WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — Students at Howard University are entering their sixth day sitting in the school's administration building demanding changes from university officials.
Some students have been occupying the building since 2 p.m. on Thursday, not even going home to shower or sleep.
Students said they will not leave until their nine demands are met.
Demands from Howard University students:
- We demand that Howard University provide adequate housing for all students under the age of 21 and extend the Fall 2018 housing deposit deadline to May 1.
- We demand an immediate end to unsubstantiated tuition hikes and complete access to administrative salaries.
- We demand that Howard University actively fight rape culture on campus in an effort to prevent sexual assault.
- We demand that Howard University implement a grievance system to hold faculty and administrators accountable in their language and action toward students with marginalized identities.
- We demand that Howard University hire more counselors and implement an inclusive attendance policy that accounts for mental and emotional health issues.
- We demand the immediate disarming of campus police officers and the formation of a Police Oversight Committee controlled by students, faculty, staff and off-campus community representatives.
- We demand that Howard University allocate more resources toward combating food insecurity and gentrification within the LeDroit-Shaw community.
- We demand the immediate resignation of President Wayne A.I. Frederick and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.
- We demand that students have the power to democratically influence the decision of the administration and the Board of Trustees by way of popular vote.
Among the demands, students are calling for university president Wayne Frederick to resign on the heels of a financial aid embezzlement scandal.
Over the weekend, students met with the university's board of trustees. The trustees agreed to meet one demand - extending student housing deadlines. However, university officials are throwing their support behind the current president.
This is not the first time students have used sit-ins at the university to demand change. Back in 1968, a student sit-in lasted five days. At that time, students wanted the university to create a department of Afro-American history and culture along with having a black university president appointed. The university met their demands.
There was another sit-in in 1989, lasting three days. All student demands were met including speeding up the financial aid process, better campus security and the creation of an African-American graduate studies program.
Current students are hoping for the same success for this sit-in. They said they will not stop until their demands are met.
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