Communication breakdown the root of university protest
I refer to the letter from H. C. Bee ('Students should say sorry', December 12), referring to a protest during the ceremony conferring an honorary doctorate on Tung Chee-hwa ('Scuffles at Tung's degree ceremony', December 7).
I agree that it is important for students to learn to be tolerant and to listen and be receptive to different views, but the same could be said of the head of Chinese University.
The protest organised by the students at the awards ceremony, was seen as a last resort.
Before this action was taken, the student union had repeatedly requested an explanation.
It wanted to know why the university had decided to confer an honorary degree on Mr Tung. However, the university chose not to respond.
High-ranking university staff should have been willing to meet students and argue their case for granting the former chief executive this degree. They should not have gone ahead with the ceremony knowing how opposed students were to it.
Unlike secondary and primary schools, a tertiary institute is not just a place you attend to receive instruction and to acquire skills which can be used in the future. It is also important to cultivate an understanding of democratic citizenship. A core value of democratic principles is equality. The administration should not treat students as inferior.
Those in the top echelons of the university should consult students. If some students express concern over a decision the university's administration should take heed. It is better to foster mutual respect than take an arrogant attitude.
When there was some controversy over the development of the campus it was encouraging to see university administrators explain their decisions to an assembly of students and communicate their views to them through other channels. To my dismay, they did not do this in the case of awarding Mr Tung an honorary doctorate.
We are all part of this prestigious university - from high-ranking staff to undergraduates. There should be open discussion of issues. Had that happened, there would have been no need for the students to resort to this kind of protest.
Johnny Lee Sze-chun, Kowloon Bay
