Northeastern implemented new operating hours for the university’s cultural and spiritual life, or CSL, centers on the Boston campus, including the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, prompting backlash from Black student leaders.

The changes were made to strengthen building safety measures, Chief Belonging Officer Richard O’Bryant and Dean of Cultural Life Robert Jose told The Huntington News March 18.  The institute, previously accessible to students 24 hours a day, will now be officially open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

“I’ve been at Northeastern now for more than 23 years, and as time has gone on, we have seen security concerns continue to grow over time,” O’Bryant said. “The accessibility of our facilities is fairly well-known.”

Colloquially referred to as “the Tute,” the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, or JDOAAI, is the heart of Northeastern’s Black community, serving as a center of support and belonging on the Boston campus. The Tute acts as a study spot, an event space for the university’s more than 35 Black student organizations, or BSOs, a resource hub and a refuge from Northeastern’s fast-paced, often-demanding culture. 

“The Tute for Black students is basically like a home base. Pretty much every relevant event for Black students is happening at the Tute,” said Kaylin Daniels, a third-year political science and economics combined major and administrative liaison for the Northeastern University Black Athlete Caucus. “It’s a community space.” 

O’Bryant said conversations about changing the institute’s operating hours have gone on for years, but the shooting at Brown University last December “raised everybody’s level of concern and attention to the issue of security.” Jose emphasized that there are exceptions to the hours, noting the interest of the institute’s administration in working with students on a case-by-case basis.

Dirk Rodricks, senior director for cultural and spiritual life, initially announced the change in a Jan. 20 email.

“Effective immediately, CSL program spaces will close at 8:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and at 5:00 pm on Fridays, which may affect some student organization meetings or programs,” the Jan. 20 email reads.

The operating hours have since been extended until 9 p.m. on all week days. 

In response to the change, many BSOs leaders called on the university to implement alternative safety procedures that do not limit students’ access to the space.   

“Although other study spaces exist, this is one of the few places where we feel genuinely safe, supported, and able to be ourselves,” reads a petition asking the university to reverse its decision written by BSO leaders and published Feb. 3. “This policy was instituted without the consideration of student input or the acknowledgement of student perspectives.” 

The petition, which has garnered 474 signatures as of publication, is just one way students are opposing the change. 

A group of BSO leaders also submitted a referendum question Feb. 27 to the Student Government Association, or SGA, asking, “Do you support pausing the proposed safety changes at the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute and working with BSO leaders to find safety solutions that do not limit student access?” according to public SGA documents.  

Referendums at Northeastern are yes or no questions or proposals that are “directly voted on by the student body during the annual election for Student Body President and Vice President,” according to the SGA website. SGA passed the JDOAAI referendum on March 9, meaning it appeared as a ballot question during the most recent student body government elections. 

Students said the new hours push them out of the place on Northeastern’s campus where they feel fully safe and seen, especially at a university that is a primarily white institution, or PWI. BSO leaders say they feel blindsided, especially because the change was implemented “without any prior notification or discussion with any of the students who would be affected, which is almost entirely Black and brown people,” Daniels said. 

Arsema Gebreyesus, a third-year cybersecurity and criminal justice combined major and academic chair of ColorStack, describes coming to the institute as a “homecoming.”

“I don’t think I would still be at Northeastern if it wasn’t for the Tute, especially the staff. They care so much about you,” said Gebreyesus, who is also a senior mentor for the institute’s Legacy Mentorship Program.

Like many Black Northeastern students, Gebreyesus gravitated to the JDOAAI because of its accepting community. 

“It’s a place where you don’t feel like a minority,” Gebreyesus said. “It’s a place where a culture has already formed within the university.”

Phylicia Dias, a third-year music industry and communication studies combined major and co-president of the Northeastern Black Student Association, felt disconnected from the Black community on campus during her first year. Once she “tapped into the institute’s beauty,” her college experience improved significantly. Since then, she has found her second home and an extensive network of support at the JDOAAI. 

“Every time I am there, there’s been someone who says, ‘Oh, hey, I don’t know you. Let’s talk.’ And then we talk for 30 minutes,” Dias said. “Even as a third year now, I am trying to continue that tradition.”

