As Howard University celebrates an enrollment milestone, students are concerned about what this means for their on-campus housing.
“As always, we have looked for innovative ways to open the Howard experience to a diverse array of students who can contribute to our university community in unique ways,” said Howard Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Lydia Sermons in an interview with The Hilltop. “As a result, Howard is experiencing growth in enrollment, which is a positive development fueled in large part by higher upperclassman retention rates.”
Despite some accommodations, returning students have voiced concerns about being placed into triple dorm rooms, although they requested something different.
For example, the outlet also reported that a sophomore biology major, Makayla Lumpkin, requested a single dorm in Howard Plaza West Towers but was devastated when she learned of her assignment in a triple.
“I cried, and I was very upset,” said Lumpkin. “All of my friends got singles, and I was the only one placed in a triple.”
Per Sermons, triples only account for 1% of the beds, or 22 rooms, available to students during the aforementioned interview.
“The unprecedented interest in enrolling at Howard has required ingenuity in housing to meet the needs of each student,” said Sermons. “As we have in the past, we have leveraged a group of larger rooms which can comfortably accommodate triples to ensure that as many students have housing as possible, especially freshmen.”
Along with the space constraints, students have voiced concerns about the pricing of the triples, noting that they are the same amount it would be for a small double dorm that includes a shared bathroom. The Howard University student housing website currently lists the small double and triple dorms at $4,158 per semester.
Source: Black Enterprise
