Just days after former NFL star Ed Reed announced that he would no longer be going forward with his position as head coach at Bethune Cookman University, students at the school are protesting and calling for new leadership.
On Monday, students gathered in front of White Hall with signs to protest the conditions at the B-CU.
In a story post to an Instagram account created to highlight the protest, students posted a photo of a document that detailed the goals of the protest which made it clear that the issue is “deeper than Ed Reed.”
In the document, it said that their main issue is with the Board of Trustees, and that “Ed Reed is not the reason, but the catalyst.”
Ed Reed made headlines last week when he took to Instagram live to criticize the conditions at B-CU, complaining about the amount of trash he encountered on campus and within the football facilities. Although he later apologized, the university ultimately decided to part ways with him and not proceed with contract negotiations.
Students are now speaking up and saying that “Ed Reed was right.”
For years the voices of students have been silenced. I stand in solidarity with students of Bethune-Cookman University in efforts to raise awareness for the changes in which need to be brought to our university. This isn’t just about coach Reed. Coach Reed has helped us shine a light towards the institution to bring forth ACCOUNTABILITY to our staff and administration.
– Tyler Kelly, The 12th Mister Bethune-Cookman University
In their “A Call For New Leadership Protest,” students are making a call to action for campus issues. Issues such as “poor housing conditions, financial issues, poor usage of funds, lack of professionalism, student life, and poor leadership at the administration level,” as listed in the document posted to Instagram stories.
In videos posted to @bcu_protest‘s story, students can be heard shouting “Hey hey ho ho, the Board of Trustees has got to go.” They also held signs that quoted the university’s founder, Mary McLeod Bethune, that said “Forgiving is not about forgetting” and “#WhatWouldMaryDo.”
According to FOX35, students complained of rats in the dorms and the lack of hot water there. Several said they leave the windows open year-round in their rooms because there’s no AC. One student told the news outlet that she ended up in the hospital due to mold in her dorm.
“We’re constantly pouring money into this institution, and we feel like it’s not being poured back into us,” a senior at Bethune-Cookman told FOX 35. “We’re not seeing change. They just keep giving us false promises.”
Bethune-Cookman has not yet released a statement responding to the student protest.
