JEDDAH, 13 January 2005 — Twenty-five female students at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah were warned of eviction from the dormitory for exceeding the six-year limit of staying. This regulation has not been enforced before but starting this semester it will be.
“According to regulations, students should not stay in the dorms for more than six years which is more than the four to five years they need to graduate giving them an extra year to finish,” said Suad Al-Refaie, in charge of the dormitory.
Medical college students are allowed to stay eight years. She said some of these girls intentionally fail their classes so that they can continue staying there. The students said the warning came as a surprise to them at a time when they were studying for their mid-term exams causing them added stress and low performance in their exams.
“We come from distant places and my parents would not allow me to stay in an apartment alone or with a group of girlfriends,” said a student. “I only need a few more hours to graduate; where am I supposed to be staying now?”
“The reason it took me longer to graduate is some personal circumstances and not because I wasn’t studying hard,” said another student.
Another complained of some teachers’ strict grading, which compels them to skip classes and therefore takes them longer to graduate. “Why not offer us an alternative like paying a nominal fee rather than kick us out?” asked another student. The university does not charge the students for staying in the dorms, but the boys’ dormitory does have an optional system of paying SR250 in rent.
“The 25 students who were handed the warning have exceeded the six-year limit two years ago and they are taking advantage of our leniency and sympathy; it is not fair to the students on the waiting list,” Al-Refaie told Arab News.
There are 900 female students in the dormitory and although there is no shortage of space to accommodate more students, Al-Refaie believes that enforcing the regulations would avoid potential overcrowding. “We listen to them and sympathize with their circumstances but the warnings are to push them to finish their hours,” she said.
The students said they were made to sign a termination contract and asked to evict their rooms by Tuesday so that they won’t return after Haj break, but Al-Refaie said they were not evicted but warned of eviction.
“I think it’s fair that they should be evicted because they’re taking their time to graduate and occupying rooms while others are wait-listed,” said Omayma, a third-year university student. “I know of students who want to stay at the dorms away from their parents’ supervision and do as they want; they don’t care about their studies. They not only overcrowd the dorms but also the classes especially the science labs,” said Ghada, a chemistry student.
The university pays a stipend to the students of almost SR1,000 a month and when some students seemed to extend their years at the university for the stipend, the university decided to stop giving it if they don’t graduate after four-and-a-half years.
