said band director Nathan Haymer.

“That’s just for us,” said Haymer of the five-figure payout from the big parade groups in New Orleans. “I don’t know what the rate is for (other marching bands), but $10,000 is pretty top rate for a band to come to a parade.”

In addition to Bacchus and Zulu, Southern marched in New Orleans in the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale and the Mystic Krewe of Nyx and in Mardi Gras parades in Slidell and Kentwood. For the Slidell and smaller New Orleans' parades, the payoff was about $3,500 each after expenses, Haymer said. The Kentwood appearance didn't bring in any extra money, but Haymer said Southern has lots of alumni and fans there, "so it's a great community event for us."

“Oh, it’s going to help us out tremendously," Haymer said of the money. "That’s why we do it."

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...cle_5e3ff0e2-0c39-11e8-a3c9-7710cb38c841.html
 
Majority of my middle school band's operating budget comes from the funds raised doing Mardi Gras parades. It's an excellent fundraising opportunity for all of the local schools. I know we made about $5,000 which helped us buy new instruments,make much needed repairs to a large number of our instruments, and help pay for transportation to an event we're attending in April. I can imagine high schools and colleges making 3 to 4 times as much.
 
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In addition to Bacchus and Zulu, Southern marched in New Orleans in the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale and the Mystic Krewe of Nyx and in Mardi Gras parades in Slidell and Kentwood. For the Slidell and smaller New Orleans' parades, the payoff was about $3,500 each after expenses, Haymer said. The Kentwood appearance didn't bring in any extra money, but Haymer said Southern has lots of alumni and fans there, "so it's a great community event for us."

“Oh, it’s going to help us out tremendously," Haymer said of the money. "That’s why we do it."

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...cle_5e3ff0e2-0c39-11e8-a3c9-7710cb38c841.html

Universities were established to deliver on a mission, not make/seek a profit. Participating in six Mardi Gras, I see greed. Public universities are nonprofit institutions.
 
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Universities were established to deliver on a mission, not make/seek a profit. Participating in six Mardi Gras, I see greed. Public universities are nonprofit institutions.
The band is a university organization that has to self-generate a lot of money for operational purposes (recruiting, scholarships, instruments, etc....) not to mention that they were also using the profit to help pay for the wind ensemble to perform at the HBCU Consortium in Atlanta later this month. It's all in the article, but I know some just choose to read what they want to read.

Part of the band's earnings will be used for the HBCU National Band Directors Consortium in March, where Southern will perform Friday, March 23, to close the event. Florida A&M's "The Marching 100" will perform at opening ceremonies March 21.

The remaining funds will go toward travel, concert band expenses and recruiting costs. Southern holds regional tryouts each year in New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Memphis, Tennessee. Some of the money will buy letter jackets for outgoing four-year seniors, Haymer said, and it will help pay for the band's banquet in April.
 
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Universities were established to deliver on a mission, not make/seek a profit. Participating in six Mardi Gras, I see greed. Public universities are nonprofit institutions.

That's being greedy, that's really too many parades too participate in, in a span of about a week. I guess those kids study on the bus? lol
 
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Ummmm no different than basketball teams or our football teams taking games for a pay check....nothing here, keep moving.

Exactly. I'm a high school band director and i get so damn tired when bands do stuff and people complain. Like i can count on my fingers how much my students miss class but whenever we do teachers complain that we miss to much but basketball and track teams stay gone but no one says shit.
 
Universities were established to deliver on a mission, not make/seek a profit. Participating in six Mardi Gras, I see greed. Public universities are nonprofit institutions.

It's not a profit if the money is placed back into the band/music program. I'm sure my hometown (Alexandria, LA) paid Grambling a nice fee to march in its main Mardi Gras parade. Interesting that Prairie View hasn't marched in Alexandria's Mardi Gras parade, since it's band director is from there. They did perform at his old high school the night before the SU game. SU used to march in Alexandria's Mardi Gras parade, but stop after the band's hazing incident. The Alexandria Mardi Gras Association (AMGA) and the city had a budget for both bands participation. I believe the Alexandria parade was the only Mardi Gras parade where both SU and Grambling marched in together.



Go to the 3:40 minute mark in video below and you will see Grambling in this year's parade.

