CUHK
News Centre

The Chinese University Student Union and the student unions of the four constituent Colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong have recently made a claim that decisions regarding the proposed manner of determining student membership in the reorganized Senate, approved by the Senate without exception in 2008, were made without the participation of students. They also argue that the proposal for all undergraduate students to elect a Senate representative from among their lot based on one-student-one-vote was unreasonable, and that the position should instead be assigned to the President of the Chinese University Student Union.

Such claims are far removed from the facts and go against the principle underlying the election of a student member by and from among all undergraduate students. The reason is that the executive council of the Student Union is formed as a cabinet elected as one slate, and it is difficult for an individual student to take part in the election, whereas Senate representatives are elected from among independent and individual candidates. The President of the Student Union can run for election for student membership in the Senate. Representatives elected by universal suffrage will have the widest representation. The University has clarified this point on 18 May (see attached).

In view of the request put forward by the Chinese University Student Union and the student unions of the four Colleges, the chairman of the Senate announced at its meeting today that an Extraordinary Meeting will be convened to discuss and clarify the manner of determining student membership in the Senate.