QUARANTINE LIFE: OH, HOWARD

History is repeating itself, and protest has visited the campus of my alma mater once again. 

I commuted to campus as a student, so I never had the dorm experience; tuition was a little less than $900.00 per semester, but even in the late 70's and early 80's, there were stories. I remember when the Blackburn Center was being built adjacent to the College of Fine Arts. Now, it is the site of understandable discontent. 

The current disappointing stories of deplorable living conditions in campus housing is not jiving with the reports of hefty donations, renaming of colleges, and assignment of notables to esteemed positions. If the university wasn't prepared for in-person instruction, and housing was inadequate, and/or insufficient, perhaps the opening of the campus could have waited.

Howard can't boast of being "The Mecca", "the real", the premier, pinnacle of excellence in education, if its students are suffering in any way. 

Without students, there would be no university. It would be silly to expect the best and the brightest to desire to matriculate in a place that is demonstrating that it disregards their health and safety, silences their voices, and is more appalled by them exposing problems and seeking remedies to them, than the problems themselves. Only a foolish leader, employer, or supervisor would expect people to remain in conditions that are not conducive to the efficient execution of their work. 

In 2021, neither poor WiFi nor black mold should be issues. In addition, those who speak for, and make decisions for any community should not only have a vested interest in it, but be an integral part of it.

It is ludicrous to demand that anyone remain in a situation that negatively impacts their health, and expect them to remain content, cooperative--or present. 

The minute your actions or attitude convey that you are unreasonable or unsympathetic to their plight, you cause and force people to rebel, ditch your plan, skip chain of command, and formulate a remedy of their own. 

People matter. 

I hope leadership does right by those we so often call “future leaders”.

Good leaders care about the well being of those for whom they are responsible. They don't find comfort in being pampered while others are disregarded. They're not intimidated by the voices of those who follow. They don't censor them. They embrace truth, feedback, and input. They understand that any flaw anywhere is detrimental to the operation and reputation of the organization.

When people are thoughtlessly oppressed, inconvenienced, mistreated, or disrespected, telling them they have to remain so, while you exist and function in relative comfort, will cause them to rise up and seek ways to improve their own conditions. 

In spite of your instructions, directives and logistical plans, when dealing with human beings, compassion, fairness, humanity, justice, care, and common sense have to remain on the table. 

 When people DO rise up in an effort to improve their own plight, it's not that they think they are superior to anyone, or more deserving. They're not being grand, entitled, ungrateful, greedy, belligerent, embarrassing or uncooperative. They simply know their worth. They've learned that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. It's unfortunate, however, that Howard students even have to squeak about what should be standard, and reasonably expected. Apparently, Howard students aren't getting what they're paying for, and their lived experiences are being ignored, minimized, and met with anger as opposed to compassion, apology, and swift action to correct the problems.

People may not agree with what you think they deserve, should be happy about, or should be able to endure. Punishing people for wanting to be treated with dignity is appalling. The look of the organization is not more important than the people who sustain it.

If you're angry that someone speaks up about untenable conditions; if you are offended by their means to improve their own lot, perhaps you should check yourself. 

Ask yourself how you would feel, what you would do if you were in their position, and what you would accept.

Perhaps, the words of the late General Colin Powell, in his commencement speech to the Class of 1994 resonate today. He spoke of Howard being a symbol of "hope, promise, and excellence".

"I believe with all my heart that Howard must continue to serve as an institution of learning excellence where freedom of speech is strongly encouraged and rigorously protected."

Threatening students with expulsion for bringing attention to their living conditions, lack of representation, and cost of tuition seems extreme.