ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Cameron Carden’s college career started like many others – excited about the prospects and freedom universities bring.
“I’m a very social person so I fit in with the football team and the athletic department and everything,” said Carden.
Within a few weeks, things changed when racial slurs were slapped on the walls of one of the buildings, he attended class in.
The racial slur filled phrase threatened harm against Black students at the university.
“It was so terrifying because you know I’m three hours from my house and I’m by myself,” said Carden.
During a weekend visit from his parents his mother, Gay Green-Carden, noticed a change in her son.
“It was terrifying for me to see my son in a situation like that,” said Gay Green-Carden.
Carden decided to leave the university before the end of the semester.
The incident made staying at school unbearable, even prompting him to seek professional help.
Then, the family learned they wouldn’t be getting any refund for the semester of school he wasn’t able complete.
“Where you pay for education, you pay for security, you pray for wholeness and when that is taken away that is devastating,” said Gay Green-Carden.
At a community event, Cameron’s mom met with Delegate Shaneka Henson which sparked the Cameron Carden Act.
The bill would make it so students facing extenuating circumstances would be able to withdraw from the school and be reimbursed.
“When she shared how that effected his life, the anxiety the depression that followed and then the unfortunate incident of not being able to be reimbursed for his tuition so she could put that money towards the expenses of his treatment and care I was so disheartened I knew there was something we had to do,” said Henson.
This is the third time, Henson has introduced the bill, the first time a senate sponsor has put it through giving it a much better chance to pass.
“In college we all know that depression is real it could be depression because someone is being bullied it could be because of ones grades or bills or any number of reasons and I think we outta take that seriously,” said Senator C. Anthony Muse, the Senate sponsor of the bill.
The bill received unanimous approval in the house last year but never received a vote in the senate.
We reached out to Salisbury University for this story who declined to comment.
