Lingnan University in Hong Kong has confiscated copies of an orientation booklet distributed by the students’ union, a move set to further embroil their relationship after the school barred the group from operating on campus last month.
A blurred video shared by the Lingnan University Students’ Union (LUSU) press bureau on Tuesday showed a security guard asking a student to hand over a booklet. Speaking in Mandarin, the security personnel told the student that it was not an official publication.
Another video posted by the LUSU press bureau on Tuesday showed a university staff member holding the booklet and speaking through a microphone. The person said the booklet distributed outside the campus was “unofficial,” adding that the views expressed did not represent the university.
According to the LUSU press bureau, its members began distributing copies of the booklet on Hing Ping Road, near the university, at around 9am on Monday, when the university held its orientation day.
Around 10 police officers arrived at the scene soon after to conduct checks on the members. While they did not interfere with the booklet distribution, the officers had “continued to monitor” their actions and filmed them, as well as taking away a few copies.
In response to HKFP’s enquiries, a spokesperson for Lingnan University referred to its statement on July 15, which declared it had no affiliation with LUSU. The university did not confirm whether it called the police on Monday, nor did it confirm allegations by the LUSU that student ambassadors were told to report to university staff upon seeing the orientation booklet.
Police told HKFP on Wednesday that officers were deployed on Monday to conduct an investigation after learning that “some people were planning to gather in public areas outside or near a university.” No one was arrested in the incident.
On Tuesday, the LUSU press bureau said it had published an orientation booklet for distribution at the beginning of each academic year. It covers information about the university, campus life, and recruitment advertisements by different student groups.
Ming Pao reported on Wednesday that the booklet seized on Monday had around 80 pages. A message from the editorial board mentioned a “gradual shrinking” of student autonomy, citing a “crackdown” on various tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.
The LUSU press bureau said it had taken down the electronic version of the booklet after various student groups said they were requested by the university to withdraw their advertisements placed in the booklet or remove mentions of the groups’ names.
Cut ties
Last month, Lingnan University declared the students’ union an external organisation registered with the police under the Societies Ordinance. The LUSU press bureau and the union’s executive committee had made statements that were “inconsistent” with its core values, mission, and objectives, it said.
Their statements and acts had raised concerns and damaged the university’s reputation, while there may also be legal risks, it added.
“LUSU as an externally registered society is not authorised to conduct any activities and is not provided with any sponsorship, space or facility in the university,” the statement read.
Since the Beijing-imposed national security law took effect in 2020, many local universities have distanced themselves from their students’ unions. School administrations have stopped collecting membership fees for unions, suspended their access to campus facilities, and, in extreme cases, cut ties with their student bodies over “legal risk.”
Orientation camp axed
On Tuesday, LUSU announced the cancellation of its orientation camp due to “force majeure” – a legal term which literally translates as “irresistible force.”
The student body said the venue booking for the camp, originally scheduled for Friday to Sunday, had been cancelled multiple times, citing reasons such as “emergency repair” and “flooding.”
The union apologised to students and thanked those who signed up for the camp. Deposits paid by “group parents,” referring to student leaders of the orientation camp, would be refunded, it said.
“Therefore, our association can only reluctantly make the above decision at this stage,” the student union wrote on Instagram, adding that students could choose orientation activities organised by other student groups at the university.
