Political and education leaders on Monday hailed the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s decision to suspend two Students’ Union leaders for a semester for violating university rules. 

Xix HKUST Students’ Union members were punished for holding a political memorial despite the COVID-19 pandemic, refusing to remove separatism posters inside the campus, and painting political slogans on a university road in May and June

The two activists were among a group of six HKUST Students’ Union members that were punished for holding a political memorial — six months after the death of HKUST student Chow Tsz-lok near a protest site in Tswung Kwan O — despite the COVID-19 pandemic, refusing to remove separatism posters inside the campus, and painting political slogans on a university road in May and June. 

The six were also banned from using university facilities for six months and ordered to perform campus community service for 75 hours. The disciplinary action will remain on their university files. 

The decision was reached in mid-January by the Student Disciplinary Committee, made up of four faculty or staff members, one residence master and four student members. 

The HKUST said when a student fails to comply with the rules after repeated advice and explanations, the university may refer serious cases to the Student Disciplinary Committee, to whom the student can present explanations and evidence and have the right of appeal. 

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The university emphasized that the students have the freedom to organize their activities and use campus facilities in accordance with the guidelines, which are made after taking into consideration the actual situation in society and government regulations, including public health and safety. 

Applauding the university’s action to “right the wrong”, political and education sector leaders called on other local universities, which suffered violence and vandalism during the yearlong social turmoil, to make similar practical efforts to maintain a stable academic atmosphere on their campuses. 

Wong Kwan-yu, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said the HKUST’s decision was a start for local universities to face up to the community’s long-held desire that institutions should take action to rectify the lack of law-abiding awareness of many students. 

It is part of a university’s social responsibility to develop a law-abiding consciousness among the students, he said. The universities were also granted such powers by the University of Hong Kong Ordinance to act against those violating campus rules, he added. 

It has been clear that some activities, held in the name of free expression, have crossed the line, said Wong. They have taken up space for normal studies and living, and some even allegedly breached local laws, including the National Security Law for Hong Kong, he noted. 

Those radical political preachers on the campus fueled a violent atmosphere during the social turmoil and unsettled other students who wanted to focus on academic and research pursuits, and in the long run, they would undermine the reputation of Hong Kong’s education, he said. 

On Nov 23, a 20-year-old HKUST student was convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months and two weeks in jail for attacking a Chinese mainland student, injuring his head and eyes, during an open forum between students and university President Wei Shyy in November 2019. 

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As order has been restored in Hong Kong, especially after the enactment of the National Security Law, local university administrators should be more “emboldened” to take practical action to manage the campus, rather than issuing statements of “regrets”, said Wong. 

Stanley Ng Chau-pei, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said the HKUST’s decision was “a good start and a good example for the universities to right the wrong”. 

He urged other principals to hold those accountable for their violent actions, considering whether by indulging students it is helping them or harming them. 

Separately, three students of the Chinese University of Hong Kong were arrested by Hong Kong police on Monday, local media reported. The students are suspected of vandalizing barriers at a campus entrance and throwing unknown powder at security guards on Jan 11. Earlier, a 20-year-old man was turned over to police by the university after the man was stopped by security as he fled the scene with seven other masked black-clad people.