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SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) filed a police report against dismissed teaching staff Jeremy Fernando, following two accusations of sexual misconduct by his students against him.
In a press release on Wednesday (October 21), the university said it decided to alert the police “given the seriousness of the allegations.” He has also advised the two students to report reports of sexual misconduct to the police, in the company of NUS staff.
“All allegations of misconduct are taken seriously, and the university strongly opposes all forms of inappropriate behavior,” NUS said in the press release.
Chronology of the events that led to the dismissal
NUS also clarified the timeline of the events that led to the dismissal of Dr. Fernando, since the first complaint of sexual misconduct was reported on August 27.
Internal investigations found that Dr. Fernando, a non-resident teaching staff at Tembusu College, had an “intimate association” with a college student, constituting a serious violation of the NUS code of conduct for staff.
On August 31, Dr. Fernando was suspended from his duties and prohibited from communicating with any student or staff, or attending his workplace. A no-contact order was also issued to prohibit him from contacting the first complainant.
The student was interviewed about her complaint, while an attention officer from the Victims Attention Unit (VCU) explored with her the option of filing a police report. However, the student decided not to report the matter to the police.
On September 7, NUS received a second complaint of sexual misconduct from a student against Dr. Fernando. Despite the advice of a VCU care officer and the director of Tembusu College, the student also decided not to report the matter to the police.
Dr. Fernando received a no-contact order for the second complainant on September 14. The university completed its internal investigations into the second complaint seven days later and informed Dr. Fernando of the misconduct complaint. He was given seven days to respond to the charge.
On September 30, Dr. Fernando responded to the university and was fired on October 7. On the same day of their dismissal, the two students were informed of the result, while the academic staff of Tembusu College were also notified.
All staff members and faculty students were finally informed by email of the dismissal of Dr. Fernando on October 18.
The information could have been shared in a more timely manner: NUS
While NUS admitted that it could have shared information about the firing with Tembusu staff and students in a more timely manner, it said it has to balance “privacy and confidentiality interests, particularly for the victims involved.”
“Our priority is to ensure a strong level of support and care for the two students involved,” he said in the press release.
“When the incident was disclosed to the university, it immediately took steps to protect the student community and worked with the VCU to facilitate a fair and prompt investigation that was conducted by the university.
“(VCU) has been providing care and support to the two students throughout the research process and will continue to do so.”
Tembusu College has also continued face-to-face engagement with students, student leaders, and staff in small groups. The university’s student leaders have also started an initiative to form a community support task force to facilitate a deeper dialogue within the university community.
In response to a request from the Student Union, NUS has posted the Staff Code of Conduct in the public domain to facilitate access by staff and students. Previously, it was only available on the NUS staff intranet.
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