United States: rats, mold, floods, the expensive daily life of Howard’s students

Published on : 11/10/2021 – 4:55 PMModified : 11/10/2021 – 6:25 PM

Up to 150 students have spent nights since Oct. 12 at Howard University’s Blackburn Center, historically frequented by black students. They mobilized via social networks, with the hashtag #BlackburnTakeover (taken from Balckburn).

Students denounce the presence of mice, rats or bugs, but also mold, as well as the lack of wifi access or heating.

At least a student had to be hospitalized for being exposed to mold after it moved into one of Howard University’s dorms, and several others said they had been sick for weeks before the discovery of mold in their room. The university has established that 41 bedrooms, less than 1% of rooms on campus, were infected.

These signs of insalubrity are to be put in relation with the cost of housing on the campus, which can go up to $ 12,000 the year (approximately 10,400 euros). Howard also collects federal funds and received a check for $ 40 million (almost € 35 million) in 2020 from MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Although seven of the eight campus residences were recently renovated or rebuilt, students believe it was their poor maintenance that caused these problems. They launched a petition to ask the university to cut short its contract with Corvias, the company that has managed the dormitories for 40 years.

The students also ask to be reimbursed for their accommodation costs, to be rehoused in a clean place and free of charge, as well as the payment of their health costs related to poor housing conditions. The organizers of the sit-in are mobilizing in particular on the Instagram page “The Live Movement“.

Accommodation in the Washington area, overpriced

On October 26, the university published a statement ensuring that it had put the residences under “hyper surveillance”, with dedicated teams in charge of conducting in-depth cleanings and carrying out checks with students denouncing mold and other unhealthy conditions. But according to the students mobilized, their rooms remain unlivable.

They add that for accommodation off campus, the costs in the Washington area are exorbitant, with studios renting out. on average at 1 843 dollars (or 1,590 euros) per month.

The students who take part in the sit-in have been threatened with sanctions or even expelled, but assure that they will not stop until they have obtained from the president the organization of a forum open to all the students.

Problems with living conditions are nothing new to Howard. In 1989, students occupied an administration building to protest against their housing conditions. Events similar to this year took place in 2016 and 2018.