Fisk University leaders faced a packed room of frustrated residents, alumni and community members Monday night during the school’s first public town hall addressing its proposed data center, a project that has stirred mounting opposition in the North Nashville community. According to WKRN, attendees raised concerns ranging from noise and energy consumption to broader environmental impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, residential students and their families will benefit from a 12% reduction in board plan costs through a newly negotiated food service agreement. The university also will not increase mandatory student fees, helping to ease the financial burden on students and families at a time when the cost of higher education continues to rise.
Key Cost Changes for Residential Students
University leaders say the reduction is the result of strong strategic financial management, operational efficiencies, and a continued commitment to affordability.
"When was the last time you heard of a university lowering costs? This is about putting students first," said Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins, president of Coppin State University. "At a time when families are facing rising costs for food, housing, transportation, and other necessities, we are doing everything we can to make college more affordable. Higher education remains one of the most powerful pathways to opportunity, and we want to ensure that cost is not a barrier to our students' success."
Coppin Continues to Lead on Affordability
The reduction in board plan costs further strengthens Coppin's position as Maryland's most affordable university. Following the new food service agreement, Coppin's annual board cost will be approximately $4,875, lower than every four-year public institution in Maryland.
Annual Board Costs at Maryland Public Universities
Institution | Annual Board Cost |
Coppin State University | $4,875 |
University of Maryland Eastern Shore | $5,294 |
Frostburg State University | $6,010 |
Salisbury University | $6,130 |
Towson University | $6,290 |
University of Maryland, Baltimore County | $6,522 |
Bowie State University | $6,564 |
University of Maryland, College Park | $6,820 |
Morgan State University | $6,875 |
"Affordability is one of the most important factors influencing whether students enroll, persist, and ultimately graduate," said Dr. James Stewart, Associate Vice President for Student Development and Achievement. "When institutions reduce financial barriers, students are better positioned to focus on their academics, engage in campus life, and complete their degrees without the constant burden of financial stress. At Coppin, affordability is directly connected to student success. It supports recruitment, strengthens retention, and creates opportunities for students to move confidently toward graduation and meaningful careers."
Student Success and Affordability Initiatives
The affordability measures complement several additional student success initiatives designed to help students reduce the cost of earning a degree.
Summer SOAR
Expand Eagle Nation
Enrollment and Student Success Highlights
Coppin's affordability efforts are designed to reduce costs, minimize student debt, increase degree completion, expand access and opportunity, and propel students toward economic mobility.
More students and families from across the country are choosing Coppin. The university is the fastest-growing institution in Greater Baltimore and Maryland's leading HBCU for male enrollment growth.
Recent achievements include:
"Higher education remains one of the greatest pathways to economic mobility," Jenkins said. "Coppin continues to demonstrate what is possible when a university is committed to expanding access, putting students first, and preparing graduates for meaningful careers and lifelong achievement. We are standing on a promise made 126 years ago: to nurture potential and transform lives."
As the nation begins to celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence, a grassroots civil rights organization will have a public reading of a speech by a nineteenth century slavery abolitionist which offers a unique perspective on the 4th of July.
There will be community recitation of “What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July,” by Frederick Douglass. It will take place on Thursday evening, July 2, 2026, 6:00pm at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 West Market Street in Newark, New Jersey.
The program is sponsored by the People’s Organization For Progress. It is free and open to the public.
“We are having this program because we felt it was important to hear the perspective of a Black abolitionist on celebrating the nation’s independence while millions of Black people were still enslaved within its borders,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.
“We also believe that this activity will give us further insight into the state of race relations in the United States today,” Hamm said.
“We are calling this a community reading because the presentation will be a collective effort. We are inviting community leaders, activists and residents to each read portions of the speech,” he said.
Frederick Douglass is the most famous abolitionist of his era. He was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. His recognized birthdate is February 14, 1818. He was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. Douglass was self-emancipated and self-educated.
He escaped from slavery at age 20 and went on to join the abolitionist movement. He became an author, statesman, and one of the greatest orators of his time. Douglass was also the most photographed person of his century. He was about 77 years old when he died on February 20, 1895 in Washington, DC.
The speech was given at an event observing the 76th anniversary of U.S. independence on July 5, 1852 at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was organized by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. This was nine years before the start of the Civil War.
“The program is timely because it takes place after the Juneteenth holiday on June 19th, which celebrates emancipation, and before Independence Day on July 4th, which observes the country’s founding when Black people were enslaved,” Hamm said.
“When Frederick Douglass asked the question ‘what to the slave is the Fourth of July?’ in 1852, nearly four million of black people in this country were enslaved,” he said.
“So now, 174 years later we must ask the question what should this holiday mean to the descendants of those who were enslaved in this country on July 4,1776,” he said.
“In his answer to the question Douglass made a scathing criticism of slavery in the U.S. I am certain that if he could speak now he would be relentless in his critique of the ongoing racism, white supremacy, racial inequality, injustice, and oppression that exists in this country today,” Hamm said.
For more information contact the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) at 973 801-0001.
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Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:
“Two months after the Trump Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais gutted key protections of the Voting Rights Act, the Court’s conservative supermajority has taken another step to threaten the rights of Black and minority voters.
“This week, the Court declined to hear a challenge to an Arkansas law that criminalizes assisting more than six voters in casting their ballots, leaving that restrictive law in place. The Court also allowed a 2025 ruling to stand that dismantles the private right of action under Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act.
“As a result, in the seven states under the jurisdiction of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota—private individuals and organizations can no longer bring lawsuits to protect voters with disabilities and those who face language barriers.
“These actions significantly weaken the ability to challenge discriminatory practices and safeguard access to the ballot box.
“In the wake of the Callais decision, Black political representation has come under direct and coordinated assault. Across the South, Republican-led legislatures and governors have moved swiftly to redraw congressional maps ahead of the November election in a deliberate effort to dilute voting strength, reduce representation, and roll back decades of hard-fought civil rights progress secured under the Voting Rights Act.
“The Supreme Court has once again advanced extreme right-wing ideology from the bench, but it does not have the final word—the American people do.
“Despite these actions and ongoing efforts to tilt the playing field, we are confident in our path to victory this November. And when we win, we will advance the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act alongside critical reforms—including eliminating the filibuster and reforming the Supreme Court—to ensure fairness, accountability, and equal representation under the law.”
