With Donald Trump’s 2025 Presidential Inauguration upon them, Howard students are questioning whether safety measures implemented by the university are enough in light of past threats and heightened tensions surrounding the event.
On Jan. 17, Howard’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) sent out two emails to the Howard community: one addressing the inauguration and the other addressing public safety incidents that occurred a few days ago.
The first email stated that the university is in “close communication with local and federal authorities to monitor the situation,” and reassured Howard community members that “your safety is our top priority.”
The second email clarified that the federal authorities they have been in contact with include the FBI and Secret Service.
The Hilltop reached out to the Office of University Communications and DPS for comment but neither responded in time for publication.
Aiden Sinclair Boatman, a senior majoring in TV and film production with double minors in African American studies and Spanish from Westchester, New York, referenced bomb threats and cyberattacks Howard has received over her time at the university as reasons she believed the university could be a target for further attacks.
“It is just a frightening thing. He [Donald Trump] peddles a lot of hateful rhetoric and appeals to a lot of hateful people. I will exercise caution. And that’s really I feel like all I can do,” she said.
Howard students who have attended the university since 2021 have experienced a number of public safety threats which have forced classes to shut down, evacuations and general uneasiness on campus. Boatman feels like if there was any time for threats to occur, it would be during Trump’s inauguration.
Mikayla Andre, a junior political science major with double minors in media, journalism and film and business administration, also acknowledged Howard’s history of threats but said they didn’t concern her as much.
“I think we do get a lot of threats, but I feel like they never follow through. There’s gonna be threats, but there’s threats every year,” the Boston native said.
Andre expressed that she isn’t going to completely disregard the possibility of violence on campus.
“I’ll still be walking around on Inauguration Day, but I’ll be wary [and] mindful of being safe on the streets,” she said.
Despite general uneasiness among students, Andrew McIntyre, a senior finance major from Poughkeepsie, New York plans to attend the event.
“Regardless of who won or lost it was something that I had planned to go to,” he said.
He explained that being in Washington, D.C., during an inauguration felt like an experience he shouldn’t miss.
McIntyre acknowledged that there will likely be both passionate supporters and critics attending Trump’s inauguration and said he expects “there to be many protests.”
He shared that he would approach the event like any other large-scale event and be “prepared for anything.”
Sabrina McCrear, a senior journalism major and biology minor from New Jersey also plans to go to the inauguration but solely to cover the event as a journalist.
“[Covering the event] is my only reason to go. If I wasn’t covering it I would have no interest in going whatsoever. That is the last thing I’d ever want to spend my time at,” she said.
McCrear said she isn’t concerned about safety at the event, as long as Trump’s supporters remain peaceful, both at the inauguration and on campus. However, she does hope that Howard enforces its standard safety measures to ensure everyone’s well-being.
Despite their differing approaches to the event, all four students said they did not expect Howard to provide much additional security over the weekend.
“I don’t know how much faith I have in the Howard security system. If they offered, extended or increased security, I think that would probably be a help,” Boatman said. “I have always been kind of unsettled by our open campus and just how anyone can come through.”
Andre expressed that she felt it would be “asking a lot from Howard” to implement additional precautions to ensure students’ safety.
In the Jan. 17 email, DPS advised students to be aware of their surroundings, carry identification and download the Bison safe app so that they can receive any live updates.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
