Concordia University has banned a Concordia Student Union (CSU) executive and a CSU councillor after one allegedly assaulted a security guard and another one uttered a death threat.
The decision to ban Laith Marouf, vp internal of the CSU, and Tom Keefer, a councillor of the council of representatives, came after an incident on July 20 in which Marouf spray-painted what he called “pro-human rights” slogans on the York Theatre.
“It wasn’t a surprising thing for us that the administration decided to surpass all its own regulations and have a dictatorial decision like this,” said Marouf.
After Marouf was caught by security, there was a confrontation between Marouf and Keefer and security by the CSU offices. Marouf allegedly assaulted a security guard and Keefer is said to have uttered a death threat against one of the security guards. However, both Keefer and Marouf insist that the accusations
brought against them are false. They claim to have witnesses to the events on that day and are demanding an investigation into the matter.
“There are always two sides to every story,” said Keefer, “and the question is, where do these issues get resolved? Do they get resolved by one un-elected, unaccountable man, rector [Frederick] Lowy, or should there be a hearing through the Rights and Responsibilities board, where impartial judges can come to a conclusion?”
The administration is not allowing Keefer and Marouf to pass through the
university’s Rights and Responsibilities board because they are not considered to be students. Lowy sent letters to Keefer and Marouf banning them from campus, which said that neither of the two individuals currently have student status at the University. This has sparked protest from some students, as the university’s code of conduct says that a student is defined as a person registered during a preceding academic term.
Dennis Murphy, Concordia’s director of communications, disagreed. “The code of academic conduct refers to things like cheating and plagiarism. That’s not what’s in question here.”
Referring to Keefer, Murphy went on to say that an independent student does not have any guarantee, from term to term, of consistency or continuity. He added that Marouf, who was majoring in political science, the definition of a student is one that is based on academic standing.
Keefer and Marouf claim they have been banned from campus for being vocal opponents of the administration. Both have a long history of activism on campus and they added that the decision to ban them was politically motivated.
The graffiti slogans allegedly denounced the Israeli role in the ongoing Middle East conflict and were anti-Israeli. Marouf said that the administration was trying to blur the line between legitimate criticism of state policies and the word ‘anti-Israeli.’
“The students were not banned for spray-painting graffiti, nor were they banned because of politics,” said Murphy.
In a statement released on Aug. 23, Lowy said that physical confrontation, threats, intimidation or any form of harassment had no place at Concordia.
A committee to reinstate Keefer and Marouf has been formed, headed by visual arts student Zev Tiefenbach and CSU researcher David Bernans.
Keefer said to expect protests, demonstrations, letter writing, mobilization and posters. “We’re trying to get the word out about what’s going on. We believe the only thing that can get Lowy to back down is the political pressure from students saying that this is not fair,” added Keefer.
“Strong student opposition will be taken into account. But it doesn’t
necessarily follow that [the administration] will change their minds,” said
Murphy.
The decision to ban Laith Marouf, vp internal of the CSU, and Tom Keefer, a councillor of the council of representatives, came after an incident on July 20 in which Marouf spray-painted what he called “pro-human rights” slogans on the York Theatre.
“It wasn’t a surprising thing for us that the administration decided to surpass all its own regulations and have a dictatorial decision like this,” said Marouf.
After Marouf was caught by security, there was a confrontation between Marouf and Keefer and security by the CSU offices. Marouf allegedly assaulted a security guard and Keefer is said to have uttered a death threat against one of the security guards. However, both Keefer and Marouf insist that the accusations
brought against them are false. They claim to have witnesses to the events on that day and are demanding an investigation into the matter.
“There are always two sides to every story,” said Keefer, “and the question is, where do these issues get resolved? Do they get resolved by one un-elected, unaccountable man, rector [Frederick] Lowy, or should there be a hearing through the Rights and Responsibilities board, where impartial judges can come to a conclusion?”
The administration is not allowing Keefer and Marouf to pass through the
university’s Rights and Responsibilities board because they are not considered to be students. Lowy sent letters to Keefer and Marouf banning them from campus, which said that neither of the two individuals currently have student status at the University. This has sparked protest from some students, as the university’s code of conduct says that a student is defined as a person registered during a preceding academic term.
Dennis Murphy, Concordia’s director of communications, disagreed. “The code of academic conduct refers to things like cheating and plagiarism. That’s not what’s in question here.”
Referring to Keefer, Murphy went on to say that an independent student does not have any guarantee, from term to term, of consistency or continuity. He added that Marouf, who was majoring in political science, the definition of a student is one that is based on academic standing.
Keefer and Marouf claim they have been banned from campus for being vocal opponents of the administration. Both have a long history of activism on campus and they added that the decision to ban them was politically motivated.
The graffiti slogans allegedly denounced the Israeli role in the ongoing Middle East conflict and were anti-Israeli. Marouf said that the administration was trying to blur the line between legitimate criticism of state policies and the word ‘anti-Israeli.’
“The students were not banned for spray-painting graffiti, nor were they banned because of politics,” said Murphy.
In a statement released on Aug. 23, Lowy said that physical confrontation, threats, intimidation or any form of harassment had no place at Concordia.
A committee to reinstate Keefer and Marouf has been formed, headed by visual arts student Zev Tiefenbach and CSU researcher David Bernans.
Keefer said to expect protests, demonstrations, letter writing, mobilization and posters. “We’re trying to get the word out about what’s going on. We believe the only thing that can get Lowy to back down is the political pressure from students saying that this is not fair,” added Keefer.
“Strong student opposition will be taken into account. But it doesn’t
necessarily follow that [the administration] will change their minds,” said
Murphy.
