Violent student protests have been the norm on our campuses for far too long, and instead of bringing about significant reforms, they have far too frequently resulted in disruption, destruction, and injury to numerous individuals, including faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Layli Maparyan, the new president of the University of Liberia, has taken a strong and moral stand against this perennial problem, and we fully back her.
Dr. Maparyan’s immediate response to the attack on Associate Prof. Sekou W. Konneh, the Vice President for Student Affairs, on April 28, 2025, is a bold affirmation of law, order, and institutional integrity. It also demonstrates her resolve to build a better University of Liberia. She showed courage and strength by not mincing words when she rightfully said that violence, threats, and weaponized intimidation have no place at the University of Liberia. To bring knives and sticks on campus, threaten administrators, shut down learning through fear, and cause bodily harm to university staff is not student activism; it is barbarism. As indicated by Dr. Maparyan, such acts are not the marks of revolutionaries but of individuals who have lost the moral compass that should guide all those who claim to seek institutional change. We join President Maparyan to say that the student handbook, UL policy, and national laws are clear about such behavior, and enforcement must now follow with equal clarity and firmness.
What is, in fact, admirable about Dr. Maparyan’s approach and stance is that it is grounded in legal authority and ethical leadership. She demonstrated a willingness to listen and even acknowledged students’ right to express grievances. Despite her promise to investigate transparently, however, threats, attacks, and property destruction escalated.
Dr. Maparyan’s characterization of the recent protest, and similar others, as hooliganism, is quite correct and undeniable. We agree with President Maparyan that “using fearmongering to shut down teaching and learning” is unacceptable and should be discouraged. Indeed, the university exists to deliver education and not to serve as political battleground. This is the leadership the UL needs. This is the leadership the UL has yearned for, one that will end the culture of impunity in the face of blatant defiance and violations of the rules and norms that govern the university. If the University of Liberia is to truly be a space for critical thinking and intellectual growth, it must first reclaim its identity as a sanctuary of learning, not a battleground for political theatrics and proxy wars.
This is not to say – and the president has not said so either- that students do not have a right to protest. They do! But such rights must not be construed as a license to terrorize and prevent peaceful students from pursuing their quest for quality education to better their lives and meaningfully contribute to society. Indeed, students have a right to demand accountability, but not to issue threats. They have a right to organize, but not to weaponize their frustrations.
We therefore urge all peace-loving students, faculty, alumni, and supporters of the University of Liberia to stand with Dr. Layli Maparyan, as her statement and firm stance are not an attack on students’ voices but a necessary defense of the university’s soul and mission. Going forward, let us rally around President Maparyan and together reject the glorification of violent protests and return to the hard and honest work of reforming our great institution through dialogue, systems change, and collective responsibility.
Dr. Maparyan has asked the most important question: “Everyone here wants a better UL…The question now is, who will bring about it?” Let it be those who choose peace, principle, and progress over weapons, chaos, and fear.
