At the heart of Howard University's campus you will find a sacred grassy area known as The Yard.
It's a cultural hub for the 152-year-old institution, where students and members of the historical fraternities and sororities congregate.
But students and staff feel some residents in the neighborhood who walk their dogs on the campus aren't respecting the space.
"I remember, actually, the first time I saw it. It was at the Sigma tree," sophomore Nkiru Emell said. "It was this guy with, like, a small dog and he just brought his dog up to the tree and that little dog started, you know, doing his business on the tree."
"Here at Howard, The Yard is pretty important to us," sophomore Ian Davis said.
The Yard is more than just a place where students like to hang out. The trees represent an important part of black history and they honor the black sororities and fraternities that do important work for their community.
"I have seen people going on Howard’s campus and what I think is the most important thing is that people be really aware of things have been there before them," Abby, a dog walker, told News4.
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News4 spoke to a few dog walkers and dog owners who say they’re respectful of the private university. Others see it as an open space and say they don’t see signs preventing them from walking their dogs.
But many students and surrounding homeowners are hoping people think twice before allowing their animals to relieve themselves on The Yard.
"I don’t really see why with all these other great green spaces we have, people need to use those," Shaw resident David Magida said.
