Violence has erupted of late on more than one university campus, reflecting a prevailing state of chaos and a low security profile in society generally. Noticeably, thuggery has occurred in public-run as well as in private educational institutions, signalling microcosmic manifestations of violence outside university walls. The paradox, however, is that while universities and academia in general are the perfect soil for nurturing understanding and dialogue between different orientations, they have today turned into a battlefield, in the literal sense of the word. Violence in Ain Shams, Mansoura and Helwan Universities has not only pinpointed a moral and cultural flaw, but also a serious security problem as well. The moral aspect, however, has much to do with the post-Revolution developments associated with a defective track that has caused frustration and brought the worst out of the people. As for the security's part, it has a history that is related to the general nature of campus security made available from the l980s to date. Police guards assigned by the Interior Ministry had been entrusted with the task since the l980s, but their repression of protests and interference in some activities, especially student union elections, prompted those seeking the independence of universities to resort to court cases. A verdict was issued in 2008, which was upheld by a higher court ordering the removal of the ministry police guards. Ever since, they have been substituted by civilian security men, who, in fact, turned out to have no experience whatever with the dictates of security. The doors of universities have therefore been thrust opened to any one, and to any activities including drugs and harassment. So the clashes between Ain Shams university students and thugs from outside are not really surprising, given this loose situation. Although the university administration has said it plans to launch an integrated security system very soon, recruiting professional guards and the installation of electronic gates, yet a tendency to use violence is not expected to abate on campus unless stability is secured outside.
