Recently Howard University students, faculty, staff and the D.C community appeared in a video imitation of producer Pharrell Williams hit song “Happy” that now has over 153,000 views on YouTube. But some students are no longer in that “happy” state of euphoria.
In fact, some Howard students are simply fed up with the university and current changes to administration, according to the school’s newspaper.
Students ripped the university and its lack of leadership in an article on The Hilltop, the student newspaper of Howard University, called “Students Have Mixed Reactions to Recent Administrative Replacements”:
“Howard is a mess, so to speak. Every aspect is basically being run by a student,” said student Demetrius Chavis. “Even with Howard bringing people in, they’re usually alumni,” Chavis said.
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The Hilltop:
Howard University President? Interim. Chief Financial Officer? Interim. Human Resources Director? Interim. Campus Police Chief? Interim. Vice President of Student Affairs? Looking for a replacement.
Within the past 3 months, Howard University has lost five prominent leaders. The resignation of Dr. Sidney A. Ribeau came as no surprise to many students, seeing as the announcement came within a week following the downgrade of Howard’s credit rating, the enrollment problems the university was experiencing, the federal budget cuts that occurred nation-wide, and the adverse financial effects of operating Howard University Hospital on university finances.
COAS Student Council Logistics Director Lindsey Foster agreed that the loss of the president could be anticipated.
“Starting off with President Ribeau, he wasn’t necessarily supposed to be here for an extended period of time.
That’s maybe not common knowledge besides maybe seniors who were here when he first got here,” said Foster.
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Earlier this month the man behind the U.S. College News Ranking, Robert “Bob” Morse, hinted that former Howard President Sidney A. Ribeau, who announced his resignation from the office he had held since August 2008, may have retired suddenly due to the present disorder at Howard.
Howard’s Best Colleges ranking fell “sharply” under Ribeau’s watch, according to Morse. Howard rank fell 22 spots to No. 142—having previously been ranked No. 120 in the 2013 edition—in the most recent Best Colleges rankings report.
“There were many factors behind Howard’s rankings decline during Ribeau’s time in office. … Howard experienced declines in almost all of the key academic indicators used by U.S. News, which resulted in its drop in the rankings,” said Morse in U.S. News Education.
Other reasons, including Howard’s credit rating downgrade by Moody’s Investors Service to a rating of Baa1from A3, dwindling enrollment and an open letter by trustee Renee Higginbotham-Brooks describing Howard to be “in genuine trouble” because of fiscal and management problems, is cited for Ribeau’s departure.
“My question is to what’s going on with staffing or Howard University, because I feel like something is going on internally,” said student TeAndra Nichelle Myers on Ribeau and four other administrative leaders who are on the move from the university.
Foster added: “The lack of care is finally coming to fruition, and now we’re going to have to deal with all these interim positions; not necessarily that those are a bad thing, but hopefully we are in a transitional period to perhaps something greater.”
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