From the Office of the Registrar.

UPDATE ON DISTURBANCES ON CAMPUS BY STUDENTS OF
CASELY HAYFORD HALL.

1. THE PRESS STATEMENT
   On Wednesday April 2, 2008, the University issued a Press Statement in which it announced the immediate closure of one of its larger Halls of Residence, Casely Hayford Hall. Closing a Hall of Residence in the middle of the academic semester is not an action to be lightly taken. Certain specific conditions have to occur to justify it. In the Press Statement of April 2, 2008, the University enumerated its three reasons for closing down the Hall: first, to restore law and order in the Hall following a period of violent and ill-considered behaviour by the students; second, as a response to reports by the Hall Administration, both the Junior Common Room Committee and the Hall Master’s Office, that they had “lost control” of the Hall; and third, to safeguard life and property in Casely Hayford Hall in particular and the University in general.

 

2. THE BACKGROUND
   The need to restore law and order to the Hall resulted from the behaviour of the Casely Hayford students on April 1, 2008 when students took illegal actions following the cancellation of their 2008 Hall Week Celebrations by the University. But before the events are addressed, it will be necessary to look briefly at the recent history of disturbances emanating from this Hall.

   On Wednesday September 28, 2005, there was a street fight between Casely Hayford Hall and Atlantic Hall during an inter-hall soccer match. Students were injured, and damage was done to University property. This was followed three days later by another major disturbance on Saturday, October 1, 2005, during which a group of first year students, again from Casely Hayford Hall, marched on the University Matriculation ceremony and forcibly halted it. In both cases the students wielded offensive weapons. Again, some damage was caused. Some students were injured and the University was placed under severe stress. The University struggled to gain control and succeeded in retrieving some offensive weapons hidden in students’ rooms.

   On the basis of these incidents, the Executive Committee of the Academic Board took the following decisions:
   1. Imposition of a fine of ¢100,000.00 on each fresh student of Casely Hayford Hall in respect of the disturbances during the Matriculation. (However, upon appeal this was later reversed).
   2. Change of the organization of the University Matriculation Ceremony from a Hall-based activity to a Faculty-based activity.
   3. The Student Executives of Casely Hayford Hall were made to understand that as leaders, they would be held individually and jointly responsible for any further breach of discipline in their Hall.
   4. The Executive Committee at its meeting held on October 3, 2005, observed that some students had brought offensive weapons to campus. These weapons included carbide guns, matchets, cutlasses, long knives, clubs, and base ball bats. The University took steps to recover such weapons from the Halls.
   5. In respect of the street fighting between the two Halls, a two-year ban was imposed on Casely Hayford Hall and Atlantic Hall from 3rd October, 2005 to 30th September, 2007. They were to desist from holding any demonstration, rallies, assemblies, processions (DRAP) in the Halls on campus, out of campus, or in any other universities in Ghana. This includes Hall Week Celebrations, Fresh Students Akwaaba Nights, Early Morning Group Warming-Up exercises, from any hall, inter-University games, and Hall organized socialization.This is the background against which one must view the ruptures of March 31 and April 1, 2008.
3. DESTRUCTION AT ATLANTIC HALL ON MARCH 31, 2008
   At about 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 31, 2008, the University Administration received a report that during the early hours of the morning at about 2:00 a.m., as part of their Hall Week celebration, students from Casely Hayford Hall marched without official authorisation to Atlantic Hall, and caused serious damage to life and property in the Hall. According to the official report of the Hall,
   1. One student sustained a dislocation of the right shoulder bone and was admitted at the University Hospital.
   2. Another student was injured below the right eye and was treated and discharged at the Hospital.
   3. There was partial damage to the main gate of the Hall.
   4. Seven globe lamp shades with seven energy saving bulbs decorating the front of the Hall were destroyed.
   5. Eighty louvre blades were broken.
4. COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY
   The University’s response to the ensuing confrontation between Atlantic Hall and Casely Hayford Hall was to first of all cancel the Hall week of the attacking Hall, Casely Hayford Hall, and secondly, to set up an investigative committee with the following terms of reference:
   1. To investigate the circumstances leading to the damage of life and property in Atlantic Hall in the morning of March 31, 2008.
   2. Identify students who were involved in the violent behaviour and destruction of property.
   3. Make recommendations on sanctions against students found to have participated in the procession.
   4. Make recommendations on any issue of relevance that may come to attention.
   When word of cancellation of the Hall Week got out, the students of Casely Hayford Hall took to the streets again in protest. They threatened bodily harm to Senior University officials, blocked access roads into the University, generally engaged in violent behaviour including throwing of stones, destruction of property and refusal to allow the Hall Master to enter the Hall.
5. A HALL GOVERNMENT OUT OF CONTROL
   Hall government in the University emanates from two sources: the student-led Hall government, the Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC), which is operated by student-elected executives headed by a president; and the senior level of Hall government which represents the University and is headed by a Hall Master who is appointed by the Vice-Chancellor; he works with a body of Hall Tutors, a Hall Manager and various other workers.

   By Monday March 31, 2008, both sources of authority in the Hall had been effectively neutralized by the protesting students. First, the JCRC informed the University that it had ‘lost control’ of the Hall and was unable to redirect the violent behaviour of Hall Members. Secondly, the Hall Master was alerted to avoid entering the Hall or his office in the Hall. This warning was taken seriously because of previous experience, and the signs of clear and present danger. The night before, in an ominous development, the students had smeared the frontage of his office with waste, demeaning the office, and the University he represents. It was as if control of the Hall had defaulted to a faceless authority.

6. A PARALLEL AUTHORITY, AN ILLEGAL CHIEF
   Indeed there have been intimations of a rival, parallel authority formenting trouble and directing the violence in the Hall. There are insinuations of occultism under a “Supreme Chief” whose members act in secret, are prone to violence, and who rule by fear. Such is the level of intimidation that students fear to talk to University authorities about.

   With both legitimate sources of authority in the Hall neutralized, with fear mounting, and, threats rampant, the potential was clear that this volatile situation may spread to the other Halls and place life and property at even greater risk. This was the situation under which the University took action by closing the Hall; it was as a means to limit the damage and reverse the conditions of instability and fear in the Hall.

7. TAKING ACCOUNT OF VULNERABLE STUDENTS
   In order to ameliorate the impact of the closure on the physically-challenged students and National Service Personnel living in the Hall, all such persons were transferred to different hostels. The luggage of the physically-challenged and visually impaired was transferred by bus to their new accommodation. The Ghana Police Service has since Tuesday, April 1, 2008 been assisting the campus security to safeguard life and property and maintain peace on the campus.
8. CONCLUSION
   The University has a larger responsibility to create and to maintain a proper academic environment, and to foster a community of learning and scholarship that will help raise it to the many challenges of development and progress. It is never the University’s wish to penalize students but to correct them where they err. We ask the good people of Ghana, parents, alumni and other stakeholders for their support in this endeavour so that discipline will always be maintained in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana’s University of Choice, to ensure the building of skills and academic excellence fully bracketed by the values we live by.