Party with alcohol excess: termination of university contract lawful
A private university has terminated the study contract of a third-semester student because he held a party with lots of alcohol for first-semester students in his apartment. This termination without notice was lawful, the Koblenz Regional Court announced on Tuesday. It had rejected the student's application for a temporary injunction with a legally binding decision at the end of September.
At the start of the 2023/24 winter semester, the student had mentored first-year students and introduced them to university life. In this role, he had hosted a party in his private apartment. The evening ended with "one first-semester student lying completely drunk in the bathroom and another first-semester student, heavily intoxicated, having to be taken to a clinic by ambulance", it said. The university had informed all students at the start of the semester that binge drinking was undesirable and could result in the termination of their study contract.
The court emphasized that adult students getting drunk together in a private apartment does not necessarily lead to termination. However, in this case, the student had an official function as a sponsor and had used this to put psychological pressure on the first semester students to consume alcohol.
In this situation, the university's decision to terminate the student's contract was based on the serious violations of university policies regarding alcohol consumption, as evident in the party he organized. This incident involved judgments about the student's responsibilities and behaviors, which were not in line with the expectations set by the university.
Furthermore, the universities often have strict guidelines about alcohol consumption, and such incidents can lead to serious consequences, including academic judgments that may affect a student's future at the university.
Source: www.dpa.com
