NUS panel to share proposals with students by mid-May

Two more students will also sit on committee set up to review disciplinary, support frameworks

The committee that was set up to review the National University of Singapore's (NUS) disciplinary and support frameworks says it expects to come up with recommendations and put them before students for consultation by the middle of this month. It also hopes to have the full recommendations out by mid-June.

It was earlier announced that the committee would share its findings when the new academic year starts this August.

Madam Kay Kuok, a member of the NUS board of trustees and chairman of the committee, shared the new timeline in her first note following her appointment.

Two additional NUS students will also be sitting on the committee, she said in her e-mail to NUS students, staff and alumni yesterday that was seen by The Straits Times.

"We have taken note of your request for significant student representation on the committee... We have welcomed a Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC) member and a graduate fellow (a graduate student) to sit on the committee," said Madam Kuok.

She named the JCRC member as Ms Tay Pei Ling, president of King Edward VII Hall in NUS; and the graduate fellow as Ms Murni Marisa Mahat, from Tembusu College.

Madam Kuok also identified Professor Chan Heng Chee, who is Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a member of the Yale-NUS governing board, as a new member of the committee.

The other members of the committee are: Singapore Management University president Lily Kong; law firm WongPartnership managing partner Ng Wai King; NUS president Tan Eng Chye and a representative from the NUS Students' Union (NUSSU).

Madam Kuok named the NUSSU representative as deputy student life secretary Richard Wang.

Said Madam Kuok: "The committee will undertake a comprehensive review of the disciplinary framework and its application - including sanctions - on sexual misconduct, the support system for victims and the NUS' approach to safety on our campuses.

"We have committed ourselves to a transparent and consultative process that will involve engagement with the NUS community on your concerns on sexual misconduct on our campuses and the committee's proposed recommendations."

The committee was formed after NUS undergraduate Monica Baey, 23, posted on Instagram about how she had been filmed in the shower at Eusoff Hall last November.

Her posts have since sparked a discussion about disciplinary processes in universities and how sexual misconduct cases are handled.

Madam Kuok added: "The committee understands the importance and urgency of our work, but we also need to ensure we conduct a proper, thorough, consultative review that must be robust and sustainable for the long term, establishing a new system that the entire NUS community can stand behind."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 02, 2019, with the headline NUS panel to share proposals with students by mid-May. Subscribe