Goldstein, Baxter and Basser – the three buildings known as the Kensington Colleges – are to be demolished and rebuilt over three years, more than doubling their capacity from 415 to 923. The new development will include a 160-bed college primarily targeting Muslim students and a self-catering hall for 230 senior undergraduate and post-graduate students.

The redevelopment has met with a mostly favourable reception from students past and present, who feel a great sense of ownership of their campus accommodation, said Neil Morris, the executive director of university services.

”When you redevelop iconic colleges you have to be really aware of the fact that people feel very strongly,” he said. ”Simon Poidevin, the ex-Wallaby, grabbed me by the hand earlier this year and said, ‘I hear you’re knocking down my old home.”’

Teleri Moore is a second-generation inhabitant of the Kensington Colleges and student president of Baxter, which will remain standing and rehouse students from the other colleges while they are rebuilt.

”Everyone’s going to mismatch into one big community, so they’re all going to be one big group,” she said. ”Give it a month or two months, it’ll just be one big college and I think it will even add to our community better because we’ll have all these different events and traditions from all three colleges combined.”

A new building, as yet unnamed and informally known as Fourth College, will meet an increasing demand for Muslim students, Mr Morris said. It will be alcohol free, have a prayer room, segregated wings or floors and be open to all students.

”We’ve tried to pitch it as being open to all, so it’s not specific to Islamic students,” he said.

The university surveyed students on what they would like from campus accommodation, and learnt that many, especially international students, wanted a home where alcohol was banned, rooms had en suite bathrooms, and food was kosher or halal.

The university is positioning to compete for the overseas student market, and is targeting Muslim states primarily in Asia.

”Our students come from Malaysia, Indonesia – it’s not just the Gulf. We’ve got very clear strategies around Indonesian relations and diversifying the Asian base of our students,” Mr Morris said.

The University of New South Wales’ property portfolio is located primarily at Kensington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
With a gross floor area of 545,275 square metres, the portfolio contains 191 buildings with functions ranging from offices to lecture halls, residences, laboratories, retail spaces and even a morgue. Within the buildings and their 17,018 rooms, 26,356 building assets are under management. Each day over 38,000 students and visitors visit a UNSW campus.

But no space for a group of Muslims for 1 hour on Fridays.

IRVINE – UC Irvine’s Muslim Student Union members say a year-long suspension came as a shock and that the university’s action would deny Muslim students a sense of community, according to a statement released Monday afternoon.

“Suspending the MSU would undoubtedly create a chilling effect and deprive Muslim students — both current and incoming — of a place where they can develop a sense of community with one another and with the broader UCI campus community,” said incoming MSU President Asaad Traina. “Depriving Muslim students a venue to associate jeopardizes their rights under the First Amendment and is an act of marginalization at a time when Muslim students and Muslim youth already feel besieged.”

Campus officials at UCI have banned the Muslim Student Union for one year and placed the organization on disciplinary probation for an additional year, according to the Jewish Federation Monday morning.

Federation officials say they obtained documents from the university through the Freedom of Information Act, which show that the Muslim Student Union has been suspended on campus effective Sept. 1.

MSU members said contrary to the federation’s statements, the student group has not been officially suspended.

To read the decision letter, click here (PDF).

The suspension is the result of a months-long internal review by the university following the arrest of 11 union students during Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech on campus. Oren was repeatedly interrupted by the union members.

Click here to see a raw video of the incident.

The group has appealed the decision, according to Husam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Members also denies that the Oren disruptions were an officially sanctioned MSU activity and that the students acted on their own.

Their attorney, Reem Salahi, said based on her understanding of the university’s policies and procedures, what has been issued is not a “ban,” but only a recommendation. The student group is waiting to meet with university officials.

“That said, I don’t agree with their actions at all,” she said. “This is nothing but collective punishment. All Muslim students on campus have been punished for the actions of a few.”

So far, UCI has not released any information about this ban and does not plan on doing so, said Cathy Lawhon, director of media relations.

“I do not have personal knowledge of this, as the process and the actions against the students and the group were privileged,” she said. “We value the privacy of our students and the process. This is a private and privileged process, and we will honor that process.”

Although other individuals and groups might discuss this issue, the university will not, Lawhon said.

A May 27 letter sent to the Muslim Student Union by Lisa Cornish, senior executive director of Student Housing, which was also copied to Dean of Students Rameen Talesh, details the violations that were believed to have been committed by the union and the disciplinary action taken against them. This document was obtained and provided to The Orange County Register by the Jewish Federation.

