CityU’s response to disco night ‘misconduct’ an overreaction

In response to the August 27 case of a young man lifting up and carrying a young woman at a party, City University authorities have established a student discipline panel. The man was reportedly half-naked while the woman was clad in only shorts and a bra. Am I the only person to think that a mountain is being made out of a molehill here? We run the risk of using a sledgehammer to crack the proverbial small nut.

One aspect of this case does merit further examination: the issue of consent. Who among those attending what was essentially a private gathering consented to be filmed? Who among the students present at the event thought it was acceptable to film proceedings at a closed function and release the footage to social media?

If anyone is to be disciplined in this case, it should be that person, for intruding on the privacy of fellow students, betraying their classmates’ trust and perhaps tarnishing the reputation of the institution.

It is the practice of local universities to organise orientation events to help young adults cope with the transition from a heavily scripted secondary school setting to the more freewheeling atmosphere of life in a tertiary institution. However, some of our universities have run into controversy with these well-intended programmes.