Howard University Students Reach An Agreement With Officials After a Month of Protest
Only after weeks of sit-ins protest, where students slept in tents outside the Blackburn University Center, protesting what they said were poor housing conditions and the lack of student representation on the Board of Trustees, were students at Howard University in Washington, D.C., able to reach an agreement. The agreement with their university administration regarding the improvement of poor condition of student housing, ended by Howard official says the school shall work with student leaders to provide, by way of a campus master plan, a best-in-class university experience.
A master plan for improving the student housing conditions is not in the article printed below, but the substandard housing and community conditions leading to the student protest are not uncommon among most HBCU campuses and surrounding communities. What is striking about this protest is the fact that, unlike most HBCUs, Howard University has an endowment of over $800 million.
While having a large endowment is useful, it was not the solution to the challenges facing the students that led to the Howard University protest. HBCUs need to implement master plans designed to improve student enrollment, housing conditions, campus facilities, and the communities surrounding most HBCUs.
The HBCU Community Development Corporation (HBCUCDC) recommends HBCU administration leadership become directly involved in the development and implementation of campus and surrounding community master plans that include, campus facilities, residential, retail, and commercial infrastructure, to improve conditions for the students, the HBCU staff and faculty and the surrounding community residents.
If your HBCU needs assistance getting started contact us at www.hbcucdc.com.
https://www.npr.org/2021/11/15/1055929172/howard-university-students-end-protest-housing-agreement
