A group of students at the Lebanese University staged a protest yesterday in front of the university’s central administration building in the Museum area. This protest was triggered by their notification to vacate the rooms in the university dormitory at the Hadath campus by today, despite many students not having completed their academic year and still taking exams. It is unreasonable for them to travel daily from the north, Beqaa, and the south, facing costs of no less than 300,000 Lebanese lira, only to encounter power outages, postponed exams, or professors who have yet to send exam questions. The turnout was low, but those present expressed their fears about being "displaced" from the dormitories before the end of the academic year and exams in some faculties.
Despite reassurances from the dormitory administration that no one would leave their accommodation before finishing their exams, students stated, "We are afraid that if we hand over the room key, we won’t be able to return." Students voiced their concerns about their future in the upcoming academic year, especially after incidents where other students who temporarily vacated their rooms were denied re-entry during the exam period.
Students shared their "anxiety" about the potential permanent closure of the student housing and highlighted their urgent need for it. They described the "ruin" in the dormitory, which included trash and insects, interruptions to electricity, water, and internet in some rooms, and a complete halt in maintenance for any malfunction, even water taps. Additionally, they reported security issues due to a lack of surveillance, mentioning a theft of $40 from a student's room. About 500 out of 2,100 students endure the conditions of the student dormitory as they feel they have no better option.
President Basem Badran postponed the closure date. Meanwhile, he descended from the university's administrative building, prompting students to rush for help. However, he appeared in a hurry. A brief exchange occurred before he got into his car, leaving the students feeling disappointed. The short conversation suggested the following: "The university dormitory is unable to continue, and Badran delayed its closure based on students' requests to postpone it until after their exams." When students asked about next year, his reply was, "I don’t know; the solution is not in my hands," and he requested them to schedule an appointment to speak with him, stating that they came to protest, not to discuss, and that he does not negotiate with the companies involved in managing the dormitory.
Badran's "unjust" stance, as described by students, sparked their anger, leading them to threaten to respond from within the university if their expected meeting with Badran today did not result in allowing all students to remain in the dormitory until finishing exams and guaranteeing their return to their rooms after vacating. The students read a heated statement asserting that they "will not remain silent any longer about being held hostage," claiming they are "paying the price for political conflicts that are destroying the university and all its components." They complained about the unbearable condition of the university, particularly in the dormitory, urging that it should not be closed to students under any circumstances and calling for a review of the operation and maintenance contracts with the managing companies. They also demanded the establishment of a committee for housing comprised of students and their families, overseeing the university's payment and expenditure process, specifically requesting payments directly to the university rather than through LibanPost, discussing among themselves the difficulties they faced with LibanPost, including long wait times and bureaucratic delays, in addition to "chaos in managing the university dormitory leading to lost files and conflicting student data."
Surprisingly, employees from the company responsible for managing and operating the dormitory, Naamat Hamoud and Samia Cheik, attended the protest. Additionally, they encouraged students to take action "to save the university dormitory," as mentioned by one student. Samia defended her company, which "has been on strike since June 25 because it has not received its dues since the beginning of this year, resulting in between 70 and 80 employees not receiving their salaries." Naamat lamented the "appalling state of the dormitory, which has led some students to enter each other’s rooms."
In turn, the director of the university dormitory, Majid Halou, reassured students "not to worry about a complete closure of the dormitory, but rather to ease the pressure by clearing out only those students who have completed their exams."
