Morgan State University President David Wilson outlined multiple changes and achievements at the university and responded to many student concerns during a town hall held Thursday, Sept. 5.

To start, Wilson boasted of the university’s achievements such as increased enrollment; completed, ongoing and upcoming building renovations; campus expansion; added security measures, many of the students’ and staffs’ recent accomplishments and more. The town hall ended with a question-and-answer session wherein multiple students voiced their most prominent concerns.

“It is to give you — as a university community — a brief update on what we have been doing to continually elevate the overall quality and excellence of everything that we do at Morgan, to get feedback from you as to how we can further improve,” said Wilson. “Because it’s a rare bird that cannot stand improvement.”

Morgan’s enrollment boom over the past several years has forced the university to accelerate its growth plans — which meant building and renovating dorms, dining halls and facilities as well as strengthening campus security.

Wilson shared his plan for improved campus security, especially as the 2024 homecoming approaches. Last year, two gunmen opened fire and injured five people on Oct. 3, which became Morgan’s first mass shooting — a defining moment in the school’s history.

“We are taking campus security very seriously, and we do not want anyone on this campus with any weapons,” Wilson said.

The president went on to announce the university’s new artificial intelligence (AI) technology, how it will enhance public safety and detailed the university’s plan to implement advanced campus security measures by 2028. The security system’s first phase focuses on detecting brandished weapons and its second phase targets concealed weapons. Additionally, it detects gunshots, which automatically captures images and alerts authorities if it detects a discharged firearm on campus.

According to Wilson, embracing AI is a key step in maintaining and improving campus safety. Morgan State also upgraded more than 1,000 cameras on campus, bringing the total to nearly 3,000 high-resolution camera views — the cameras combined with AI weapon detention have the ability to photograph anyone determined to have a weapon.

“The technology is designed so that if you have a concealed weapon on campus, this technology will go straight to you, whether it’s in your purse or backpack,” Wilson explained. “Within a matter of five to eight seconds, it will capture an image of you and send it back to central control.”

Morgan State’s campus has experienced consistent construction for several years — and according to Morgan’s president, that is not likely to end within the next four years. The university plans to have approximately 5,500 beds available to students when all the housing construction projects have completed. This would house 50-55% of all students, said Wilson.

The university’s housing construction is happening in tandem with additional construction: a medical center, an engineering building, renovating Hughes Stadium and Hill Field House— all of this is to accommodate the growing student population, which now totals to 11,095 students.

The school’s continued growth spurred the audience to ask questions regarding the November election, parking availability, dorm liveability, resident assistants’ building access, support available to students who are undocumented immigrants and the quality of school-wide education.

One student, RJ Rivera, an SCOM (Strategic Communication) major from New Jersey, raised the issue of black mold — to which she’s allergic — being present in her assigned room at Morgan View.

“Under no circumstances should any student move into any facility that is not clean,” Wilson said.

Following his statement, the president invited Douglas F. Gwynn, director of the office of residence life and housing, to comment on the situation.

“We have actively engaged the new leadership in the facility to correct a number of issues we’ve identified,” Gwynn said. “We are providing additional oversight, and if you’re experiencing anything less than adequate or supportive conditions, you are free to contact me directly.”

Morelys Urbano, a senior multimedia journalism major, advocated for undocumented immigrants and raised concerns about the visibility of resources for undocumented students and the financial challenges they face — particularly the lack of federal aid available to undocumented immigrants.

In response, Wilson offered to meet with all of the undocumented immigrant students to address their concerns directly.

Three separate students questioned Wilson about poor maintenance that affected dorm livability, one student openly expressed her concern regarding education in her department and multiple touched on concerns of parking availability and Morgan’s shuttle bus service being unreliable.

Following each student reporting their grievances, Wilson, and sometimes members from his cabinet, would offer answers — when readily available — or ask that each person still awaiting an answer follow up via email.

“We’re seeing you, we’re hearing you. It’s personal for me because I know, I been there, I done that,” said Wilson. “My father saved for five years to try to send me off to college and when I left out the door, he put five dollars in my hand … I understand you but at the same time we have to go forward and modernize the campus — otherwise we’re gonna get a townhall and 50 students with the kind of issue that the last student had. I hope you understand.”