Dias is frustrated by the lack of warning about the time change and the exclusion of student voices from the decision-making process.

“What really irritated us was the lack of a heads-up, and also the lack of, ‘Let’s find a solution together,’” Dias said. “It kind of felt like we were being told, ‘We came up with the new enforcement, and you just have to follow it.’ And there’s no alternative.”

On March 11, Jose and other institute staff sat down with BSO leaders to discuss their concerns. 

“We did not consult with them before the decision was made, and for that we apologized. We wanted to let them know, one, why this decision was made and what would be done to get us through the remainder of the semester,” Jose said. “We told them that the center, the African American Institute, would close at nine, but that is not a drop dead, there’s no exception rule.” 

Jose emphasized that the institute wants to foster an open dialogue with the students about their concerns. 

“We have spoken to the students…who have been working on the petition and the referendum. We understand that they are interested in raising their voices and sharing their concerns and we have been receptive to the conversations with them,” Jose said. 

BSO leaders have been brainstorming other solutions that balance student safety while maintaining access to the institute. One proposed solution is requiring students to scan their Husky ID to enter the JDOAAI after hours. 

“At the law school, they have a security officer who just stays there past what is considered after hours,” Daniels said. “There is also the option of hiring student proctors [for after hours] because we have student proctors already.” 

The current operating hours system is temporary until a more permanent and effective solution can be reached, according to O’Bryant. 

“One of the things that we are working on is getting the lock on the front door changed from a standard key lock to a tap ID lock that can be programmed to be locked at a certain hour, as well as programmed to allow access to those who need it,” O’Bryant said. 

While students are dedicated to finding alternative solutions, many are concerned about retaliation from the university administration, especially against the institute’s staff, who are not involved in the student-led advocacy effort.

“[The staff are] so integral to running the Tute and making sure our experiences are so great,” Daniels said. “There is a concern about them facing, or our organizations facing, backlash or being retaliated against for having an opposing view to what the university is trying to do.”

Dias acknowledged the apology from Jose but argued that accountability needed to reach higher up the chain of command.

“I appreciate them apologizing, [but] it’s more so a decision that was made over them. The real people who should be apologizing aren’t really the Tute staff,” Dias said in a March 18 follow up interview. “The real issue has been the people above, the Northeastern administration. They’re making some decisions without student perspective. And, that’s where the issue lies for me.”

Despite O’Bryant and Jose’s conversation with the BSO leaders, Gebreyesus still feels frustrated and confused about the situation. 

“I feel as though my questions and concerns still have not been answered,” Gebreyesus said in a March 18 follow-up interview. 

Students want to ensure that the experience of the institute is preserved for future Black students at Northeastern. 

“It makes me sad that there’s a potential that the Tute will look completely different from the classes that come after me. I want them to have the experiences that I have had and the experiences that I hopefully will continue to have until I graduate,” Daniels said. “I want that for incoming Black students, especially at a school that is very, very white — multicultural — but still a PWI, that is located in the middle of a Black neighborhood.”

Daniels asserts that the change is the latest in a long list of ways Northeastern has been diminishing the experiences of Black and brown students amid President Donald Trump’s second term. 

“All of this in conjunction with the university’s silence about everything going on with the Trump administration, especially with things that are anti-[diversity, equity and inclusion] … are concerning to me, personally, as well as the remainder of the BSOs,” Daniels said. 

In January 2025, Northeastern quietly rebranded its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, to the “Office of Belonging,” days after Trump signed an executive order calling for private companies and large non-profits to be investigated for “egregious and discriminatory” DEI programs.

Many students of color feel that the university’s profit and brand are prioritized over student experience. Daniels said some students feel valued by university administrators only when it is advantageous to them, arguing that many students feel valued by the university administration only when it is advantageous to Northeastern. 

“I, personally, think that Northeastern can’t advertise this diversity and this massive sense of belonging in this international community if they are not going to protect the students that they’re trying to attract,” Daniels said. “We’re not just spaces you can put on your social media. We have needs, and community is a big part of that.”