Hundreds protest over ITB student expulsions

Hundreds protest over ITB student expulsions

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of students from the Bandung Institute
of Technology (ITB) staged a protest yesterday against the
expulsion of two of their colleagues following an uproar over the
death of a freshman during an initiation week recently.

The orderly, albeit noisy, demonstration started with a street
drama at the ITB campus by members of the students' theater
group. Six students, clad in black and carrying torches, yelled:
"We don't know the meaning of truth and education".

Singing patriotic songs, the students also unfurled banners
criticizing the rector's policy on the two students.

Through his decrees on Monday, rector Wiranto Arismunandar
formally expelled Muhammad Ridjal and Budhi Sumarso, both seniors
in the Department of Physics, who organized the initiation week
last month.

"The decrees only create new problems," one of the students'
banners said. "The rector's decrees are not educative," another
read.

The sanction was imposed on Ridjal and Budhi because the two
had reportedly gone beyond the customary practices of initiation
weeks. They had reportedly asked freshmen to eat grass and forced
them to do strenuous physical activities when they were already
exhausted.

The rigorous 12-day initiation program had allegedly caused
the death of Zaki Tiffany Lazuardian, an 18-year-old freshman in
the Department of Physics.

At least two other students also had to be hospitalized, while
the college's polyclinic reported that 176 first year students
sought medical treatment after taking part in the initiation
week.

Chairman of the communication forum for students organization
Adi Purboyo and coordinator for the ITB student congress Lucky
Djuniardi told reporters after the protest that they had sought a
meeting with the college's senate of professors. Their request
was turned down.

The students will lodge a complaint over the matter with the
House of Representatives today.

Deputy rector in charge of academic affairs Liliek Hendrajaya
and deputy rector for communication and culture Tresna Darmawan
said they were not surprised by the students' protest.

"We have known that there was the possibility of it," Liliek
said. "But please don't forget that the expulsion of the two
students was part of our effort to take disciplinary measures."

"It was not carried out only because of the death of Zaki," he
added.

Darmawan said the decision was not taken by the rector alone.
A series of meetings involving the heads of the 15 departments
and other institutes in ITB had first been held to discuss the
situation thoroughly, he said.

"None of the meetings' attendants opposed the sanction," he
said, adding that Ridjal and Budhi were not the only ones to be
punished.

A commission entrusted with the task of disciplining students
is currently evaluating reports of violations that occurred
during the initiation weeks at the departments of Geology,
Architecture, Geodesy and Chemistry.

Darmawan said the expulsion of the two students from ITB does
not necessarily end their opportunities to continue their study
at other universities.

Along with Ridjal and Budhi, three junior lecturers at the
Department of Architecture were also dismissed for involvement in
the initiation weeks.

Singgih Yoeni Hartono, Aulia and Ade Tinamei "were supposed to
supervise (so that the initiation weeks did not get out of
control), not to get involved," Darmawan said.

Deputy rector in charge of student affairs, Indra Djati Sidi,
was not available for comment yesterday. A member of staff in his
office said Indra had left for Jakarta to see Minister of
Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro. (17/imn)