They all said Ed Reed losing his contract isn’t the point of their protest, but rather that it was the spark or the last straw for them.
"What started off as my dream school turned into something that’s far less than what I thought," one student told us. The Senior asked not to be identified, for fear of losing her scholarship.
"What started off as my dream school turned into something that’s far less than what I thought," one student told us. The Senior asked not to be identified, for fear of losing her scholarship.
Students at Bethune-Cookman complained of rats in the dorms and a lack of hot water there. Several said they leave the windows open year-round in their rooms because there’s no AC.
The biggest complaint FOX 35 heard was about mold in the dorms. Students sent picture after picture to serve as examples.
"I was in the room probably three days before I started experiencing symptoms," one asthmatic student told us. She said the mold in her dorm agitated her asthma so badly, she wound up in the hospital.
She came back with a doctor’s note saying she couldn’t stay in a dorm with mold.
The students said they pay $30,000 a year in tuition at the private HBCU. "We’re constantly pouring money into this institution, and we feel like it’s not being poured back into us," a Senior at Bethune-Cookman told FOX 35. "We’re not seeing change. They just keep giving us false promises."
Ed Reed said he wanted to improve conditions at the school.
Shortly after he spoke out about those conditions, the school announced it wouldn’t be hiring the football coach after all. The school explained in a statement:
"After undergoing a detailed assessment and review of the state of our football program, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our university, athletics program, and football student-athletes to reopen the search and identify the next leader of Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Football.
While we appreciate the initial interest in our football program displayed by Mr. Reed during the course of recent weeks, we are also mindful of the qualities and attributes that must be exhibited by our institutional personnel during what have been uniquely challenging times for our campus as we recover from the impact of two hurricanes during this past fall semester."
Maya Walker, another Senior who was okay sharing her name because she’s about to graduate, told FOX 35 she feels Reed was discarded after a single mistake.
"What he said was true," said Walker. "But the school wants to control the narrative and save face."
Bethune-Cookman University students protested the firing of Ed Reed and the unacceptable living conditions on the campus that he spoke of during his short tenure with the school.
On Monday, attendees gathered in front of White Hall around noon, chanting “Reed was right” and demanded that the board of trustees step down after years of mildew concerns and unsanitary dorms. Students reported mold growing on their clothing after initially developing on the walls and ceilings in the residence halls. Though mold problems have plagued the campus for years, BCU students say hurricanes Ian and Nicole only exasperated the problem.
Reed, who spent 11 seasons playing for the Baltimore Ravens, was hired as head coach of BCU’s football team on December 27th. He replaced Terry Sims, who was fired in November after seven seasons with the school. However, before his contract was signed, it was clear that Reed wanted more from his new role. The coach went live on Instagram several times to slam the school’s condition. In one instance, he shared that BCU never bothered to clean his office before he arrived. In another rant, Reed was upset about having to clean up trash littered throughout the campus. On Saturday, he addressed parents and players, confirming that BCU no longer wanted him as the head coach.
Since the termination, tensions have boiled over, with the hashtags #BringBackCoachReed and #CoachReedWasRight trending on social media. Wildcats quarterback Tyrone Franklin Jr. was present at the protest and is disappointed with Reed being let go so quickly, despite him raising valid concerns. Like most students, Franklin also wanted to know where funds were going if they were not being designated for repairs.
The school has not released a statement regarding the Monday demonstration. However, they did comment on Reed’s contract days ago, confirming that they were once again looking for a head coach. Reed has accused the school of mistreating him.
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