Student body warns move to carpet pair over council meeting protest could set precedent for other tertiary institutions in city
PEACE.CHIU@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Friday, 01 April, 2016, 10:11pm
Lingnan University student union former leaders (from left) Alex Lo Ngai-yin and Philip Lau Chun-lan and current senior members Devon Cheng Pui-lun and Andrew Man Tou. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Lingnan University’s student union is not ruling out further action if the university does not reverse a decision to summon two former leaders to a disciplinary hearing over a protest against the school’s council in February.
The union also warned the move could set a worrying precedent for other tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.
Former president Philip Lau Chun-lam and executive member Alex Lo Ngai-yin were called to a hearing by the university’s student disciplinary committee on April 8.
They were part of a group of around 30 students who forced the cancellation of a council meeting after clashing with a council member and university president Professor Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon as they tried to enter the venue at the Tuen Mun campus. The students were demanding governance reform.
Lau and Lo have since said they will not attend the hearing as they do not approve of the university’s action.
Union president Devon Cheng Pui-lun said students would be asked to sign an endorsement to remove this hearing and to set up a committee to review the university’s governance structure.
“If the hearing goes ahead for Lau and Lo, it will set a precedent in Lingnan [in which students are summoned to a disciplinary hearing for a protest on campus]. That’s why we are trying to prevent this political suppression,” Cheng said.
Lau warned this was not only a matter of concern for Lingnan, because if such a hearing took place there, other tertiary institutes could follow suit when similar cases occur.
According to Cheng, disciplinary hearings are typically held for violations of regulations such as theft and academic dishonestly.
Andrew Man Tou, the union’s external secretary, condemned the hearing as “retroactive punishment”.
“When Lau and Lo participated in the protest, they were part of the executive council, serving their duties,” he said.
“Pursuing this matter after they stepped down from the executive council puts them at a disadvantage, as they are now just students, without the rights of being executive members of the student union,” he explained.
Man also questioned the validity of clause 2.3(g) of the university’s regulations governing student discipline – the item the university told Lau and Lo they would be investigated under – saying it was “broad, ambiguous and could be interpreted loosely”.
The clause states that the school’s student disciplinary committee may, as a result of its investigation, take disciplinary action against a student who violates any rules or regulations of the university or commits any misconduct.
This includes but is not restricted to, failure to comply with any regulations or orders by authorised persons or bodies prohibiting any conduct which disrupts teaching, study, research or administration of the university.
Man said he would still attend the hearing as an observer.
By Friday night, Lingnan University had not responded to questions about possible punishment for the students and allegations made by the former and present members of the student union.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1932940/student-union-hong-kongs-lingnan-university-vows-fight-disciplinary
