Antwerp, After a series of incidents, with the sad climax of a galabal that ended with brawls and arrests, the University of Antwerp decided to Sofia, the recognized student association of the Faculty of law, to adjourn until september 1, 2019. “The wrong culture within the club must be broken”, says rector Van Goethem.
On 16 november, Sofia galabal in Hall Horta at Antwerp’s Hopland. According to the fraternity itself, there were about 1,200 attendees at the party, of whom an estimated 90 percent no rights studies at the University of Antwerp. Excessive use of alcohol dominated the galabal, leading to verbal and physical aggression led. Eventually the local police to intervene and was galabal prematurely ended.
Letter from the mayor
“The police arrested some of the attendees and made dozens of reports,” says Herman Van Goethem, rector of UAntwerpen. “It was more about assault and battery, disturbance of the public order, theft and damage. One student with serious injuries brought to the hospital and there was considerable damage caused to Hall Horta. Staggering facts. I decided immediately to this case. The mayor and the onderwijsschepen wrote me afterwards a letter in which they expressed their – justified – outrage.”
moreover, It isn’t a one time incident: the dean of the Faculty of law be the past few years, student Sofia repeatedly visit, after incidents that, as now, point to a persistent lack of a sense of responsibility. It was also found presidiumleden sometimes not students of the University of Antwerp, while the association called the official faculteitsclub. Sofia was asked for an improvement plan, and the organized activities, to diversify, but the warning had no effect.
