by Sharelle Burt

January 27, 2023

Bethune-Cookman University President Defends Campus Living Conditions, Calls Mold ‘Mildew’

Students at Bethune-Cookman University are fed up with the living conditions on campus and called on their president to do something about it.

Fox 35 reported that several students complained about mold, rats in the dorms, and minimal hot water. However, in an interview with Roland Martin on Roland Martin: Unfiltered, the school’s interim president, Dr. Lawrence Drake, said the students are making it bigger than it actually is.

Instead of mold, Drake is insisting that it’s mildew.

“What I say to them is what I’ve been saying to them as I walk the campus every day when I’m on campus. What I say to them is that we’re working on the issues,” Drake said, according to the video interview.

“I just invested a quarter of a million dollars in one of our buildings for remediation of mildew.”

These matters added to the growing protests on the Daytona Beach, Florida, campus after the school made headlines for firing NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed before his head football coach contract was signed.

Reed posted a video on Instagram calling out campus conditions he witnessed while visiting and touring BCU.

After causing an uproar on social media, Reed apologized but was fired the very next day.

While current students posted videos and pictures of the protests, Drake stands by what he said.

Releasing a statement to Fox 35, the president said he hired several companies like CTG Construction, Sodexo, and other environmental and architectural engineering firms to assess campus buildings.

However, students will be waiting a while.

“To ensure we are thorough, this phase will likely not be complete until late summer or just before the FY23-24 school year,” Drake wrote. “We will continue to move to be the best version of ourselves and truly appreciate the patience of our students and all concerned as we work to improve our community.”

The website says undergraduate tuition is currently over $31,000.


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