TUBMANBURG, Bomi − The administration of Bomi Community College has banned all social gatherings after one of its students, Lucia Peal, was found dead under mysterious circumstances.
Peal, a first-year student of the business department, was discovered dead in her room in Tubmanburg on Tuesday, June 18, three days after celebrating her birthday with her classmates.
A day following the discovery, a video trended on social media showing one of the friends taking something from the back pocket of her trousers and later returning it after viewing. Many suggested that the friend had poisoned the item in Peal’s pocket.
Additionally, misinformation that one of Peal’s classmates had confessed to killing her friend spread fast, fueling an angry mob that vandalized homes while searching for the supposed killer.
Police in Tubmanburg had already invited several classmates who attended the party along with an instructor for questioning. They were later released because there was no evidence to indict them.
Both the instructor and students clarified that what was seen in the video was a piece of paper that served as a clue for the charades game they were playing.
Three other persons have also been charged and forwarded to court in connection with the violence.
Following a meeting with deans and faculty members on June 19, the college’s president, Zobong Norman, announced that the ban on social gatherings, including class parties, takes immediate effect and remains imposed until otherwise.
“I have been getting disturbing information that some deans or faculty members have been in the habit of facilitating semester parties for students, and we do not think this is right – it is proliferating,” Norman said. “This should not be the role of the faculty members because it imposes a lot of burden on the students.”
The ban also prohibits the involvement and participation of any staff member in student parties, including off campus, and the sale of pamphlets.
“Every instructor wants to produce a pamphlet; some of them, if the students do not buy, they are either penalized or are made to fail the course,” Norman added, noting that many instructors are copying the works of others and selling to the students.
Featured photo by Richard Williams