Provost says students’ ‘forceful voices’ are heard; NUS to hold more town halls, improve campus security

SINGAPORE — Responding to its undergraduates’ overwhelming discontent over the way it was handling a peeping tom case, the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Friday (April 26) said that it is committed to holding more town hall sessions in the coming weeks.

It will also speed up its efforts to enhance security on campus and set up an office to support victims of sexual offences as part of its “immediate action” list of things to do.

In an email sent to students, Professor Ho Teck Hua, senior deputy president and provost of NUS, acknowledged the “disappointment” among the hundreds of students at a town hall on Thursday.

During the proceedings, cries of objections from the participants were heard when a request to extend the 90-minute session was denied by dean of students Peter Pang, who said there was another meeting to attend.

The town hall was chaired by a panel comprising Associate Professor Pang, vice-provost of student life Florence Ling, and Ms Celestine Chua, a counsellor from the university.

On Friday, the NUS Students’ Union told students in an email that it was “extremely disappointed” with the panel’s rejection for an extended session.

Noting that the town hall should have been the “top priority” for the university administration, the union said that it was “a huge letdown” for students who cleared their schedules before their finals but were unable to voice their concerns.

In his email to students, Prof Ho said that the town hall was “just the first step” in a broad consultation with the NUS community to hear from students, faculty and staff members, and there will be more opportunities for consultation and feedback in the coming weeks — including more town hall sessions.

He added: “I would like to state emphatically that we take our responsibilities very seriously when it comes to protecting everyone in our community from harm.

“We hear your forceful voices on the need to strengthen our disciplinary framework, to improve victim care support and physical safety, and to redouble our efforts to create a culture that allows everyone to feel safe on campus… I assure you that we are listening.”

SAFETY AT HOSTELS, AROUND CAMPUS

For a start, the university will “accelerate the enhancement” of physical security on campus, he said, which includes broadening its closed-circuit surveillance camera coverage, deploying more security staff members and providing better training for these personnel in handling cases of sexual misconduct.

It will also “work with student representatives to implement heightened security and privacy tools in bathrooms in all student residences”, though Prof Ho did not go into details on what these are.

TODAY had asked NUS about its existing campus security measures when it reported cases of voyeurism and sexual harassment that happen at the hostels, as well as the university’s disciplinary processes.

Concerns grew after undergraduate Monica Baey, 23, spoke up on social media last week that she was illegally filmed showering in the toilet of Eusoff Hall.

She was among more than 400 students and staff members who attended the town hall on Thursday and told of how she felt “extremely uncomfortable” and “distraught” reporting the incident to the university. She was unaccompanied when she filed a report at the police station, she added, and called for better support by the institution.

Following up on her proposal, Prof Ho said that NUS will begin working on having a dedicated office to provide specialised care for victims of sexual misconduct.

This office — to be ready before the start of the academic year in August — will support victims from the time they make a report. Counsellors will be present to provide aftercare support and address other concerns and needs that victims may have.

From August, NUS will deliver educational seminars on consent and awareness for all students, faculty and staff members.

“We are committed to a transparent and consultative process, and our proposed actions will continue to be published for your feedback before they are implemented by the start of the new academic year,” Prof Ho said to students.

BETTER ANSWERS NEEDED

Shortly after Miss Baey’s Instagram post about her experience went viral last weekend, detailing her frustration at what she saw as the offender getting away lightly, NUS announced that it would convene a committee to review its disciplinary and support frameworks for sexual misconduct.

It appointed the first few committee members on Monday and is expected to publish its evaluation in August.

At Thursday’s town hall, one of the gripes that undergraduates had was that none of the committee’s members were at the session.

Prof Ho assured students that their points raised at the session will be “shared in full” with the committee.

The NUS Students’ Union said: “(We) are disheartened to observe that the panellists were unable to answer students’ questions adequately as they are not on the review committee and therefore could not make any commitment on their behalf.

“Furthermore, the town hall did not meet its original intentions of sharing its investigative and disciplinary procedures and the sanctions framework for sexual misconduct.”

The union added that it had submitted a proposal to "increase the diversity and quantity" of student representation in the review committee, and to have another town hall where members of the review committee are on the panel.