Winston-Salem State University faces pushback after student is arrested in a classroom
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media
A viral video shows a student being arrested in a Winston-Salem State University classroom.
December 20, 2022
Hamoud was arrested inside a classroom in Carolina Hall around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday for disorderly conduct, according to a university police report.
In a now-deleted video on Instagram, Hamoud said that the incident began when her professor, Dr. Cynthia Villagomez, began to yell at her about an essay she wrote for a group project. Hamoud said that she also raised her voice at her professor.
Hamoud said that Villagomez asked her to either apologize or leave the classroom. Hamoud refused to leave and soon after, two campus police officers arrived and arrested her. A nearby faculty member— not Villagomez — called for assistance from law enforcement, according to a statement released by the university.
In one of the videos circulating on social media, Hamoud can be heard telling police officers, “you’re hurting me really bad.” The video shows Villagomez trying to gain control of the classroom, and Hamoud tells Villagomez, “I swear to God I hate you. You’re the worst teacher ever. You’re getting me taken out in handcuffs because I won’t apologize.”
Hamoud and Villagomez have not returned the Old Gold & Black’s request for comment.
On Wednesday, the university’s chancellor, Dr. Elwood Robinson, released a statement to the campus community.
“In accordance with law enforcement procedures, our officers’ first priority is to assess the situation and provide every opportunity for a positive resolution,” the statement reads. “As situations escalate, their responsibility is to ensure the safety of the students, faculty and staff members that are present.”
In the statement, Elwood recognizes that “the weaponization of police is a prevalent problem in our community” but says “that is not what happened in this incident.”
Haley Gingles, Chief Marketing Officer at Winston-Salem State, did not return the Old Gold & Black’s request for comment. She told the Winston-Salem Journal that “We support the processes that were in place yesterday, and they were followed.”
University administrators have received backlash from students and others on social media. Students created a petition demanding the removal of Villagomez and the officers who arrested Hamoud. The petition has received 1,628 signatures at the time of publication.
According to reporting in the Winston-Salem Journal, Hamoud was taken to a Forsyth County magistrate and released with a written promise to appear. She is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 25.
WillWho? • Dec 23, 2022 at 9:42 am
The video starts well after the action begins. The arrested student now makes claims that are not in the video. Her classmates ganged up against the instructor and said why in the video—she is white teaching at an HBCU.
The arrested student’s supporters want to excuse her horrendous behavior because she is black and the instructor is white. While struggling against being arrested, the student demonstrates her maturity level by shouting, “I hate you,” to the instructor. I thought I heard a 4-year-old after being denied ice cream.
The instructor knew this student could make an A on an assignment. She emailed the student the day before the class with the changes she needed to make to get an A. I attended a university and never had such careful guidance on what to correct to get an A. I was an instructor for several years at a JuCo and never told a student what changes they needed to guarantee an A. I might note what I believe is missing and on changes or citations required. However, saying that making those changes would result in an A is not something I would do. Perhaps the instructor needs to change her method and allow students to get the grades they earn. Maybe Ms. Valedictorian would realize that the honor does not transfer with her in a college setting. It is immature to weaponize that as a supporting argument on why she should not have to put a little more work into her paper.
Yes, the instructor has some responsibility for the situation getting out of control. When she realized the student was becoming more aggressive and blatantly disrespectful, she should have de-escalated or asked the student to leave the class. The instructor is not responsible for the atrocious behavior of the student.
Using race to excuse lousy behavior adds to the stereotypes. That it occurred on an HBCU campus hurts every POC in the country. Two of my nephews and one niece (all three are black) attend different HBCUs, where the student conduct and honor codes make it apparent that blatant disrespect from students to faculty and staff is unacceptable. Respect toward persons in authority is the default in the world. Earning that authority figure’s respect is the responsibility of the one without the authority. Skin tone is never a factor.
Watch the video. The student is yelling at the professor, who is trying to make herself heard above the out-of-control student. Once someone loses control, you cannot reason with them. They retreat into their survival brain, where the only concern is to fight, flee, or freeze.
The student allowed her ego to replace her valedictorian good sense. The instructor needs a reminder of what to look for to recognize escalating poor behavior. If the student does not leave, dismiss the class to protect them from the unstable student.
The prosecutor should delay prosecution until the student completes 90 days of on-campus behavioral counseling. Once finished, decline to prosecute the case and void the arrest a year later. That is an equitable solution that teaches everyone something about living in the adult world. Does the young lady believe responding like that to a supervisor is something any workplace would tolerate? I would have fired her where she stood.
KWizzaThatsWho • Dec 24, 2022 at 7:25 am
Wow, you figured it all out without even being there. You are Soooooo smart & this completely made-up hot take is soooo valid. Glad ppl like you can figure things out w/out any actual factual information. Hope you got that outta your system & can now go mind the business that pays you(if you have any).