Cornish’s letter says the university’s decision to suspend the union was based on Google Group e-mails, personal observations by university officials including the police chief, observations by other students and “the fact that all of the disruptors retained the same attorney to represent them in the student conduct process.”

Cornish’s letter talks about how the Muslim Student Union held a meeting Feb. 3 prior to the ambassador’s visit and methodically discussed how to disrupt the event. The students talked about sending “the speaker a message – our goal should be that he knows that he can’t just go to a campus and say whatever he wants” and “pushing the envelope.”

They even voted on one method of action and said, “We all go through with this together insha Allah ta’ala, together as one MSU.”

Cornish’s letter states that the students planned every detail of the disruption including scripting statements.

The letter also goes into detail about what each one of the disruptors yelled out during Oren’s speech.

Cornish says in the letter that she has concluded based on her review that the Muslim Student Union and each of its authorized signers violated several university policies including “disorderly and lewd conduct, participation in a disturbance of peace or unlawful assembly, obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures or other University activities and other forms of dishonesty including … fabricating information, furnishing false information, or reporting a false emergency to the University.”

The letter orders the Muslim student union to cease operations from Sept. 1, a suspension that will be active until Aug. 31, 2011. After that date, the group will be placed on “disciplinary probation” for one more year. Any misconduct during that period could result in further action against the group or its members, Cornish’s letter states. Also, group members must collectively complete 50 hours of community service, which also needs to be approved by the university.

Ayloush said he is disappointed by The Jewish Federation’s decision to release information that was meant to be confidential.

“I’m puzzled at their attempt to score political points at the expense of the privacy of the students and the process that is internal to UCI,” he said.

To watch a YouTube video featuring a statement by Jewish Federation President and CEO Shalom Elcott, click here.

Ayloush called the university’s actions “unprecedented, heavy-handed and draconian.”

“It appears to be politically motivated to silence any future peaceful and legitimate criticism of Israel’s brutal practices,” he said. “This was nothing but a peaceful and symbolic protest of the Israeli Ambassador at UCI. It was a reflection of a growing worldwide campaign by human rights activists to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and their racism toward the Palestinian people.”

The Muslim students did not engage in fraudulent, immoral or criminal behavior, Ayloush said.

Shalom Elcott, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation Orange County, said he commends the university’s decision to follow through on this issue.

“The university’s disciplinary action regarding the MSU establishes an important and appropriate precedent and sends a powerful message to other universities across the nation.”

Elcott said the federation along with other campus and local Jewish organizations have worked with the university to resolve this issue.

Jeff Margolis, co-chairman of the federation’s Rose Council, said the university’s actions show that it has “taken seriously the on-campus actions of the Muslim Student Union and its serial disregard for university policies and civil discourse.”

Contact the writer: 714-796-7956 or epak@ocregister.com

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A Berlin court has rejected a legal bid by a 16-year-old Muslim student to be granted the right to conduct Islamic prayer rituals at his school.

Article

Refurbished prayer rooms for La Trobe University’s 1500 Muslim students will be formally opened at the Melbourne campus this Wednesday.

The $927,000 facility is expected to help Muslim students meet the challenges of combining the demands of tertiary study with the daily ritual of prayer.

A new student lifestyle guide for Muslim students will also be released at the same time.  The handbook discusses information like where to get Halal food, Mosque locations and links with external Muslim student societies.

‘La Trobe has promised an educational experience where all students feel welcome.   We have a diverse student population and it makes sense that we have a wide range of facilities on campus to meet their needs, from sport and childcare to social and spiritual activity,’ said the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Johnson.

He said the Muslim Prayer Room is an important addition to improving student experience.

The University already has a Chapel and Lounge for Christian prayer and Bible study, and provides facilities for chaplaincy services of the Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and Orthodox Christian churches.

According to the La Trobe University Islamic Society  President, Mohamad Tabaa there are close to 600 students who are members of the Association.

Mr Tabaa  said Muslim students appreciate any efforts to help them juggle a full course load and finding time (and space) to pray 5 times each day.

‘Having the wash room and prayer room facilities means we can spend more time studying, and we can pray discreetly.

‘Prayer is very private and unique to various religions, and it is great to have a space where we can wash before prayer,’ he said.

‘It may seem a bit anti-social if we were to wash our feet in the general students’ public bathroom and there is a lot of movement during prayer which may be interpreted differently by people who don’t understand our religion,’ he said.

Mr Tabaa said the La Trobe University Islamic Society appreciates La Trobe’s efforts.

