Yarmouk University expels four students over July riots

AMMAN — Yarmouk University on Monday expelled four students and suspended six others for taking part in riots in July, according to its president, Abdullah Al Musa.

Musa said the suspensions varied between one or two academic semesters.

Also on Monday, the university upheld a decision to expel another 22 students, who were detained by police and expelled at the time of the riots, after they appealed the decision.

“A committee of deans and legal experts at the university conducted an extended investigation into the incident and listened to the testimonies of the 22 students and decided to endorse the earlier punishment,” Musa told The Jordan Times in a telephone interview.

“The university will not go back on the decision,” he said, noting that there were attempts to interfere with its authority.

The president added that the university, where around 34,000 students are enrolled, is “strict” in dealing with any incidents involving violence to curb the practice.

He underscored that the administration did not backtrack on any penalty decision since 2011, which resulted in a “remarkable” drop in incidents of violence at the Irbid-based university, located some 80km north of Amman.

The riots, which started out as a dispute between two groups of students from two districts in the north, involved masked students and outsiders with weapons, and resulted in damage to university property, injuries and spreading panic on campus, in addition to an attempt to take a student hostage.

Police intervened to contain the situation, which resulted in the injury of three people, including two students, one of whom is female, and a security guard.

At the time of the incident, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported that police were questioning 14 suspects from outside the university who were detained over their involvement in the riots.

Commenting on the phenomenon of campus violence, Musa said interaction between students reveals inner “stress”, especially for those who are uninterested in participating in extracurricular activities at the university.

“Our university seeks to engage students in activities that allow them to positively express their energies and potentials,” he told The Jordan Times, adding that the large number of students accepted at universities contributes to the issue.

He stressed that students who act “recklessly” should not be given second chances.