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SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) is taking further steps to address sexual misconduct in the wake of several recent cases involving members of its faculty and following a recent review.
In an email circular to students, staff, and alumni on Thursday (December 17), NUS President Tan Eng Chye outlined steps the university will implement to strengthen its sexual misconduct handling processes. , which will include staff training. and passersby.
Many of these measures will be implemented in the coming months.
The university plans to develop a sexual misconduct policy that applies to both staff and students. It will also provide the NUS community with a report every six months on cases of sexual misconduct involving its staff and / or students. But the facts of each case will be redacted to prevent the victims from being identified.
It will soon introduce refresher courses for staff and students to reinforce respect and consent, and is exploring bystander training to emphasize the importance of this role in detecting sexual misconduct and taking appropriate action.
There are also plans to hold workshops to “build an inclusive and respectful culture on campus, and strengthen the training of staff who are likely to be the first responders in cases where sexual misconduct has occurred,” said Professor Tan.
He added that the Victims Attention Unit, which currently supports victims who are students, will be renamed the NUS Attention Unit. For the second quarter of next year, this unit will receive resources to extend support to NUS staff.
Professor Tan also said the university has strengthened its internal processes to ensure that it will complete any arrestable crime reports to the police no later than two weeks after its disciplinary council, for students, or investigative committee, has concluded to the staff. your investigations.
A police report can be filed if circumstances warrant, he said, adding that under Section 424 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the law requires NUS to report any enumerated arrestable offenses. This includes voyeurism, outrage at modesty, and rape.
Additionally, the university has established a committee to look at sexual misconduct by staff and will share more details on how it will implement its recommendations later.
Recognizing that being open and more transparent about sexual misconduct crimes is critical to building trust and a culture of respect on campus, Professor Tan said that NUS would continue to share pertinent information about the allegations and investigation findings with the community. university in a proactive and timely manner. This will be done, when possible, without compromising the privacy and well-being of the victims, he said.
The latest measures come after several cases of sexual misconduct involving NUS staff and making headlines this year.
Among them is Professor Theodore G. Hopf, chair professor of the department of political science at the College of Arts and Social Sciences, who was fired on December 1 for sexual misconduct with a student.
NUS also reported in November that Professor Zheng Yongnian, former director of its East Asian Institute, had behaved inappropriately with a subordinate by hugging her without her consent during a work meeting.
Dr. Jeremy Fernando, a former Tembusu College fellow, was fired on October 7 following allegations of sexual misconduct against him by two students.
In Thursday’s email, Professor Tan said: “Regardless of whether these incidents occurred on or off campus, such behavior threatens the safety and well-being of our NUS community. It desecrates the campus atmosphere, which is precious to all of us. .
“The sad truth is that no matter how hard we try, sexual misconduct cannot be completely eradicated. However, we must be relentless in our desire and effort to tackle the problem head-on. Our approach must be holistic, fair, transparent. and sensitive. “
He noted that sexual misconduct is a growing concern for universities around the world. In 2019, Harvard University received 500 complaints, Yale University received 298 complaints, and Stanford University had 187 reported incidents of sexual misconduct.
That same year in Singapore, a total of 1,605 cases of modesty outrage were reported to the police. The Ministry of Education reported that in the three academic years 2015, 2016 and 2017, the six local universities handled a total of 56 disciplinary cases involving students for sexual misconduct, 14 of which took place off-campus.
Professor Tan also said that NUS is seeing more people come forward to file reports against suspected perpetrators of sexual misconduct.
“Although it does not bode well for the image and reputation of the university, I think it is good that more people are taking a step forward. It shows a certain level of trust in the institution,” he added.
“No student or staff should suffer in silence. NUS will continue to strive to provide a safe and conducive platform for affected parties to verbalize and share their experiences and present themselves with confidence.”
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