‘It is very generous of the University to give our community this space to pray; it shows the mutual respect the University has for Muslims’

He also said that provision of the Prayer Rooms is one of the key factors why international students choose to study at La Trobe.

‘La Trobe surpasses other major universities in terms of its facilities available to Muslim students, there are many places on campus where we can hang out with our friends, there are many stores that supply Halal,’ he added.

The address for a link to the Muslim Student Guide is below:

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/58990/20100114_Muslim-Student-Guide.pdf

Media enquiries:

Mikhaela Delahunty
Media Officer, La Trobe University
m.delahunty@latrobe.edu.au
03.9479 5353
0411 268 946

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La Trobe extends student prayer room

Alternative shared accommodation offered but rejected as ‘unacceptable’. Melanie Newman reports

Hundreds of Muslim students have been holding prayers outside City University London for a month in protest at the closure of a prayer room used exclusively by them.

The students declare that “multi-faith” alternatives are unacceptable because “a vast number of Muslim scholars throughout history believe it is impermissible for Muslims to offer prayers in a place where [a god] other than our Lord, Allah, is worshipped”.

In an open letter, the protesters also point out that the multi-faith room can accommodate only 40 people, which is too small for the number of Muslims who need to pray at least three times per day.

All-male groups have been praying on the pavement outside City since 15 February, with more than 200 reportedly turning up for Friday prayers in Northampton Square.

The protest follows a fight between members of the City Islamic Society and a gang of youths last November outside the Gloucester building in Whiskin Street which previously housed the Muslim prayer room.

Police described the attack, in which two students were stabbed, as racially aggravated. Earlier the same week, students reported being pelted with stones as they left the room.

As a result of the incidents, the university closed the room and set up temporary multi-faith facilities in a different building. The students want the previous room reopened.

“We would like to think that there is an amicable rapport between all faiths and societies at the university,” the letter says. “But, if circumstances arise – which they inevitably will – that each society has to restrict its time in the multi-faith rooms to accommodate other societies to the detriment of their beliefs and practices, naturally, there will be a breakdown of good relations.”

A university spokeswoman said the new room had been set up in consultation with Muslim scholars and was “in line with what many other higher education institutes are providing”.

“Practice in other universities shows that many Muslims pray where others have been – City has already seen its new space used by some of its Muslim students,” she said. City’s great hall was available for Friday prayers, she added.

Fran Singh, editor of The Inquirer, City’s student newspaper, said most students – Muslim and non-Muslim – backed the protests. “I think the stance the university has taken is partly in response to complaints that they have let the Islamic Society have their own way for too long for fear of being branded as discriminatory,” she said. “They are trying to take a tough line but are somewhat missing the point.”

Relations between the City University Islamic Society members and other student groups have been strained since last year, when the society invited cleric Abu Usamah to a fundraising event.

The preacher featured in a Channel 4 documentary, Undercover Mosque, in 2007, in which he said homosexuals should be “thrown off a mountain” and labelled women intellectually deficient.

The Inquirer ran an article and editorial criticising the society for inviting Mr Usamah.

In its response, also published by the paper, the society warns The Inquirer and City staff to “submit to Allah” or face “severe and painful punishment” in the “next life”.

A second response, from anonymous Muslim students at City, points out that “male chauvinists are everywhere” and asks non-Muslims to “take a critical look at the myriad media reports of angry Muslims shouting ‘death to the infidels’. There are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, and if Islam advocated violence and sexism, the whole world would be up in flames by now,” they write.

City’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Society also demanded an apology from Julius Weinberg, acting vice-chancellor, for allowing Mr Usamah on to campus.

Professor Weinberg said he had since reviewed the way the university vets its speakers. He said: “It is not appropriate for the university to hold speaker meetings where there is segregation by gender, as this is not consistent with the university values statement.”

melanie.newman@tsleducation.com

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Imagine a protest every Friday on your campus. This is what has been happening at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) since the beginning of February. Hundreds of Muslim students and staff have been praying outside on the UNSW main walkway near Anzac Parade to protest against the university’s racist policy of closing down the Muslim Friday prayer room.

On 11 November 2009, UNSW revoked permission for the Islamic Society to hold the Friday prayers in the Friday prayer room which was previously located in the second floor of the Squarehouse. The administration justified this by saying that they need more space to relocate students from the College of Fine Arts.

But this is not the first time this has happened at UNSW. In June 2009, the university took away the Friday prayer room because there wasn’t enough space for students to take their exams. The students and staff then made several complaints to the university. Over 500 signatures from students and staff at one Friday prayer event was sent to the Vice Chancellor’s office.

