Bennett College, a historically Black women’s college in Greensboro, North Carolina, has field a federal complaint against the Bennett College National Alumnae Association (BCNAA) for illegally capitalizing on the college’s logo and reputation, according to a report from WUNC News.
Conflict between the HBCU and the external alumnae association began in 2022, when an investigation revealed Bennett’s former director of alumnae affairs embezzled more than $185,000 from the college and BCNAA. Although the college pressed charges against the former employee, the alumnae association did not. Bennett also claims that BCNAA did not cooperate in this investigation, which occurred just a few years after the HBCU lost its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges due to financial instability.
In addition to punitive damages and attorney’s fees, Bennett’s suit seeks to stop BCNAA from using Bennet’s name to fundraise, host events, and sell merchandise, as these actions pose accreditation risks with Bennett’s new accrediting agency, the Transnational Association of Christian College and Schools. Additionally, BCNAA events compete with the HBCU’s own university-run fundraising efforts and have caused confusion among alumnae and other donors.
