BET’s ‘The Quad’ has moved to real members of the HBCU community…for all the wrong reasons.
Find out why a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities are worried about what the show may do to them below….
Devoid of any reference to academics, ‘The Quad’ is about a president who is promiscuous, trustees who are unwilling to deal with a rogue band director, and a band director who condones criminal activity on the part of his drum major… ‘The Quad’ will lead many to believe that HBCUs exist because of their marching bands; that our presidents are unethical; that our boards are dysfunctional and have misplaced priorities; that our faculty, students and administrators are driven by sex, alcohol, marijuana, low self-esteem, parties and a preoccupation with music; that it is acceptable to disrespect women; that university policy can be set by a band director; and that there are no standards of conduct or penalties for bad behavior. This depiction seems more analogous to a disgruntled, adolescent and unrealistic point of view that some may have. It also feeds a false narrative about the irrelevance of HBCUs.
We cannot afford this kind of storytelling. It amounts to the type of ‘fake news’ that is prevalent today. You see, all that most people know about HBCUs is what they see on television. What I saw…. was not accurate; rather, it was a bogus representation of very important and historic institutions.
I invite BET to visit Hampton to see the good, hard and important work our students and faculty, as well as our athletic directors and band leaders, do every day… The negative monolithic messaging being put forth by BET in ‘The Quad’ should be reconsidered. I will implore my friends, colleagues and students around the country who attend, work at, graduated from, serve and support HBCUs to speak out about the fact that ‘The Quad’ is not reflective of HBCUs and their wonderful contributions to the higher education enterprise.
The statement above was released by Hampton University president, William R. Harvey after he sat down to watch the Anika Noni-Rose fronted series.
Its producers are yet to respond to the assertion that the show offers its viewers an inaccurate view into HBCU life.
Never watched the show, but from what I’ve seen, I can see how it could problematic considering this is the first show that really centers an HBCU. Thankfully it’s on BET and not a network people actually watch.
Umm A Different World says hello. This is entertainment, no one takes it seriously crybabies
Are your serious? A Different World was a great representation and showed hard work, humor, talked on racism, diseases, community issues, all while being funny. The Quad is the opposite and sheds a bad fake light on our schools. You are sad!
Um A Different World was on TV a lifetime ago. The problem is, in maby ways African Americans have not moved forward since then when it comes to television broadcadting. There needs to be balance and a show like Squad can’t be balanced by a cacelled show that has been in reruns for decades.
Shyt this show is so Good! I attended an Hbcu and let me tell you its Accurate on soo many level! Bet got it right this time! Keep this shyt up
A Different World is a masterpiece and an accurate depiction of college life at HBCU’s…it got EVERYTHING right!
It’s a fûcking show. The show isn’t real. Any smart person; college educated or not would understand it’s just television
wish people would stop trying to making FAKE NEWS happen! its a serious matter! it can literally OVERTHROW OUR DEMOCRACY!
this show is NOT FAKE NEWS- DOES NOT AMOUNT TO FAKE NEWS- AND WILL NOT HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON OUR COUNTRY AS FAKE NEWS. If people watch this is take it literally; take it as a true representation of HBCU’s then they are honestly too incompetent to worry about.. our country is NOT so stop misrepresenting the term FAKE NEWS.
FAKE NEWS = PROPAGANDA for millenials and the later gen x folks that seem to have forgotten!
Leave it up to a once owned black channel to give this type of show that cast African Americans in a not so pleasant light a go! We need more positive roles on televison period!
Are you retarded? Black folks are diverse and why would you be worried about what “society” thinks anyways? Thats the problem always worried about what white folks think! SMH
Cool TV show
#fakenews!!!! Like the previous commenter stated… a different world is a great representation of HBCUs!!!
I can’t help but see a mix of Kim/Courtney Kardashian when I look at the chick to the left in the pic…