Open Campus: The debate over the use of Howard's campus by neighbors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs like to pee on things like trees. On the Quad, most trees are tied to Greek organizations that use them for gathering spots. As we know dog owners cannot control their dogs when nature calls—-Should students sit, stand and/ or meet on Fido’s urine?

What??

How about dog owners take their dog elsewhere or buy a home with a yard, like normal dog-owning people?

+2 Students shouldn’t have to sit in Fido’s urine. Dog owners should purchase a home with a yard to be considerate of their pet’s need or take their dog to one of the many dog friendly spaces around Howard University.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think residents have to put up with a lot with a college nearby (parking etc). Additionally even if you think it’s private property, your taxes do a lot to fund colleges and provide them with tax free status.

That being said no one should leave dog poop where others might be lounging in the grass.

White person here who knows nothing about "black universities", but regardless of the color of the students, if you choose to live near a university then you choose both the pros AND the cons that it comes with. It sounds like this place didn't just spring up overnight.

You can be surprised and shocked that white people aren't allowed/welcome there (from my perspective, that's called racism and I thought that wasn't an okay thing in this country) but you can't seriously be surprised that university staff, students and guests need to get to the university somehow.

Have a bit of sense.

[Anonymous]

It's sad to see white DC residents so culturally illiterate about Howard and HBCUs and black history. I admit that when I first moved to DC, I had the model of college campuses with a more open feeling (having grown up in land grant college towns). So yeah, the first time I jogged through the Howard campus, it felt different. But, it didn't take me long to learn about the history of the U st area, Howard, and HBCUs, as well as to grasp why being on the Howard campus as a white person meant I needed to go out of my way to be respectful.

If you are clutching your pearls and can't figure out why there would be tension surrounding an influx of disrespectful white dog walkers on the Howard campus, then you're pretty culturally ignorant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think residents have to put up with a lot with a college nearby (parking etc). Additionally even if you think it’s private property, your taxes do a lot to fund colleges and provide them with tax free status.

That being said no one should leave dog poop where others might be lounging in the grass.

White person here who knows nothing about "black universities", but regardless of the color of the students, if you choose to live near a university then you choose both the pros AND the cons that it comes with. It sounds like this place didn't just spring up overnight.

You can be surprised and shocked that white people aren't allowed/welcome there (from my perspective, that's called racism and I thought that wasn't an okay thing in this country) but you can't seriously be surprised that university staff, students and guests need to get to the university somehow.

Have a bit of sense.

You know nothing about "black universities"?? smh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's sad to see white DC residents so culturally illiterate about Howard and HBCUs and black history. I admit that when I first moved to DC, I had the model of college campuses with a more open feeling (having grown up in land grant college towns). So yeah, the first time I jogged through the Howard campus, it felt different. But, it didn't take me long to learn about the history of the U st area, Howard, and HBCUs, as well as to grasp why being on the Howard campus as a white person meant I needed to go out of my way to be respectful.

If you are clutching your pearls and can't figure out why there would be tension surrounding an influx of disrespectful white dog walkers on the Howard campus, then you're pretty culturally ignorant.

+1 THIS.EXACTLY.SUMS.UP.MY.THOUGHTS

Why is it so hard for urban gentrifiers to understand that Black/AA people don’t want their cultural historic piece of property desecrated by animals? To continue in such a manner means that people are willing to put animal nature over human feelings. That thought process is both despicable and shows how far basic humanity principles have eroded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think residents have to put up with a lot with a college nearby (parking etc). Additionally even if you think it’s private property, your taxes do a lot to fund colleges and provide them with tax free status.

That being said no one should leave dog poop where others might be lounging in the grass.

White person here who knows nothing about "black universities", but regardless of the color of the students, if you choose to live near a university then you choose both the pros AND the cons that it comes with. It sounds like this place didn't just spring up overnight.

