In the weeks leading up to spring break at Hampton University, tensions on the Virginia coastal campus reached a boiling point and students took to the streets — and to the lawn of President William R. Harvey’s campus home — to air their grievances.
Within the last two weeks, hundreds of students have participated in a public campaign and used social media and news outlets to put forth their concerns.
During that time, Harvey and his administrative council have responded with a detailed plan of action to combat the problems and quell dissent on the 4,300-student campus that is often listed among the top historically Black institutions in the nation.
Diverse obtained recordings of a contentious Feb. 20 town hall meeting – a scheduled annual event – where students’ emotions ran high as they complained about issues ranging from the handling of sexual assault allegations to mold and other health-related problems in the dorms and cafeteria.
One of the major complaints, however, was the cancellation of some popular social functions on campus. It was this move that, according to some students, sparked the protests.
“People were doing things off this campus and on this campus that were illegal. We tried to work with you all for several years and you didn’t want to work with us,” Dr. Barbara Inman, vice president for administrative services, told the town hall audience.
The cancellation and suspension of the gatherings drew particular ire from the students, but despite their objections, Inman said the events would remain halted.
