On Monday, the American University of Beirut issued a Dean's Warning to a number of graduate students for demanding "fair work conditions."
The students were protesting a decision announced in May which eliminated stipends offered under the university's Graduate Assistantship and Graduate Research Assistantship programs as of Fall 2017.
Peaceful protests turned into peaceful tent setups on campus in an attempt to send a message across. Instead, a number of students were handed a Dean's Warning. A few others also had their scholarships stripped.
"13 students have lost their scholarships so far and 14 warnings have been issued in total since yesterday against protesting students," Boldy G-AUB told StepFeed.
The decision has taken a financial toll on students targeted by the administration.
"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.
"I was protesting for the $90 they used to pay me which used to help me with my transportation to my classes. Now, they terminated my scholarship and I can't continue my education and need to start thinking about my whole future plans. This is unacceptable," a student, whose scholarship has been stripped, said.
A video of two students being forcibly kicked out of their tent began making the rounds online on Monday
According to Boldy G-AUB, the university's administration asked security guards to "forcibly" remove the students' tent at midnight.
"May Makki was among five students who were present at the tent at that time. The security guards violently stripped the students from their tent and their belongings in the tent. They used physical force to remove a tent that the students protected with their bodies," Boldy G-AUB told StepFeed.
The security guards were also instructed not to allow students to enter the university campus until morning.
"Freedom of speech and assembly are basic pillars of any democratic institution, and they have been violated," Boldy G-AUB added.
The administration said the "tent violated the students' Code of Conduct because we did not take permission before setting it up," Boldy G-AUB told StepFeed.
It added that the tents infringed on public space. However, Boldy G-AUB said that was not the case.
"We never blocked any pathways and people used to come chill with us and support us. The university did not offer us with the appropriate channels to take permission. Instead, they just decided to give warnings and use that excuse instead of inviting students to use their proper channels."
Protests on campus were organized on Tuesday morning
The video shared on Monday evening sparked outrage among students, who immediately called for a protest on Tuesday morning.
The protest took place in different parts across campus, including College Hall and West Hall, as hundreds of students gathered in the rain.
"What do we want? Stipends! When do we want them? NOW."
"Bring back stipends!" the group of students can be heard saying in the video.
Elimination of GA stipends
In September, a number of AUB students held a protest in response to the cancellation of monthly GA and GRA stipends, under which policies prohibit full-timers from working outside the university.
"They’re forcing us to not have a stipend and also not work outside AUB," Nadim Haidar, one of the protest’s organizers, told The Daily Star.
"What that means is that you can only get into AUB if your parents can pay for you."
At the time, Talal Nizameddine, AUB Dean of Students, explained that the decision was made so that the "money [could be] be used more effectively for research, and to expand the GA program," according to The Daily Star.
The monthly stipend previously given to those under the program amounted to $150 per month, which adds up to around $533 per semester for students taking a standard 9-credits.
Boldy G-AUB demands change
A group of graduate students came together in an attempt to reverse the decision taken by the university in Spring 2017.
They formed a group, launching a petition titled "AUB Admin: Reinstate GA stipends. Reform student aid," which has since garnered 1,200 signatures.
"We have launched a petition, had meetings with the provost and the university administration, and pursued all the bureaucratic channels available for us as students. However, we were always met with resistance from the administration who did not approve our three main demands," Boldy G-AUB told StepFeed.
When the administration failed to respond to the demands, tents were the final resort.
The group has also criticized the university's administration for not sending an official notification to those partaking in the university's assistantships. Instead, department chairs shared the decision with the students.