The American University of Beirut (AUB) has withdrawn its decision to remove the graduate assistantships of several students after they organized peaceful protests on campus.
"I have decided in the best interests of the University to vacate entirely the disciplinary action," AUB President Fadlo R. Khuri, MD said in an email to AUB students about the decision on Tuesday.
"Our administration is convinced that this is the most constructive way forward, in order to focus all of our resolve and drive transformational change for AUB, Lebanon and beyond," he said.
Earlier this year, graduate assistants at AUB were informed that their small monthly stipend payments would be removed. Previously many graduate assistants received full tuition waivers and small stipends in exchange for doing research and other work for their academic department.
In response to the decision to drop the relatively small stipend payment, a group of AUB graduate students organized a campaign on campus, criticizing the move and calling for the reinstatement of the payments.
This movement came to a head earlier this month when peaceful protests turned into peaceful tent setups on campus. In response, AUB security forcibly removed the students and their tents. And some 13 students had their scholarships revoked entirely.
"Without their tuition waivers, these students will not be able to complete their degrees at AUB since they cannot afford the tuition fees of the university," Boldy G-AUB, a group of AUB graduate students and allies working to enhance student aid policies, wrote in a Facebook post at the time.
Many current and former AUB students vocally criticized the controversial decision, appearing to force the university to go back on its decision.
However, despite his decision to reinstate the scholarships, President Khuri appears to view the whole situation as a mere annoyance. In his email to students, he refers to the controversy as a "distraction."
"Our senior decision-making bodies, in addition to members of the wider AUB community, have been distracted by a controversy over disciplinary actions given to students who insisted on maintaining an unapproved tent at College Hall," he said.
For its part, Boldly G-AUB hailed the administration's decision as a victory, while also criticizing the lack of transparency and the troubling nature of the incident.
"Boldly G-AUB’s messaging throughout the past week was, and remains, steadfastly committed to the right to protest and critique, and to outlining the dangerous precedent set by the Administration’s punitive measures," the group said in an official statement.
"Yet it is also important to make clear what a profoundly distressing effect these events have had on these 13 students’ academic and personal lives. If this episode is to pass without further inquiry, accountability, or comment, we believe it will represent a stain on the University community, from its students to its faculty, President, and investors," the group continued.
"We hope that this troubling experience is an opportunity for positive change in the University, and ask all those similarly concerned to work to make this come to pass. As always, such an undertaking begins with self-examination and accountability."