Collective Action

Around a hundred students protested Tuesday against anticipated tuition fee increases at the American University of Beirut. The demonstration started on AUB’s campus in Hamra outside the College Hall building, which houses the administration and the office of the university’s president, Fadlo Khuri. The protesters then marched on to different spots on campus, including outside Khuri's residence and one of the main classroom buildings. Students could be heard chanting “we want to study in our country, education is our right” and “yala price it in lira,” referring to tuition fees which are priced in dollars but are presently collected in lira at an exchange rate of LL3,900 to the dollar. Jad Hani, president of the AUB Secular Club and a graduate student in public policy and international affairs, told L’Orient Today that “secular and other student clubs called for this protest today to express their rage against the university policies that are being implemented without any consultation with the student council.”

Last week, students began noticing that tuition for the summer 2022 term was being calculated at the ‘lollar’ rate of LL8,000 to $1, effectively more than doubling the tuition being charged for the spring 2022 term, which was calculated at a previous lollar rate of LL3,900 to $1. In an internal email seen by L’Orient Today, university President Fadlo Khuri told students that AUB could not afford to keep the current tuition rate moving forward. The lollar rate of LL8,000 to $1 has been in place since December 2021.

The American University of Beirut’s Secular Club was slapped with an official warning for disseminating posters objecting to an anticipated increase in tuition fees. The warning, sent via email on April 19 by Lina Choueiri, interim Dean of Student Affairs, said that the club on April 14 had engaged in “posting of unauthorized published materials” and added that similar activities in the future “may lead to the suspension of the club and its activities.” AUB’s Student Code of Conduct states that “the public distribution and posting of published materials such as fliers, leaflets, posters, audiovisuals, etc., must be approved and stamped by the dean of Student Affairs.” In a statement responding to the warning, the student club stated that “AUB has historically been known as an open space for free speech and public debate. By censoring the club’s activities, AUB sets a dangerous precedent about dealing with dissenting opinions regarding a decision it took without consulting and discussing with the student body.”