Howard University reaches agreement with students who protested housing conditions
Howard University has reached an agreement with students protesters who complained of poor housing conditions, the school announced Monday. The students claimed mold, roaches and mice are common inside the university's dorms.
The university said its president, Dr. Wayne Frederick, would share a more detailed message on the agreement later Monday. The details of the agreement were not immediately available.
Students spent several weeks occupying the university's social hub, demanding improved housing conditions and students be named to the board of trustees.
The student protesters celebrated the agreement on Monday and began clearing out the social hub. They called the agreement a victory for both current and future students. "We spent 33 days saying that not only did our lives mattered, that our voices mattered and our concerns mattered," one student said in a news conference Monday. "We came, we saw, we declared and we won."
Last month, Jaelan Trapp, a senior at the university, said the issues with student housing have last for several years. "A lot of the dorms have their own issues between mold in the dorm and being different infestations of whatever different creatures like rats and roaches in the dorms. Sometimes the dorms don't have heating, sometimes the pipes are bursting," he told CBS News. "On top of that, sometimes the students aren't able to get housing because there's a limited amount of housing, so a lot of students that wish they could be on campus can't be on campus."
The protests continued through Howard's Homecoming weekend, the school's historic celebration that usually brings in thousands of alumni and potential students. After protesting students scheduled competing events and boycotts, Frederick canceled his traditional Homecoming speech, blaming the "campus atmosphere."
Earlier this month, university officials blamed the protests for several layoffs at a cafe where the protests took place.
"We're sad to report the occupation of Blackburn has led to an unintended consequence for the HU community," the college wrote on Twitter. "Due to the café being closed, some Sodexo workers have been laid off. We are committed to working with our students to avoid more repercussions like this one."
Sodexo, a food services business that provides workers for Howard, confirmed some were laid off but said that others who had previously worked at the Blackburn cafe were moved to other open positions on campus.
"Sodexo respects the students' right to a peaceful protest," a spokesperson said. "We remain committed to providing exceptional service during these difficult times and we hope that both parties will soon come to a mutually beneficial resolution."
Tori B. Powell contributed reporting.