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On Wednesday morning, news broke on the campus of Winston Salem State University when a student was arrested after verbally disputing with her teacher during class. The student is charged with disorderly conduct, according to a police report.
WXII 12 reports the incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. Simultaneously, social media caught wind of the disturbance and quickly reacted to the now-viral video.
— WSSU (@WSSURAMS) December 14, 2022
The university said a staff member — who was not involved — called law enforcement to a disagreement involving a student and a professor at Carolina Hall, a school official said.
A video posted on social media shows two officers with a woman whose hands are behind her back inside a classroom. It appears the officers are putting handcuffs on the woman before escorting her out of the classroom.
I asked a spokesperson for WSSU on what led to the 20-year-old student’s arrest. pic.twitter.com/sspjvD9ylh
— Louie Tran (@louie_tran) December 15, 2022
WSSU released a full statement, saying in part:
Regarding the incident, the university has a process we must follow when there is a reported disturbance anywhere on campus. We received a report that there was a significant commotion in Carolina Hall this morning, and as such, a WSSU employee nearby called for the assistance of law enforcement after they tried to de-escalate the situation.
We know this situation has caused a great deal of trauma to those involved and our campus community at large, but please know that every available resource is being extended to bring a resolution.
Immediately following the chaotic incident, the student took to social media to discuss the traumatic experience at length.
When HBCUs are less B
Andrew Arroyo, EdD, interim assistant vice provost for academic programs and policy and associate professor of Educational Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), has served as a White professor at two different HBCUs prior to his current position at VCU.
Being a part of an HBCU community as a White person requires “ensuring that your White privilege is checked,” Arroyo says. “Your first stance is always going to be to listen, and you’re going to spend far more time listening than talking.”
Faculty of color—particularly Black faculty—are underrepresented on most U.S. college and university campuses. In 2018, there were 832,119 full-time faculty members at all degree-granting institutions. Of those, 69% were White, 5.5% were Black, 5% were Latino or Hispanic, and 10% were Asian American.
While Black high school grads can select an HBCU to attend, like most college students, they are often powerless of whom the instructor will be. With non-Black instructors charged with edifying young Black minds, sensitivity training at the very least may have prevented a student from being handcuffed and forever scarred over an allegedly apology.
The HBCU student suggested legal action may soon follow, however, no further details have been made public at this time.
