MONROVIA – The Student Unification Party (SUP) at the University of Liberia has launched a fundraising rally, calling on the student body to contribute a minimum of five Liberian dollars toward the renovation and repainting of the university’s campuses.
By Francis G. Boayue
Speaking over the weekend during the official launch of the rally at the Capitol Hill Campus in Monrovia, SUP Chairman Sylvester Wheeler stated that the initiative is intended to buttress the government’s efforts—or lack thereof—in maintaining the state-run institution.
Chairman Wheeler expressed frustration with the current administration under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, suggesting that the university has been neglected.
“In as much as President Boakai cannot renovate the university campuses, we will buttress the government’s effort by renovating the university campus,”
Mr. Wheeler said.
“That is why we are here today: to give the Capitol Hill Campus a modern face, beginning the painting work with red paint, and on another date, we will add another color.”
The SUP Chairman noted that the university’s infrastructure has remained largely untouched for decades. He specifically highlighted the Graduate School, noting that while it hosts high-profile government officials and lecturers, the facility remains in a state of disrepair.
“At the UL Graduate School, they have a whole lot of government officials who are doing their Master’s education there. Even the Speaker of the 55th Legislature, Richard Koon, is teaching there while the building lies in ruins,” Mr. Wheeler added.
“Since they cannot use their influence to renovate the building, we will help to repaint it.”
However, the move has met stiff resistance from the University’s Student Disciplinary Committee (SDC). In a statement released on Saturday, SDC Chairman Andrew Dean condemned the initiative, categorizing the act of splashing paint on university walls as “vandalism” rather than renovation.
The SDC expressed alarm over videos and photographs circulating on social media which purportedly show students defacing university property at various locations on the Capitol Hill Campus.
“The images show students intentionally splashing and smearing paint on walls and causing damage to buildings. This is a deliberate destruction of institutional property and a clear violation of the University of Liberia Student Handbook,” the committee’s statement read.
The committee warned that it has launched an investigation into the matter. According to the SDC, any student found responsible for defacing university facilities will face disciplinary action in accordance with the institution’s regulations.
The SDC urged students to conduct themselves with “integrity and maturity,” reminding the student body to act as positive ambassadors of the institution rather than engaging in acts that damage the university’s infrastructure.
SUP leadership has not backed down, insisting that their “red paint” campaign is a necessary intervention to address the eyesore of the decaying campus.
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