A male professor at the University of Macau (UM) has allegedly sexually harassed female students at a dinner party held over the weekend, according to the UM student newspaper Orange Post.
The professor reportedly invited several students to have dinner at the staff dormitory last Saturday during the partial lockdown.
A female student alleged that the professor got drunk at the party, which lasted until late at night, and made obscene jokes and initiated inappropriate physical contact with female students multiple times during the party.
The inappropriate physical contact included hugging, touching and forcibly grabbing a student with the intention of touching her breasts.
After the incident, several female students who attended the party expressed that they felt sickened and distressed, according to the report.
According to the message of certain UM student WeChat chat groups, the member of academic staff is allegedly a mainland professor in the UM History Department of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
On Sunday night, UM stated “regarding an incident in which an individual on campus allegedly engaged in misconduct, the person involved has reported the incident to the police. The university is not in a position to comment on the matter at this moment.”
However, commenting on the alleged party during the partial lockdown, the UM pledged that it has “zero tolerance for any illegal behavior.”
In a statement to the press, it added, “the university will not tolerate any violation of the epidemic prevention policy and guidelines by personnel on campus, and has already filed a report with the police regarding the incident in which a gathering of individuals took place on campus during the ‘relatively static’ management period.”
“The university emphasizes that all personnel on campus must do their part and behave in accordance with the government’s epidemic prevention policy and guidelines.”
The representative of the Public Security Police, Ma Chio Hong, said that they have received the report from UM and the students involved, and will conduct further investigations of the incident. “If any violation is identified, it will be followed up in accordance with the law and sent to the relevant departments to follow up,” he added.
In December 2021, a Facebook post from a former UM student was circulated online regarding a current PhD student’s alleged behavior, which including harassment, manipulation, and sexual abuse, among other acts.
The former student has written an open letter addressed to the university in the hopes that it would respond to the situation and create a better environment for UM students, ensuring student safety and gender equity. Staff Reporter