After the closure of the Friday prayer room in November, the university offered the Islamic Society the Sam Cracknall Pavilion (located beside a cricket ground) as the alternative location for prayers. However, the venue was previously taken away from the students because it is unsafe for hundreds of people to pray in that location at one time. It is licensed for up to 120 persons, but each week during the study sessions around 500 Muslim students and staff need to use it. This makes praying at Sam Cracknall extremely dangerous so they decided to boycott the room.

In a recent meeting the Vice Chancellor, Fred Hilmer, told the students that “the provision of prayer services is not a right but a courtesy from the university”.

This is just pure racism. There are two colleges and several chaplaincies for Christian students. In defiance of the racism, the Muslim students decided in early February that they will pray on the main walkway near Anzac Parade in protest against the university’s decision.

Even in the midst of stormy weather in the last few weeks, hundreds of people prayed next to a big banner which read: “Smash racism! Friday Prayer Room for UNSW Muslim Students and Staff NOW.

The courage of their actions cannot be overstated, especially in the context of the racist “war on terror”, where all Muslims are demonized in society. Their determined action has gained support from both the UNSW Students Representative Council (SRC) and the UNSW-branch National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).

Socialist Alternative members on the campus have been in the forefront of support for the campaign since June of last year. We have helped to raise the issue in the student union, and successfully won the arguments to get the SRC to support the campaign, as well as getting support from the NTEU. However, the support of the SRC is still very limited, consisting of a promise of putting out a press release in the student magazine, and helping to talk to the university about the issue.

On Friday during O-week, members of Socialist Alternative and the Islamic Society organized successfully a banner painting and a speak-out against the university’s racist policy. The speak-out was able to attract a crowd of more than 500 people with speakers from the SRC, the NTEU and members of the Islamic Society and Socialist Alternative. We also helped to distribute hundreds of flyers and organised support from a wide range of students.

The UNSW handbook for the university’s Institute of Languages, directed at international students from the Middle East and South-East Asia, is still advertising the Muslim Friday prayer room on the top of the Sam Cracknell Pavilion. The university clearly knows that the students have refused to use the facility for five months. This really shows the university’s contempt for international students. They are happy to treat them as cash cows, but refuse to cater for their rights and beliefs.

In an effort to stop the protest, the university announced last week that they will give the Scientia Hall to the Islamic Society to use for Friday prayers, but only for the first two weeks of the semester. The Islamic Society rejected that offer outright. Islamic Society president Elias said at the protest last Friday: “We will continue protesting till we will get our prayer room back”.

Anh Pham is UNSW Postgraduate Officer.

Source

General purpose of the Advisory Group

The Islamic Prayer Room Advisory Group operates through the Director Student Support Services, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education).

The purpose of the Advisory Group is to advise the University on the management of the use of the Islamic Prayer Room.

The Advisory Group will include equal numbers of Muslim male and female members from SUMSA.

Names and contact numbers of Advisory Group members will be posted on the main notice board of the Islamic Prayer Room.

Email consultation of Advisory Group members will be used where necessary to facilitate a prompt outcome on urgent or less serious issues. Group members are expected to respond to email consultations within three working days. Decisions by email will be determined by the majority of the email responses received by the Convenor within five working days.

Meetings of the Advisory Group will be held as required.

Functions of the Advisory Group

Establish Guidelines governing usage of the Islamic Prayer Room.

Provide a mediation and dispute resolution function in relation to the use of the Islamic Prayer Room.

Regularly review the operation of the Islamic Prayer Room.

Establish a subgroup, the Prayer Room Coordination Sub-Group of the Islamic Prayer Room Advisory Group, to manage the day to day operations of the Prayer Room that will comprise the Islamic Chaplain and the SUMSA Executive.

Membership

Ex-officio members

Head International Student Support Unit (Ms Lidia Nemitschenko) (Convenor)
Islamic Chaplain (to be confirmed)

Four Muslims nominated by SUMSA, of which one shall be the President.
These nominations shall include two Muslim female and two Muslim male nominations.

President SUMSA
Vice President SUMSA
Secretary SUMSA
Treasurer SUMSA

President, or nominee, Cumberland Muslim Society (to be confirmed)

Other interested parties may be invited to join the group either through ongoing membership or by invitation as a guest. A decision regarding any such invitation will be made by consensus of the whole group.

In attendance:
International Student Support Officer ISSU

Meeting Dates

2010 First Semester:
to be advised

2010 Second Semester:
to be advised

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