Students at Howard University have reached an agreement with school officials after a month of protesting the reportedly unlivable housing conditions on campus. On Monday (Nov. 15), Frank Tramble, Vice President and Chief Communications at the university, announced in a statement that administrators have come to a resolution with students.
“Howard University is pleased to announce we have come to an agreement with the students who occupied Blackburn and will share a longer message on this topic later today,” Tramble told 7News.
Jasmine Joof, a spokesperson for the #BlackburnTakeover protest, also told CNN that the resolution has effectively ended their protest.
“We have achieved increased scrutiny, transparency and accountability,” Joof said.
More details about the agreement are expected to be shared by Howard University President Wayne Frederick later today.
As reported by REVOLT, students at the historically Black college have been occupying the Blackburn University Center since Oct. 12 in protest over poor housing conditions. Over 100 students have slept in tents and air mattresses at the Center after reporting hazardous conditions at the university’s on-campus residential halls, including issues of flooding, mold and mice and roach infestations. They demanded that administrators address the issues and be transparent in their plans to fix the buildings.
The students’ sit-in gained nationwide attention, including support from Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. William Barber II and Martin Luther King III. On Monday, Jackson retweeted a report about Howard University’s resolution with students.
As reported, the 80-year-old civil rights leader visited the Washington, D.C. university earlier this month to meet with President Frederick about students’ concerns. However, during the meeting, Jackson unfortunately fell and hit his head, resulting in his hospitalization. Staff at the Howard University Hospital ran various tests including a CT scan on Jackson, which thankfully yielded normal results.
See Howard University’s tweet about its resolution with students below.