By Kylie Marsh
For The Triangle Tribune
Two North Carolina Central students were arrested Wednesday afternoon during a heated rally protesting housing conditions at the university.
Student Panthers Durham, a group of students at the university, organized the rally. The group circulated photos showing black mold, cockroaches, peeling paint and flooding in the historic university’s residential halls on Instagram along with a list of demands.
Videos showing altercations with police circulated on social media. One Student Panther was asked to leave for using a megaphone. He was then tackled to the ground. He says he was not told why he was being detained.
The students demanded guaranteed subsidized housing free of mold, working kitchens and air conditioning for all students. They also demand “full transparency to $45 million in budget irregularities.”
Local outlets also report that one professor, Daniel Atwood, and one community member who was not a student, were also arrested. Chief brand officer Stephen Fusi says the university is still working on investigating what occurred Wednesday afternoon.
A recent spike in enrollment at the university has put a squeeze on housing, the Campus Echo reported. Applications for on-campus housing opened on March 3 but abruptly closed only three days later after reaching “capacity.”
NCCU Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Angela Coleman says the Student Panthers are not an authorized student group.
Student Panthers Durham is affiliated with The Revolutionary Student Union. The RSU’s “About” page states that the organization’s core beliefs include “the necessity of revolution to overcome capitalism, the importance of supporting the working-class movement, the need to combat racism and national oppression, support for women and LGBTQ liberation through revolution,” and was founded in 2023.
In 2021, Howard University students, another Historically Black institution, occupied an on-campus residential building in protest of similar housing conditions. Faculty and Howard Alumni United joined the student encampment in solidarity. The students reached an agreement with the administration after 33 days.
NCCU Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon issued a statement on Wednesday:
Yesterday, we heard the voices and saw the passion of our students and community members advocating for improved housing conditions and greater expansion of our housing options. I want to take a moment to address this important issue and the path forward.
First and foremost, I want to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to student safety, well-being, and clear communication. Some members of our community were detained by law enforcement during the protest. While we fully support and encourage our students’ right to express themselves, it is equally important that all members of the NCCU community adhere to the agreed-upon procedures for public demonstrations as part of our shared commitment to respectful and responsible engagement. This is how we keep each other safe. My door and the doors of my leaders remain open to discuss steps being taken by the university to respond to our toughest challenges. We must work together productively as we navigate our shared goals.
During the protest, my administration and I traveled to Raleigh and held a strategic legislative event planned over the past few months and focused on securing a prospective $100 million-plus investment in our facilities through the legislature — a bill we have actively advocated for since July 2024 to address our campus’s deferred maintenance needs. This was the culmination of hosting at least six on-campus meetings so that the condition of our facilities could be discussed and seen. If approved, these funds are specifically tailored to improve conditions in both residence halls and academic buildings. We took this opportunity to ensure that student concerns were directly shared with legislators, reinforcing that housing and facility improvements are a top priority for this administration.
Although we provide more housing per student than the average public university in North Carolina, we are not immune to the broader national housing crisis, which is affecting the general public and college campuses across the country — particularly those experiencing growth, like ours. We are actively engaging public partners and private apartment complexes that are open to partnerships to expand quality housing options that our students can afford.
Let me be clear: we hear you. We are committed to doing all that is within our resources to improve our housing conditions and inventory. While our resources to address these challenges on our own are limited, our commitment to you is unwavering.