You can be surprised and shocked that white people aren't allowed/welcome there (from my perspective, that's called racism and I thought that wasn't an okay thing in this country) but you can't seriously be surprised that university staff, students and guests need to get to the university somehow.

Have a bit of sense.

PP, you are both ignorant of basic reading comprehension and culturally unresponsive. No where did students nor the university say that white people or any specific race was banned from their campus. The university and its students have simply asked that people respectfully pass around the campus when walking their pets. Of course, the culturally unresponsive and entitled people such as yourself make this dog ban about your personhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's sad to see white DC residents so culturally illiterate about Howard and HBCUs and black history. I admit that when I first moved to DC, I had the model of college campuses with a more open feeling (having grown up in land grant college towns). So yeah, the first time I jogged through the Howard campus, it felt different. But, it didn't take me long to learn about the history of the U st area, Howard, and HBCUs, as well as to grasp why being on the Howard campus as a white person meant I needed to go out of my way to be respectful.

If you are clutching your pearls and can't figure out why there would be tension surrounding an influx of disrespectful white dog walkers on the Howard campus, then you're pretty culturally ignorant.

+1 THIS.EXACTLY.SUMS.UP.MY.THOUGHTS

Why is it so hard for urban gentrifiers to understand that Black/AA people don’t want their cultural historic piece of property desecrated by animals? To continue in such a manner means that people are willing to put animal nature over human feelings. That thought process is both despicable and shows how far basic humanity principles have eroded.

I think younger white gentrifiers might feel particularly confused when they realize that some institutions are black MC/UMC, and not just "ghetto" things they can either be scared of or find cool and edgy or quaint. To feel themselves in a majority black space where black people have power ... that's scary to them. Same thing with black churches in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think residents have to put up with a lot with a college nearby (parking etc). Additionally even if you think it’s private property, your taxes do a lot to fund colleges and provide them with tax free status.

That being said no one should leave dog poop where others might be lounging in the grass.

White person here who knows nothing about "black universities", but regardless of the color of the students, if you choose to live near a university then you choose both the pros AND the cons that it comes with. It sounds like this place didn't just spring up overnight.

You can be surprised and shocked that white people aren't allowed/welcome there (from my perspective, that's called racism and I thought that wasn't an okay thing in this country) but you can't seriously be surprised that university staff, students and guests need to get to the university somehow.

Have a bit of sense.

PP, you are both ignorant of basic reading comprehension and culturally unresponsive. No where did students nor the university say that white people or any specific race was banned from their campus. The university and its students have simply asked that people respectfully pass around the campus when walking their pets. Of course, the culturally unresponsive and entitled people such as yourself make this dog ban about your personhood.

The subtext throughout this whole thread has been exactly that - that white people aren't welcome there, regardless of whether they have a dog.

If someone set up a space - store or educational institution or whatever - and then had people posting on an internet forum about how they'd really rather that black people wouldn't come into our safe space because we feel much more comfortable around our own color, heads would roll.

Other posters have already made it clear that a dog ban wouldn't be enough - they don't want white people there at all.

Believe it or not, racism goes both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think residents have to put up with a lot with a college nearby (parking etc). Additionally even if you think it’s private property, your taxes do a lot to fund colleges and provide them with tax free status.

That being said no one should leave dog poop where others might be lounging in the grass.

White person here who knows nothing about "black universities", but regardless of the color of the students, if you choose to live near a university then you choose both the pros AND the cons that it comes with. It sounds like this place didn't just spring up overnight.

You can be surprised and shocked that white people aren't allowed/welcome there (from my perspective, that's called racism and I thought that wasn't an okay thing in this country) but you can't seriously be surprised that university staff, students and guests need to get to the university somehow.

Have a bit of sense.

PP, you are both ignorant of basic reading comprehension and culturally unresponsive. No where did students nor the university say that white people or any specific race was banned from their campus. The university and its students have simply asked that people respectfully pass around the campus when walking their pets. Of course, the culturally unresponsive and entitled people such as yourself make this dog ban about your personhood.

