Final-year students of the Lagos State University (LASU) may face stiff disciplinary action, including suspension, for organizing unruly signing-out celebrations on campus, a move the institution described as a gross violation of its rules and values.
This decision followed deliberations at the university’s 306th Statutory Senate Meeting, where the Senate reviewed a report from the Students’ Affairs Division detailing a series of infractions committed by graduating students during recent signing-out funfairs.
The Senate noted with concern that several final-year students had disregarded university regulations during these celebrations.
According to the report presented be for the lawmakers, several final-year students were found to have flagrantly disregarded established codes of conduct by organising unauthorized parties, during which they invited non-students to the university premises, consumed alcohol, smoked substances including marijuana and shisha, and dressed inappropriately.
The Senate further observed that loud music and sound equipment were brought onto campus, with some celebrations featuring disc jockeys, even as examinations were still ongoing in several departments and external accreditation teams from the National Universities Commission (NUC) were on campus assessing academic programmes.
In addition to the distraction caused to academic activities, the gatherings resulted in significant logistical challenges, including traffic congestion due to the indiscriminate parking of vehicles by students and their guests, as well as a considerable strain on campus security and administrative personnel who struggled to maintain order.
The student affairs’ reports also indicated that the aftermath of the celebrations left the university environment untidy and littered.
Reacting to the situation in a statement on Monday, the university Senate expressed deep concern and unanimously condemned the behaviour of the graduating students, describing it as unacceptable and a serious breach of the values and standards upheld by the institution.
As a corrective measure, the university has now mandated that all final-year students must sign a formal undertaking prohibiting them from organising any form of funfair or celebration under the pretext of signing out, whether on campus or within its environs.
“Henceforth, all final-year students are to sign an undertaking not to organise any funfair/party in the name of signing out. For a signing-out event to be organised, students must: a. not play any music at such an occasion; b. not bring food, cake, or drinks from outside the premises for such an occasion; c. not invite or bring any visitors to such an occasion; and d. not bring any canopy or tent onto campus for such an occasion.
The university also announced that any student or group of students found to be in violation of these new regulations would face rustication for one academic session.
“Any student or group of students found violating the above regulations shall be rusticated for one (1) academic session, and all examinations written by the student or group of students in their final year shall be cancelled. This means such student(s) will have to pay another tuition fee, re-register the courses, and re-write the final-year examinations,” it stated.
