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Home • News

Howard University Student-Protesters Reach Deal With School Officials

Howard University Student-Protesters Reach Deal With School Officials
Courtesy of Howard University
By Paula Rogo · Updated October 24, 2020

The Howard University students that were on a multi-day protest sit-in have reached an agreement with university administrators.

The sit-in, which lasted for nine days and was led by the student group HU Resist, ended on Friday. Close to 400 students had occupied an administrative building after finding out about a major misappropriation scandal of financial aid fund for low-income students.

“This is a long time coming,” HU Resist student organizer Alexis McKenney said at a press conference Friday.

University officials are said to have agreed to many of the students’ demands, including an overhaul of the school’s sexual assault policy, the creation of a food bank, freezing undergraduate tuition rates at current levels, reexamining  on-campus housing for students, and a review of policies allowing campus police officers to carry weapons, NPR reports.

HU Resist also stopped calling for the resignation of university president Wayne Frederick .

“Today marks the next chapter of progress at Howard University,” Marie Johns, a member of the board of trustees said. “These commitments are meant to address the needs and are for the benefit and welfare of the entire Howard University community.”

#HowardU Board of Trustees and Students Gather for End of Sit-in; Unveil Statement of Commitments. https://t.co/bR0QJcWW2u pic.twitter.com/rchbsvCuhy

— Howard University (@HowardU) April 6, 2018

This is not the first time student protesters have led a successful sit-in at the historically black college. According to CNN, two previous protests at Howard, in 1968 and 1989, also took place in March and involved students taking over the administration building.