Delaware State University students took to campus Wednesday afternoon as hundreds protested in front of the public safety building, calling for change within the Delaware State University Police Department.
Students flooded a campus street, claiming experiences of excessive force from campus police officers, slow response times and lack of response to student calls. The complaints included claims that many sexual assaults have gone unreported for fears they will not be taken seriously.
“We’re just trying to bring awareness to student rights,” said one freshman in attendance, Micaih Lloyd. “Not all students feel safe on campus.”
“We’re supposed to be at a place where we feel loved, where we feel at home,” Lloyd added. “Administration needs to make a change.”
Director of News Services Carlos Holmes stressed that all students have a right to free speech, and some university officials watched the afternoon demonstration themselves. This included Police Chief Bobby Cummings, who spoke to students gathered in front of his department.
“Bottom line is, students have expressed serious concerns about this,” Holmes said. “And the university is listening.”
How DSU is responding
President Tony Allen plans to meet formally with student organizers, Holmes said, gathering more perspectives on these concerns. Every sexual assault reported to campus police is investigated, he added.
From August 2022 to the day before this protest, Jan. 17, the university’s public crime log shows seven reports of rape on campus. Each case is marked as pending.
Chief Cummings told students even one assault report is too many.
“It’s never acceptable,” Cummings said. “But we investigate every incident.”
One hurdle, he said, is trying to get information from witnesses. Cummings encouraged anyone with information on these cases to speak with campus police.
His comments were met with shouts from students, matching choruses of, “Less conversation and more action.” Students also said campus police have been slow in responding to incidents, and when they arrive, nothing results from reports.
Photos:Angry DSU students speak out during anti-sexual assault protest
Calls for action, answers
Delyah Fleury said she often feels afraid walking across campus at night, and the sophomore hopes a protest will bring more accountability.
“I hope to see some changes and better safety measures,” Fleury said. “They need to be truthful if the police department is understaffed. And if it is, they need to do something about it.”
Communication needs to be improved, too, she said, between students, police and administrators.
“When something happens, you just get a text message. There’s no big announcement, no meetings. We need to know what we can do to protect ourselves,” Fleury said. “There’s nobody we can go to. Who do we call?”
She said resident advisors are helpful, “but they’re not MMA fighters. We need people who are trained to protect us.”
Senior Morghan Walker, of Baltimore, Maryland, said it was important for her to attend the protest to show solidarity against sexual assault because she’s had friends who say they experienced it.
Walker feels safe half of the time at DSU, she added. But recently, she said, she began carrying a taser because the claims of sexual assault have become more frequent lately.
While she stands with sexual assault victims, Walker said she wishes victims would provide more context about their claims, because the term “sexual assault” sometimes gets misconstrued.
“Sexual assault is not always rape. Sexual harassment is not always rape. It could’ve been a grope, a touch or it could’ve been something that someone said,” Walker explained.
Students also demanded action from administrators and student government leaders. Many asked for details about what the administration is going to do to respond to reports of sexual assault and to improve safety.
“The university is ready to make any adjustments necessary,” Holmes told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “We just need to have more discussions.”
What’s been happening at DSU?
The protest comes as the Dover institution just celebrated enrollment milestones.
Delaware State University marked a 40% expansion in the last decade by fall 2022, welcoming the largest class of 1,700 freshmen and more than 6,200 total students for the first time in its 131 years.
The school also shared a No. 2 ranking among public and No. 8 ranking among all Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country that fall — vying among other institutions of higher education established before the Civil Rights Act aiming to foster African American students.
MORE TO READ:Colleges are shrinking. But HBCUs like Delaware State are riding a wave of their own
Background:Delaware State promised a ‘candid response’ to a September shooting. Here’s what we know.
This growth followed the acquisition of Wesley College in 2021, expanding its campus footprint into downtown Dover, growing its student body and degree programs.
But public safety concerns sparked late last year as well when a shooting on campus left four people injured in September. University officials released little information from the incident, as Delaware Online previously reported, leaving parents and students frustrated.
Wednesday’s student protest began to disperse after over two hours of demonstration.
Kelly Powers is a reporter on the How We Live team — covering race, culture and identity for the USA TODAY Network’s Atlantic Region. Contact Powers at kepowers@gannett.com.
