Jahangirnagar University administration sparks controversy by allowing former student leaders to retain residential hall privileges beyond enrollment status
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Jahangirnagar University (JU) administration has sparked controversy by granting elected representatives of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) and hall unions the right to reside in campus dormitories beyond the completion of their formal academic tenure. The decision, issued in a notice signed by Acting Registrar A.B.M. Azizur Rahman, allows these student leaders to retain their hall allocations for the duration of their official terms, effectively exempting them from standard university regulations.
According to the university’s ‘Student Discipline Ordinance-2018,’ students are required to vacate their residential halls within seven days of completing their undergraduate or postgraduate examinations. Under existing academic policies, undergraduate students are granted a maximum of six years to finish their four-year degree, while postgraduate students have up to two years to complete their one-year course. Once these periods lapse, students are typically stripped of their regular status and must leave university housing.
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The administration’s sudden policy shift has drawn sharp criticism from students and various political organizations on campus. Critics point out that the directive follows recent scrutiny over the continued presence of JUCSU Vice President Abdur Rashid Jitu in his residential hall, despite the expiration of his regular student status. While Jitu remains in his room, General Secretary Mazharul Islam vacated his hall seat after his academic tenure concluded, highlighting a lack of consistency among student leadership.
Mazharul Islam has publicly rejected the administration’s decision, labeling the move “unprecedented” and warning that it creates a pathway for irregular students to occupy university housing indefinitely. Similar sentiments were echoed by other student leaders, including Social Welfare Secretary Ahsan Labib, who questioned the legal basis for creating special privileges for student union representatives that are not afforded to the general student body.
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The university branch of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) also voiced strong opposition, accusing the administration of practicing double standards. JCD leadership noted that while the university has been swift to evict their members who have reached the end of their academic terms, it has proactively extended housing privileges to JUCSU leaders without any formal request or discussion.
Despite the mounting criticism, university officials have remained largely silent. Acting Registrar Azizur Rahman confirmed that the decision was finalized during an administrative meeting on Tuesday, though he conceded that no formal or written petition had been submitted by the student union representatives to justify the policy change. Efforts to reach Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan and JUCSU Vice President Abdur Rashid Jitu for comment were unsuccessful.
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