On Tuesday, students at Bennett College declared that they won’t be attending classes until “the matters regarding counseling services are addressed.”
In a joint statement by the HBCUs’ SGA president Zakyha Jones-Waler and the 43rd Miss Bennet College, Ja’Nylah Johnson, they explained their grievances.
“On February 27th, the Director of Counseling Services was fired. Under her were two interns that were only able to exist on campus under a supervisor. However, the following week their hours were completed and they were authorized by the North Carolina A&T Counseling Department Supervisors to leave” the statement read.
The statement continued, reading “We brought matters to our VP of Academic Affairs, Laura Colson and our current President Suzanne Walsh and were told two completely different things. 1. That a Supervisor is on campus and 2. That we would have 24 hr online counseling available by April 1st. There was no supervisor on campus and we still do not have any type of counseling services available. As a school that prides themselves on Health and Wellness, we as a student body are frustrated, tired, overwhelmed and refuse to continue representing this institution until we have the resources we deserve as women of color at an All women’s HBCU.”
Bennett College officials have not yet commented on the matter.
