North Carolina Central University police detained five people Wednesday during a rally on campus.
University students told WRAL News that adjunct history professor Daniel Atwood was one of the people detained at the rally, in which students advocated for more student housing.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The school told WRAL News that five people were taken into custody for what they said was a "unauthorized rally," and that at least three of them were not affiliated with the university.
North Carolina Central University students chanted “we need housing” and “no housing, no peace” during the rally.
"A lot of our dorms currently have mold in them," said Waverly Hill, a freshman student at North Carolina Central. "A lot of them are very old and haven't been renovated in a really long time."
Hill said students have said they have bugs and flooding in their residence halls. She said there were "terrible living conditions and we pay all this money."
A North Carolina Central University spokesperson provided a statement about the university's housing conditions.
"We are exploring off-campus housing partnerships, hosting off-campus housing fairs and helping students understand the responsibilities of living off campus," the spokesperson wrote.
Hill criticized the university's efforts to try to cancel Wednesday's rally.
“The bathroom is always looking [like] a mess,” said Derald Boney, a freshman at the university.
In response, the school said the rally appeared to be sponsored by "a significant number of people who are not NCCU students or otherwise affiliated with the university."
"Individuals and groups unaffiliated with the university may not independently use campus space. Such individuals and groups must be sponsored or invited by an official university or registered student organization," the spokesperson said.
Senior student Jasilyn Brown spoke with WRAL News about why she attended Wednesday's protest. She and her fellow senior Angel Richardson said their rents to live off campus are between $1,800 and $1,900 per month.
“It’s hard to maintain your work life and your school life if you’re living off campus,” Brown said.
Brown and Richardson both said they would have continued living on campus if they could have.
"They waited last minute to tell us that we couldn't get on campus," Brown said.
Richardson said the university informed her in July 2024 that it didn't have room for her in on-campus housing.
In August 2024, the university announced record-breaking growth in enrollment with 1,918 first-year students, 296 transfer students and 18 second-degree students. The class is expected to be the largest the university has seen in 15 years.
WRAL News had a reporter live at Wednesday's scene along Brant Street in Durham.
People were seen holding signs that read:
- "Students! unite & fight!"
- "No more mold!"
- "Housing = academic success"
- "All power to the people"
Several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene on Wednesday, including Durham police, the Durham County Sheriff's Office and North Carolina Central University Police.
The university said the three people arrested who were not affiliated with the school were charged with second-degree trespassing, failure to disperse and resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer.
North Carolina Central University opens new student center, three new residential halls in 2022
The $55.4 million North Carolina Central University Student Center officially opened in January 2022 and replaced the Alfonso Elder Student Center, which was built in 1968.
North Carolina Central also opened three new residential halls in 2022: Lawson Street Residential Complex, Alston Avenue Apartments and George Street Residential Complex. The public-private partnership with Provident Resources Group Inc. added a total of 1,274 new beds in semi-suite and apartment-style units.
The Alston Avenue Apartments and George Street Residential Apartments opened in late 2020. The Lawson Street Residential Complex opened in January 2022.
Mold problems at North Carolina Central University in 2003
In August 2003, North Carolina Central University shut down two dormitories because of toxic black mold, moving about 500 students to hotels and other off-campus housing arrangements.