Discharge students

Discharge students involved in brawls

From Republika

Before the public's disgust over brawls between high school students could subside, a brawl erupted between students of Trisakti University on July 24, in which students of the civil engineering school fought against their rivals from the mineral engineering school.

A trivial matter triggered the shameful brawl, which has occurred several times before at this university. As a result, those who were innocent had to bear the brunt of it.

The Trisakti tragedy and the 1998 riots, which claimed a lot of lives, made this campus the pioneer of the students' movement against the New Order regime, giving it the name Campus of Reform. Unfortunately, its good reputation was tainted by the brawl.

Trisakti's rector should severely punish the students who behaved like hooligans so that other students will be discouraged from similar brutal and anarchic action on the campus. Those involved in the brawl must be suspended and brought to court to account for their actions.

It would be better for the university to sacrifice a handful of bad eggs rather than allowing them to tarnish its reputation. The absence of severe punishment may lead to similar brawls. Should this happen, Trisakti University will no longer deserve to be called the Campus of Reform because its members are not reform-minded.

HERDI DUDUNG

Bekasi, West Java