Bill Chou accuses UM of violating internal rules and academic freedom

Former professor at the University of Macau (UM), Bill Chou, has accused the educational institution of violating internal rules and academic freedom, after his suspension and the subsequent non-renewal of his contract with the university.
The political scientist faced a disciplinary process for allegedly imposing political views on students. In August, he revealed that UM was not going to renew his contract.
Chou, who was this year elected vice-president of the New Macau Association, has now revealed the internal procedure behind the non-renewal of his contract, which he said was based on two letters.
TDM News reported that one anonymous letter was sent to university management; the other came from Hou Kong School, and was submitted to the Chief Executive.
The letter sent to UM presented a series of complaints against Chou, while the other document alleged that he provided marks based on his students’ political orientation. The professor rejects all accusations. Furthermore, he recalled that students were never allowed by the university to testify as witnesses during his disciplinary procedure.
The letter sent by the Hou Kong School was related to a complaint against Chou and other members of the New Macau Association, who distributed flyers at the school’s door calling for clean elections for the Legislative Assembly.
Bill Chou told Radio Macau that the university has violated its internal rules for appeals against his suspension. He also recalled that the distribution of flyers had nothing to do with his activity as a UM professor, and claimed academic freedom had not been respected.