Liège university students face sanctions for trashing French ski resort

Students from the University of Liège are facing potential sanctions for causing widespread damage to a French ski resort, with rector Anne-Sophie Nyssen saying their behaviour damaged the image of the university.

“These students are attached to the University of Liège,” Nyssen said, adding that while the trip was a private one and not officially connected to the university, the students’ behaviour reflects badly on the university's image.

“I obviously cannot tolerate this type of irresponsible behaviour on the part of students. We have contacted those responsible for this private trip to clarify the facts and, if necessary, the university will take action against the students involved.

"One of the university's missions is to help train responsible citizens, and I don't think that this kind of behaviour is tolerable in our institution."

After the exam session in January, many university students celebrate by organising ski trips together.

A resort in the French Alps that generally caters to families hosted some 420 such students led by eight organisers during the last week of January who created a major nuisance for other guests by partying during the night, and also caused significant damage to the property.

Daniel-Jean Veniat, deputy mayor of the town where the resort is located, said the students caused disturbances from day one of their arrival.

“In the evening, as soon as they had settled in, they were on the balconies of the flats they occupied, playing music at top volume,” Veniat said.

Reports indicate there were broken TVs, broken stove-tops, broken telephones, and damage to communal areas, such as the lifts. There was also damage outside of the resort.

“We have a square called Place des Commerçants which is at the heart of the station,” Veniat said.

“It has been completely soiled and ransacked with defecation, urine, broken bottles and rubbish everywhere.”

Several teams from the local authority had to intervene to restore the square and the deputy mayor said he had to call law enforcement on several occasions.

“Overall, out of the 420 students, it has to be said that there was a core of 50 to 60 people who are the leaders, who were the ones who got everyone going,” said Veniat, adding that he found himself faced with organisers who were completely overwhelmed by the situation.

Organisers claimed the situation had been made worse by La Plagne’s unwillingness to let them use its town hall to party, and said that residents and police showed them “a lack of respect”.

The invoices for the work carried out by the municipal teams and for the extensive damage to the accommodation will be passed on to the organisers, who are now blacklisted from the resort.

Photo: DimiTalen/Wikimedia. Licensed under Creative Commons