The subtext throughout this whole thread has been exactly that - that white people aren't welcome there, regardless of whether they have a dog.

If someone set up a space - store or educational institution or whatever - and then had people posting on an internet forum about how they'd really rather that black people wouldn't come into our safe space because we feel much more comfortable around our own color, heads would roll.

Other posters have already made it clear that a dog ban wouldn't be enough - they don't want white people there at all.

Believe it or not, racism goes both ways.

White people did this for most of American history, including in DC. Only it was worse than posting on internet forums. If you think NONE of the last 400 years of history are relevant to understanding why the situation is different when the races are flipped, you just aren't engaging in good faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think residents have to put up with a lot with a college nearby (parking etc). Additionally even if you think it’s private property, your taxes do a lot to fund colleges and provide them with tax free status.

That being said no one should leave dog poop where others might be lounging in the grass.

White person here who knows nothing about "black universities", but regardless of the color of the students, if you choose to live near a university then you choose both the pros AND the cons that it comes with. It sounds like this place didn't just spring up overnight.

You can be surprised and shocked that white people aren't allowed/welcome there (from my perspective, that's called racism and I thought that wasn't an okay thing in this country) but you can't seriously be surprised that university staff, students and guests need to get to the university somehow.

Have a bit of sense.

PP, you are both ignorant of basic reading comprehension and culturally unresponsive. No where did students nor the university say that white people or any specific race was banned from their campus. The university and its students have simply asked that people respectfully pass around the campus when walking their pets. Of course, the culturally unresponsive and entitled people such as yourself make this dog ban about your personhood.

The subtext throughout this whole thread has been exactly that - that white people aren't welcome there, regardless of whether they have a dog.

If someone set up a space - store or educational institution or whatever - and then had people posting on an internet forum about how they'd really rather that black people wouldn't come into our safe space because we feel much more comfortable around our own color, heads would roll.

Other posters have already made it clear that a dog ban wouldn't be enough - they don't want white people there at all.

Believe it or not, racism goes both ways.

Wrong, those posters have stated they don’t want white people audaciously walk with their dodge through a historic Black/AA university without first understanding the implications. Previous posters have noted that if white people want to continue to feel entitled to a space without respect of the culture that’s already present then they should not be permitted on the grounds at all. Respectability comes before anyone’s color complex. If certain white people feel the need to denigrate a space then they should stay off the grounds of Howard. Of course, I’m sure Howard is welcoming to other white people—-you know that kind that are cultured & have manners.

[Anonymous]

So are white people unwelcome at Howard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So are white people unwelcome at Howard?

Only if they have dogs on the grounds of the university property. Take away the dogs and all are welcome.

[Anonymous]

The HU students on social media are doing themselves no favors by blasting and harassing that idiot guy. Instead of all that nonsense, which totally feeds into the white perception that black universities are ghetto and the students who attend are less than, they should put their energies into getting HU to update their policies to make it illegal.

-an AA person who went to a HBCU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The HU students on social media are doing themselves no favors by blasting and harassing that idiot guy. Instead of all that nonsense, which totally feeds into the white perception that black universities are ghetto and the students who attend are less than, they should put their energies into getting HU to update their policies to make it illegal.

-an AA person who went to a HBCU

Thank you for being the HBCU spokesperson and thought police

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me feel like, as a white person, I would be unwelcome and made to feel unsafe walking anywhere on the HU campus, with or without a dog. Sure, the dog walking is the pretext, but the subtext seems to be that no white person can enter the campus without the express permission of a black person.

HBCUs were created bc blacks were unwelcome on white campuses. And our current President has made it clear that many minorities are not welcome in the states either. White ppl have the entire country at their feet. This is one Yard. Just one. Y’all will live.

Just the ones who are breaking laws to come here. Get a grip.