The University of Ghana
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11th May, 2010
Old Vandals Protest Over Change
The Old Vandals Association (OVA), the alumni of Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana, has appealed to the chancellor of the University, Mr. Kofi Annan, to intervene in the decision to make Commonwealth Hall a mixed gender and post-graduate Hall by the end of the second semester of the 2009/2010 academic year.
The decision followed the alleged unruly and riotous behaviour by the students of the Hall on March 13, during the congregation of the University.
The call was made at a press conference in Accra yesterday, by the Acting President of the Old Vandals Association (OVA), John Mbroh.
He stated that “the Old Vandals Association has rendered an unqualified apology to the University, the Chancellor, Busumuru Kofi Annan, the general public and Ghanaians for the embarrassment caused by the students.”
He said “OVA would not condone any form of untoward conduct or interfere in any other decision taken by the authorities to punish students involved in the matter.”
However, he said the association should have been consulted as stakeholders before any action to make Commonwealth Hall a mixed gender and a graduate hall was taken.
Mr. Mbroh said, “OVA finds it strange and unacceptable that the whole of commonwealth Hall (including the porters) is being made to suffer for actions, the subject of which is still under investigations.”
He said “OVA is reliably informed that the decision to reconstitute the Hall may already have been taken long before the Residence Board meeting,” and expressed “the hope that commonwealth Hall shall remain as an all male hall of undergraduate and post-graduate students.”
Mr. Mbroh deplored the situation where the University authorities appear to have relied heavily on “unproven allegations of past incidents relating to earlier generations of Vandals to justify the attempt to obliterate Commonwealth Hall.”
He urged the University authorities “not to visit the perceived sins, if any, of the past generations of Vandals on the present generation.”
The decision followed the alleged unruly and riotous behaviour by the students of the Hall on March 13, during the congregation of the University.
The call was made at a press conference in Accra yesterday, by the Acting President of the Old Vandals Association (OVA), John Mbroh.
He stated that “the Old Vandals Association has rendered an unqualified apology to the University, the Chancellor, Busumuru Kofi Annan, the general public and Ghanaians for the embarrassment caused by the students.”
He said “OVA would not condone any form of untoward conduct or interfere in any other decision taken by the authorities to punish students involved in the matter.”
However, he said the association should have been consulted as stakeholders before any action to make Commonwealth Hall a mixed gender and a graduate hall was taken.
Mr. Mbroh said, “OVA finds it strange and unacceptable that the whole of commonwealth Hall (including the porters) is being made to suffer for actions, the subject of which is still under investigations.”
He said “OVA is reliably informed that the decision to reconstitute the Hall may already have been taken long before the Residence Board meeting,” and expressed “the hope that commonwealth Hall shall remain as an all male hall of undergraduate and post-graduate students.”
Mr. Mbroh deplored the situation where the University authorities appear to have relied heavily on “unproven allegations of past incidents relating to earlier generations of Vandals to justify the attempt to obliterate Commonwealth Hall.”
He urged the University authorities “not to visit the perceived sins, if any, of the past generations of Vandals on the present generation.”
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