LAU Suspends Students Who Participated In Sit-In Protest Against Dollarization
In an email shared with students and faculty during the last week of March, LAU’s President Michel Mawad revealed that the Lebanese American University (LAU) would adopt a fresh dollar budget effective Fall 2022. All tuition fees would subsequently have to be paid in fresh USD as opposed to the existing method of cheques and Lebanese Lira.
This news spurred protests and sit-ins across the university’s Beirut and Jbeil campuses, where students banded together to plead for more flexible financial plans.
In a shocking update, students received the below email this morning informing them that various individuals would be suspended due to their participation in the sit-ins. The university cited cases of “physical and psychological abuse as well as damages of LAU property” as reasons for suspension.
Suspending people who are pleading to graduate does not seem like the most logical way forward. Tuition fees at LAU range from $8,300 to $10,800 depending on the major, which is an unimaginable amount that is unrealistic for the majority of students, especially those depending on Financial Aid and grants.
