Desist Or Else… …Dr. Nelson warns Troublemakers At UL

The President of the state-run University of Liberia (UL), Rev. Dr. Julius Sarwolo Nelson, Jr.,   has issued a stern warning to students who are always in the middle of controversies to desist or else you will be severely dealt with in accordance with due process outlined by the school’s handbook. 

Dr. Nelson stated that any student or group of students bent on creating problem at the UL that would stall normal academic activities will have themselves to blame as the UL administration will not hesitate to warn, suspend or expel depending on the gravity of the offense. 

As the country heads into a crucial Presidential and Legislative Elections, President Nelson maintained that the ensuing 16 academic weeks will not be treated as business as usual to take things likely from students, as doing so could degenerate into further chaos, thus undermining the electoral process, and the peace and security of the state as a whole. 

The UL President sounded these warnings Monday, June 12, 2023 while announcing the commencement of 2022/23 Academic Year of the institution. 

“I want to use this time to call on civil society institutions to start speaking now because we will not compromise students’ disturbances on campuses this time around. We will deal with you severely if you cause problem that stall normal academic activities. We are telling you that if you are a student, you must major in major and minor in your minor because this is the reason why you became a student and not disrupting our classes,” he further warned. 

“Again, I say you will be booked for a long time so focus on the main activities, which are academic,” he asserted. 

The campuses of the UL, specifically the Capitol Hill campuses otherwise referred to as “Main Campus”, is on record for regularly witnessing rioting that sometimes lead to the suspension of normal academic activities for one to two weeks. 

It could be recalled that normal academic activities at the UL Main Campus were ordered canceled on March 13, 2023 as a result of a bloody clash between the  campus-based Student Unification Party (SUP) and a group loyal to Montserrado County Electoral District #8 Representative, Moses Acarous Gray. 

The violent clash ensued as members of SUP attempted to resist the entry of Rep. Gray on the main campus of the UL on Capitol Hill in Monrovia, but the Montserrado County lawmaker, backed by huge numbers of ‘‘Body Builders’’ dressed in all black and street thugs,  forced their way through the UL Campus. 

The resulting end was heavy stone throwing, which forced members of SUP to retrieve as they were outnumbered by the men in black and thugs.
 
Rep.  Gray had a week earlier announced a visitation to the UL Capitol Hill Campus to have lunch on March 13, 2023. The lawmaker’s pronouncement came on the heels of series of verbal and violent attacks  by SUP against some prominent individuals including Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, former Solicitor General, Syrenius Cephus and an employee from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Aloysius Howe, among others. 

On account of this and all other past rioting, Dr. Nelson vowed that the administration will never allow said reoccurrence. 

Speaking further, Dr. Nelson also disclosed plan to run students, who are in the constant habit of doing minimal courses per semester so as to spend more time at the University, out of the school. 

“If you want to just be carrying one or two courses per semester because you don’t want to leave from there, because you want to remain to always join others to be making troubles, we will escort you from the University by making you to graduate on time. We will make sure that you carry the most reasonable credit hours that will make you to graduate on time,” Dr. Nelson noted.

“Also, we will take the issue of probation very seriously if you don’t do well academically. And if you continue to perform poorly and you are placed on probation two times, you will be expelled.” 

Following the commencement convocation of the 103rd graduation, he indicated that the focus is on the formal commencement of Academic Year 2022/2023 and all of the related processes that will ensure a smooth and timely conduct of the first semester before the General and Presidential Elections in October 2023.

“At the moment, the electronic applications of more than 8,000 candidates are being processed by the Office of Enrolment Services (OES) and those successfully vetted will start receiving Admission Letters via email  Monday, June 12, 2023, and this exercise will continue until Friday, June 30, 2023,” he added.