Varsity penalizes 36 students over teachers’ memes

Lahore: A private university has initiated disciplinary action against 36 current and former students as they supposedly posted defamatory memes of their teachers on their personal and university on Facebook accounts and other groups.
Fast National University (NU) of Computer and Emerging Science Faisal Town Campus took action against 24 current and 12 former students as they posted objectionable memes online.
Fast’s Disciplinary Committee notified the 13 students were told to submit an apology to the campus administration and also post it to their Facebook timelines within 10 days from 27th June. Two students were expelled from the Fall 2020 semester, one of their students who was registered in Spring 2020 had their grade reduced in all of his courses he took in the semester and was directed to do one-hour daily community service for four weeks by cleaning the campus lawn and highway after it is reopened another student got expelled for a year and was told to do one year of daily community service for six weeks by cleaning the campus lawns and highway after reopening.
Three other students had their grades reduced in all their courses for the Spring 2020 semester, four students had their grades decreased in different courses and another was directed to submit a written application to the Central Academic Office and his result for the Spring semester was withheld until further notice.
Twelve former students failed to submit a written apology to the administration and upload it to their personal Facebook timelines with 10 days after which their degree was canceled with intimation to HEC, blacklisting, and reporting to authorities for trail under cyberbullying and harassment laws.
Two of the students expressed outrage over the university decision on social media. A student Shah Murad posted on Facebook Dictatorship at its best. He posted this as he noted countless problems that needed to be solved during the pandemic but FAST worried about humorous memes and was taking this sort of decision to prove that it will not be tolerated.
A former student and journalist Ali Moeen Nawazish posted on his Facebook and Twitter account in solidarity “FAST University this is shameful! Universities are supposed to be a beacon of free speech and thought. What is wrong with FAST! Don’t reduce their grades! This is wrong on so many levels. You are toying with their future to soothe your egos! You should be ashamed.”
Fast University Academic Manager Saifullah told Dawn that the students started this as a joke but later created improper and profane memes over which they had taken this disciplinary action against them.
He said a seven-member committee was established to look into the issue that called all the students individually and some had recorded statements over the phone. The students had two chances to challenge the disciplinary committee orders with 14 days before the university director and later before the Board of Governors chairman.
He said 12 students apologized for their actions and were given them relief.
He claimed, “The administration has not expelled any students but rusticated some for one year and some for a semester.”

Fast University

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