"Tennessee State University Board Overhaul Sparks Outcry Among HBCU Community"
Tennessee's majority-white legislature removed all 10 board members at the state’s only publicly funded historically Black university, Tennessee State University, and appointed eight new members, mostly from the business sector, to replace them. This move has been criticized by Democrats, who argue that the university's financial problems stem from years of state underfunding. The overhaul came after Republican complaints of mismanagement, despite a recent external audit finding no evidence of fraud. The "optics" of wiping out the board at an HBCU were deemed "horrendous" by Democrats, and TSU students cheered when Democrats criticized their colleagues and booed when Republicans passed the bill.