Oct. 14, 2014, 6:25 p.m. – THE FACULTY of Civil Law has suspended all members of two
fraternities involved in two separate “standoff” incidents yesterday
and last Sunday.
In a memorandum signed by Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina, members of
the Gamma Delta Epsilon Fraternity and Aegis Juris Fraternity were temporarily
suspended from “all bar operations and other student activities within [the]
UST campus or other site where [the] UST Faculty of Civil Law has an official
activity.”
Civil Law said the memorandum was a precautionary measure to
ensure the security of all reviewees and students of the faculty.
The memorandum was issued following a complaint from the Office of
the Bar Confidant, referring to a supposed commotion between the two
fraternities during the bar exams last Oct. 12.
According to Civil Law Student Council President Victor
Villanueva, the council was gathering statements from witnesses to the two
incidents. “Hindi ko na-witness, pero from accounts of students who were
there, may sakitang naganap, not just yesterday but also [last] Sunday,” he
said.
UST Security Chief Joseph Badinas said there was no physical
confrontation between the two fraternities yesterday and that the members left
the University using separate gates to avoid further misunderstandings.
“We just guided the students para safe na makauwi. Wala namang
sakitan na nangyari, parang discussion lang,” Badinas said in an interview.
Villanueva said he was not against fraternities as students had
the right to form organizations, but these groups should not cause harm inside
the University.
“My personal stand is
that I allow them to settle their conflicts as long as it is not done in UST.
Ang payo ko lang lagi sa kanila, take it outside,” Villanueva said. Dayanara
T. Cudal and Arianne F. Merez
