Proposed HKU amendment to crack down on students who ‘bring disrepute’ to the school

Under a proposed amendment to the University of Hong Kong's statute, “conduct considered to be bringing the University into disrepute” will be added to the list of complaints to be brought before the Disciplinary Committee by the Vice-Chancellor in a bid to regulate its students’ behavior.

The proposal was signed off by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, the university’s chancellor, on Tuesday. According to the document submitted to the Legco, the amendment is expected to be gazetted on Friday, followed by a legislative process next Wednesday.

The university said similar provisions existed in many city and overseas institutions, including the University of Birmingham, University College London, and the University of Edinburgh in Britain.

However, it did not define in the document what would constitute “disrepute” to the school.

Meanwhile, the composition of the disciplinary committee is set to face changes should the new statute gets approved.

Currently, the disciplinary committee that handles complaints comprises three academics and two student representatives, with the committee members chosen from two pools of academic and student representatives.

The amendment sought to increase the two pools of academic and student representatives from 20 to 30 people each, while the student representatives will no longer be appointed by the university’s Students' Union Council but by the university’s Senate.

The document noted that the proposed amendment has gone through the internal procedure in the university, which involved its relevant departments and faculties, the Senate, the Council, and the Court.

“HKU has also consulted the Education Bureau and, through the Bureau, the Law Draftsman. The Law Draftsman’s comments on the Amendment Statute have been incorporated as appropriate,” it read.