 
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It's not a profit if the money is placed back into the band/music program. I'm sure my hometown (Alexandria, LA) paid Grambling a nice fee to march in its main Mardi Gras parade. Interesting that Prairie View hasn't marched in Alexandria's Mardi Gras parade, since it's band director is from there. They did perform at his old high school the night before the SU game. SU used to march in Alexandria's Mardi Gras parade, but stop after the band's hazing incident. The Alexandria Mardi Gras Association (AMGA) and the city had a budget for both bands participation. I believe the Alexandria parade was the only Mardi Gras parade where both SU and Grambling marched in together.



Go to the 3:40 minute mark in video below and you will see Grambling in this year's parade.


Yes Grambling gets paid nicely. I remember reading about payment for Gramblings Band being on the agenda for the budget for the City of Alexandria. Yes you are correct Grambling and SU both used to be in the parade.
 
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After what Jindal has done to the State's higher education budget, our schools need whatever monies they can get. The State of Louisiana makes tons of money off of tourism during Mardi Gras, so why not give some of that money back to the State's universities.
 
That's being greedy, that's really too many parades too participate in, in a span of about a week. I guess those kids study on the bus? lol
You do know those parades span a 2-3 week period right? Heck there are several high schools, especially in New Orleans, that do 9-10 parades each year. My band did 5 parades, one week was Friday and Saturday, the next week was Friday and Saturday, and then one Mardi Gras day. There was 0 interruption of their academic studies. Majority of the parades on the weekend or during the holidays, very few of the ones they did were on school nights. And yes, there were times during football season where I did study on the bus ride too and from games.
 
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Exactly. I'm a high school band director and i get so damn tired when bands do stuff and people complain. Like i can count on my fingers how much my students miss class but whenever we do teachers complain that we miss to much but basketball and track teams stay gone but no one says shit.
Exactly, be all on our case like we're endangering the entire academic standing of the school. lol
 
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This board is too funny. I thought this thread was deleted, but somehow it magically reappeared. I didn't see this thread from March 19 to April 27. It was gone for over a whole month. I guess that is how old likes appeared in my alerts. Stuff just come and go just to satisfy sensitive individuals. LMAO!!!
 
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This board is too funny. I thought this thread was deleted, but somehow it magically reappeared. I didn't see this thread from March 19 to April 27. It was gone for over a whole month. I guess that is how old likes appeared in my alerts. Stuff just come and go just to satisfy sensitive individuals. LMAO!!!

The thread was brought back by popular demand!

For the dollar bill, people will do anything
For the dollar bill, people will do anything, ha ha ha


 
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In retrospect, I think it was motivated by greed
While it is more than likely an ethics violation to allegedly receive payments on the side without it going through the university and organization, I certainly would have liked WBRZ reporter Chris Nakamoto to go a step further and ask the parade krewes if writing a separate check made out to the director or group leader was standard practice or if that was only unique to Southern. I can't see someone like Chris Nakamoto investigating this and not asking the next logical question to the parade krewes.

http://www.wbrz.com/news/investigat...ector-took-thousands-of-dollars-in-kickbacks/

Two weeks ago, the WBRZ Investigative Unit submitted a public records request, asking for all emails tied to any Mardi Gras krewes sent to or received by Nathan Haymer's school email account. The emails show throughout the 2018 Carnival Season, Haymer demanded payments if those krewes wanted Southern University's band to play.

The krewes involved are Bacchus, Zulu, Femme Fatale, Poseidon and Nyx.

One email dated January 3, 2018, reads: "Reduce payment to Mr. Haymer to $3,000."

Simultaneously, one sent to Zulu read, "Make check payable to Nathan B. Haymer for $3,000." That was documented as staff pay. Sources within Zulu tell WBRZ their check was made out to Haymer and was cashed.

Also in January, this email from Haymer to Femme Fatale, "... I will be paid $3,700."
 
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The thread was brought back by popular demand!

For the dollar bill, people will do anything
For the dollar bill, people will do anything, ha ha ha






Yes, when sensitive mofos see a need to make their point. They should be more concerned about the drastic decrease in their school enrollment and the elimination of a unprecedented number of degree programs due to low enrollment. Universities, particularly HBCUs can't afford to pay high dollar professors to teach and train only a few individuals. More students in a program means more revenue for the school. Like the old saying goes, "the more the merrier." But if a band program is your main focus, carry-on. LOL!!!
 
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