Act on Higher Education - Czyborra suggests that disenrollment should be a last resort.
In matters involving troublesome students, Berlin's Science Senator Ina Czyborra views expulsion as the final option. "It's the last resort, and that's how it's being addressed," said this SPD politician to the German Press Agency. The stricter Higher Education Law offers other forms of punishment, which are to be embedded in university policy and, unlike expulsion, would be implemented immediately.
"If people engage in anti-Semitic or racist behavior at a university, for example, they could be reprimanded or removed from certain courses to protect them from harassment and discrimination," Czyborra explained. Another option is banning individuals from the university grounds, which can also be extended to outsiders. "In this regard, domiciliary rights are always the preferred solution to directly protect against violence and also to maintain the university space and debate arena."
Amendment to the Higher Education Law enacted in March
As it stands today, the only way to bar someone from attending a Berlin university is to ban them from the premises - but this ban is only temporary. In the future, universities will be able to bar students permanently from the institution after committing serious offenses. The Social Democrat-Christian Democratic Senate approved an amendment to the Higher Education Law at the end of March.
This decision stemmed from an attack on a Jewish student at Free University by a fellow student at the beginning of February. The amendment is now being discussed further in the House of Representatives. Czyborra aims to pass the amendment this year. The opposition voices concerns about arbitrary application and possible abuse, however.
Expulsion should only occur in cases of physical violence
According to Czyborra, de-registration should only be implemented following instances of violence - and only after the individual has been convicted by a court. For repeated violent acts on campus, however, expulsion would also be an option before a conviction, as long as the crimes are significant. "However, it must involve substantial violent attacks."
Expelling a student based solely on their political views is not feasible for Czyborra: "No matter how distasteful political views may be to us, as long as they adhere to the constitution, we cannot and will not punish them, even if they are expressed at the university."
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Source: www.stern.de
