#HUtownHall
Hampton University is currently in the spotlight for upholding the standard of excuses. This past week Hampton University’s Student Government Association hosted their annual town hall meeting. This is a chance for students to directly address their concerns or issues with administration. The administration members included the president, Dr. William R. Harvey, and the Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Barbara Inman. Many issues were brought up for the discussion in the town hall. Most including campus dining, housing and mold, lack of student life, and sexual assault. Students were also given the option to weigh in on the conversation via Twitter. Students used the hashtag #HUtownHall to weigh in with questions and concerns for administration. A freshman, male student, 5 year MBA student, was asked about the current climate of the university. “Students are enraged and we have had enough. Even though I am a freshman, I just expected more from the university.” The first concern addressed by students was sexual assault. As of September of 2017, Hampton University’s Title IX status was under investigation by the government. When a student came forward about her own assault things in the town hall became heated. President William R. Harvey, addressed the question. https://twitter.com/AnnaRose2014/status/966388263845015553 <blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the video of Harvey talking to the young lady. Found on FB <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HUTownHall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HUTownHall </a> <a href="https://t.co/7VlbYGsMiK">pic.twitter.com/7VlbYGsMiK</a></p>— DejaVu~ (@AnnaRose2014) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaRose2014/status/966388263845015553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Febru ary 21, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Students at Hampton University have asked for a new school vendor for years because they are displeased with the current food in the cafeteria. In the town hall students brought mold, bugs, and other not edible that are consistently present in the food to administration’s attention. Currently Hampton’s cafeteria was graded level 3. The standard for a cafeteria servicing a student body of Hampton’s size is Level 1. Below are images of food from Hampton’s cafeteria <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Repost?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Repost</a> These are problems occurring at Hampton University right now. The dorms are old & have mold, the cafe serves inedible food, our academic buildings have not been renovated for years & there is no campus life due to 12-2, BOTS and the harbors being taken away. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HUTownHall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HUTown Hall</a> <a href="https://t.co/d4rZnHiMZJ">pic.twitter.com/d4rZnHiMZJ</a></p>— Ashley⚡ (@ashleyyysenora) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashleyyysenora/status/966369315967651845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">F ebruary 21, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The current vendor for the school is Gourmet Services. The Gourmet Services manager for the university is also one of the major donors for the new cafeteria. Since the town hall the university is now enacting a panel of students to consult about cafeteria issues and dining options on campus. A large amount of underclassmen students stay on campus. Students did ask questions about housing and the plans to combat the current mold in the dorms. One student came forward with medical documentation of how the mold in her dorm made her sick. She was diagnosed with laryngitis and forced to be hospitalized. The Housing and Residence life director claimed that there was no mold reported in the dorms and that it was “impossible” that it was the cause of her laryngitis. A fourth year, 5 year, architecture student said” Administration has no vested interest in keeping the students happy… as long as administration is taken care of they don't care about students well being.” After the outpour of dissatisfactory remarks from students, alumni rallied behind them. Alumni such as Chris Parker have vowed to not donate to the university until the issues are addressed. The university released the following email to students and alumni about the town hall meeting. http://news.hamptonu.edu/release/Hampton-University-Town-Hall-Meeting-2018%3A-Moving-Forward
