Adam Zuvanich/Houston Public Media
Students walk on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Homecoming week at Texas Southern University is one of the most significant traditions at the historically Black school in Houston. The university’s president announced this week that a 7 p.m. curfew will be implemented for the homecoming tailgate.
TSU President James W. Crawford III made the announcement in a video shared this week on social media. He cited recent shootings at historically Black colleges and universities during their own homecoming weeks as justification.
“Know that I respect and appreciate our alumni,” Crawford said in the video. “Your energy, time, talent, and treasure fuels this university. While this change may be a disappointment to some, please know that I make this decision with the care for our students, you alumni, and everyone who joins us for homecoming uppermost in my mind.”
The homecoming tailgate now ends at 7 p.m. Saturday. The football game against Virginia University of Lynchburg has been moved up to 1 p.m.
TSU police and the Texas Department of Public Safety are working on homecoming public safety in tandem, deploying more than 85 law enforcement officers to monitor homecoming on Saturday, according to Crawford.
Some fans shared disappointment at the move on social media. Texas Southern University restricted comments on its Facebook and Instagram posts of Crawford’s video.
A series of shootings last weekend in Mississippi at Alcorn State University and Jackson State University left at least nine people dead and many others injured, according to the Clarion Ledger. NBC News reports South Carolina State University canceled some of its homecoming celebrations earlier this month after two separate, unrelated shootings killed one person and injured two.