JEDDAH, 2 November 2004 — The girls’ dormitory at King Abdul Aziz University is far from second home for its students who are complaining of discrimination, maltreatment and favoritism.

At least seven students from various disciplines and levels contacted Arab News in the hope that maybe the establishment would respond and a solution would be found to their problems. The students’ names used here are fictitious because they did not want their real names to be published for fear of reprisal from KAAU dorms’ staff.

Farida said: “One of the dorms’ staff, Suad Al-Rifaei, plays favorites all the time. For some of us they don’t even allow us what is ours according to the rules while they actually let others break the rules and turn the other way.

“According to the rules, no one can force you to change rooms or change roommates without your consent but I’ve been forced to vacate my room. I was also forced to sign a paper of consent but on the understanding that it would be temporary because there was supposed to be some maintenance work. As soon as my roommate and I moved out, other girls moved in. There was no maintenance work at all!” Hameeda, her roommate, said: “They make it hard for any visitors to come here and they make it hard for us to receive anything from family and friends. And yet we see the supervisors taking some of the students out shopping or whatever, even though it’s against the rules to leave the premises unless you’re with the assigned guardian.”

According to the university system each student has three guardians who are the only ones who can pick them up, or sign them in.

“My mother is one of my guardians. Once she sent me a package with a cousin who isn’t one of my guardians,” said Huda. “They wouldn’t let the package in. It just stayed there.”

Only the guardians are allowed to visit or deliver packages. And if and when they do come to visit or deliver things to the related students, they must carry original IDs. In fact, one of the students’ mother came to visit her forgetting the original ID or bringing a copy and she was turned back though she came all the way from another city.

When the students confronted the head supervisor of the girls’ dormitory, Dr. Najia Al-Zinbaqi, she responded with: “These are my dorms and I’m free to do as I will.”

Hameeda’s academic life nearly ended due to Grade Point Average (GPA) problems that she managed to resolve. Consequently she presumed that her dorm problems were due to her academic problems. However, after her academic GPA-related issues were resolved, she was told by the dorm supervisor that her dorm problems were related to “something else” — something that remains vague and unknown to this day.

Furthermore, students told Arab News that medical treatment on the dorms campus is nearly totally redundant. The doctor does not leave her clinic to attend to the sick. A diabetic student was wrongly treated and was rushed to the hospital as a result. One student suffered from a heart disorder that led to her semi-paralysis state. When they called the clinic, the doctor wouldn’t come to the room and the girls had to carry her to the clinic. When they got there, the student said “could it be a muscle spasm?” And the “doctor” put it down on paper “heart muscle spasm”!

Leila said: “It wasn’t like this with the former dorms head, Dr. Fatmah Al-Farsi. Sure she was strict but she was so humane. Her door was always open to us. She was like a second mother to us.” She continued: “Dr. Najia is contrary to her in nearly every way.”

Arab News contacted Dr. Osama Al-Taeb, president of King Abdul Aziz University and Dr. Samar Al-Saggaf, the Dean/Head of the Girls’ Section of KAAU for feedback. Al-Saggaf’s office said that Al-Taeb had forwarded a memo regarding this issue. And though Al-Saggaf’s office promised Arab News to provide it with feedback and answer their faxed questions, after nearly a two-week wait, there was no response.

Najia Al-Zinbaqi is never available, and comes to the dorms only twice a week — Sundays and Tuesdays.

The girls complained of insect-infested old furniture, bad unattended bathroom plumbing; students have to provide their own light bulbs and at the same time they’re not allowed to have lamps; the washing machine is old and rusty causing damage to their clothes and yet they’re not allowed to buy their own washing machine.

Complaints also include hygienic matters such as insects and hair in their food. During this past term there was a food poisoning case even in the boys’ section and yet in this area the girls went untreated.

Students have to pay for any accidents, even fires that started in the absence of students: One student who was off dorms campus premises was forced to pay SR4,000 despite the fact that it was impossible for her to have had anything to do with the fire.

When students accidentally get locked out of their rooms, it takes hours: They’ve got to wait until the supervisor comes and opens it for them.

The girls told Arab News: “All we want is to be treated decently, humanely. We want things to go back as they were when Dr. Fatmah Al-Farsi was head of the students’ dorms. No more verbal abuse and we want justice.”

“With the way things are, it’s more like a prison!” said Farida.