HBCU Student Faces $5K Bill Due to Financial Aid Mix-Up
By Ashley Brown Tennessee State University demands repayment of a nearly $5,000 excess financial aid check issued to a student last year, highlighting systemic financial difficulties within the historically Black university. Chekesha Ibrahimzakaria’s son, a sophomore at TSU who received a full-ride scholarship, cannot register for spring classes or secure a dorm assignment due to a hold on his account for an unpaid balance of $4,900. That is the same amount he received in an excess financial aid check in the fall of his first year. “Because they made a mistake, they want my son and others like him to