Protest rocks UL Fendell Campus

By Lincoln G. Peters

Normal academic or learning activities at the University of Liberia Fendell campus were disrupted on Wednesday, 30 August by protesting students demanding chairs. 

The disruptions were masterminded by members of the campus-based Progressive Students Alliance (PROSA) and the Student Unification Party (SUP). 

While students were in class during academic period, protesters were seen walking in corridors of the Academic Building chanting “No chair, no school. We are tired of sitting on floor.” 

The protesting students, dressed in their campus-based party T-shirts said that their objective of disrupting learning activities is to call the University of Liberia Administration’s attention to the limited sitting capacity on campus. 

They note that since the resumption of the current semester, students at the Fendell Campus had have limited armchairs to sit in during classes.

According to them, University authorities have been informed about the scarcity of chairs on many occasions through diplomatic means but, their request has been downplayed or ignored by the administration. 

Speaking in an exclusive interview, one of the protest leaders from the Students Unification Party, James Massaquoi, laments that it’s quite unfortunate that the University of Liberia, after enrolling more than eighteen thousand (18,000) freshmen students, doesn’t have seating capacity.

“My brother, look at this and tell me if it’s fair. How can the University authority give admissions to over eighteen thousand students when they know they don’t have seating capacity. This is complete wickedness. We have been standing in class just to take notes”, he says. 

Also speaking, Student Mary Johnson of the Progressive Students Alliance or PROSA, says that protest is the only language the UL administration and the government in general, understand therefore, they will continue to protest until they can have redress. 

“We have little armchairs here. Some people who are fortunate to have armchairs will keep the chair to themselves until they are through for the day. That means they will be toting armchairs on their head from the Agriculture Building to the Science Building and back to Chinese Building. Only the Engineering Building has little chairs because they are not many”, she narrates.

Since the inception of the current semester, academic activities at the state-run university have been at a slow pace with lecturers demanding pay and salary increment on one hand, while students agitate for chairs. Editing by Jonathan Browne