Howard University students gathered on campus to protest poor housing conditions and what they say was mistreatment by university management in Washington, DC on October 25.
Salwan Georges / The Washington Post via Getty Images
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Salwan Georges / The Washington Post via Getty Images
Howard University students gathered on campus to protest poor housing conditions and what they say was mistreatment by university management in Washington, DC on October 25.
Salwan Georges / The Washington Post via Getty Images
For more than a month, students at Howard University in Washington, DC, struggled to find answers from school administrators. when they protested the poor housing conditions on campus.
But on Monday, an agreement with protesters at one of the nation’s top historically black universities was reached, the school announced in a statement. tweet.
The specifics of negotiations between students and administrators were not immediately available. NPR contacted Howard University; they did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The chancellor of the university, Dr. Wayne AI Frederick, has released a video messages Monday addressed ending the protests on campus and how the school would improve conditions for students.
Howard University is pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with students who have occupied Blackburn, and will be sharing a longer message from Dr. Wayne Frederick on the subject later today.
– Howard University (@HowardU) November 15, 2021
“The health and well-being of our students is the most important part of my job as president,” Frederick speak. “As I’ve said before, even one problem in one of our dormitories is overwhelming, and we will continue to be vigilant in our commitment to safe and upscale housing.”
He also did not provide details but referenced the school’s 2020 Master plan to “grow and invest” in the university, which he says is focused on improving the campus experience for its students, faculty and staff.
In one news conference Second, student protesters began to celebrate the agreement.
“We spent 33 days saying that not only are our lives important, but our voices matter and our concerns matter,” said one student leader. “We came, we saw, we claimed and we won.”
Students have been sleeping in tents outside Blackburn University Center since October 12, protesting what they say is poor housing conditions and a lack of student representation on the Board of Trustees.
Since the start of the fall semester, students said they have raised concerns with administrators about mold on their dorm walls, the lack of COVID-19 testing for students, and the overall safety of their students. can be on campus, according to DCist / WAMU.
In his State of the Union address On November 5, Frederick said that mold had been detected in 41 of the 2,700 rooms on campus, with some of the damage due to “accidental human error.”
In 2018, students take the lead nine-day occupation of the campus management building resulted in an agreement between the officer and the student regarding some of the changes on the campus.
The changes include revising the school’s sexual assault policy, reviewing policies that allow campus police to carry weapons, and establishing on-campus food banks for students.
