#HomelssAtHoward, a national hashtag created on Twitter that should have changed the lives of college students everywhere. Sophomore marketing major, Jawanza Ingram of Howard University mentioned that he was evicted from his residency, because he “propped the side door open” of the dormitory at 11:45 p.m., which was against campus policy. His intention was to surprise one of his good friends for his birthday party the following day. The door was intended to be open for the later arrival of a few other friends to be allowed in secretly for a surprise affect. The next day he received a letter saying he was evicted from the dorm and not allowed back until July 2016. Jawanza, a native of Miami, Florida, attends Howard on a full scholarship that covers the cost of tuition and housing. Now, most students wouldn’t pay much attention to this story, but what if you were in Jawanza Ingram’s shoes. Imagine if Southern University posted a letter on your dorm and informed you to leave their residence and to not return until July of 2016. The first thing that comes to mind, should be was it really all that serious. We all break rules, and it’s not as if Jawanza and his friends were reported walking in loudly and disruptive, also the students had no record of any criminal background. “Maintaining a safe and secure campus is a top priority at Howard University,” University Vice President, Bill Whitman Jr., said in a statement “Any violation of Howard University policies is taken seriously, investigated and appropriate action is taken to mitigate risks.” This created the debate: some students think the school is being too hard on Ingram, while others say the rules were put into place to keep the campus secure and he was bound to follow them, or face the consequences. Personally I don’t think it was that big of a deal. Especially considering his circumstances, the door wasn’t open all night, an alarm wasn’t sounded, nor was anyone alerted. It was simply the security reviewing the camera and since there is a “zero tolerence” policy, he was evicted. If this happened at Southern, half of the students housed in the dorms would be evicted. Now there into account the recent college shootings which may have everyone was so riled up, but how many students will be put out because of this rule? Will Jawanza be refinanced for his semester he lost at Howard?
