National Taiwan University (NTU) on Monday said its gender equity committee is investigating an offensive set of proposals by two student council candidates that stoked controversy over the weekend.
The NTU Economics Department said it has already forwarded the case to the university’s Gender Equity Education Committee for investigation.
If the case is substantiated, NTU regulations allow for penalties ranging from formal admonishment to expulsion.
Photo: Taipei Times files
The university on Monday said the case would be handled according to procedures, but declined commenting further.
The department’s student association late on Saturday posted information to its Facebook about the candidates for upcoming student council elections.
In the policy proposal section for one pair of candidates, the association left a note informing viewers of the inappropriate and offensive nature of their submitted policies. It then included the submission of their 16 “proposals” as an addendum at the end of the post.
Among the “proposals” were calls to “require girls with smaller than an A cup to take two national defense credits” and barring “LGBTQ students and dogs” from playing Arena of Valor during student council meetings.
It also expresses opposition to quotas for indigenous students, overseas Taiwanese students and athletes.
The post comes amid debate at NTU about the quotas, which drew protests and counterprotests last week after a banner criticizing the policy was seen at an NTU Student Association free speech event.
Five countries have in the past few months canceled preferential visa treatment for Taiwan passport holders due to pressure from China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. It was responding to a report by the National Audit Office that the number of countries offering preferential visa treatment to holders of Taiwan passports had dropped from 171 at the end of last year to 166 in April. In its Central Government Budget Audit Report, the National Audit Office also said that the ministry had failed to provide timely updates on the visa changes, which could affect Taiwan passport holders’ overseas travel. In response
More Taiwanese spectators at the Paris Olympics have reported having signs and banners confiscated by security staff or snatched by Chinese fans. Sandy Hsueh (薛雅俶), president of the Taiwanese Association in France, said that three security personnel confiscated a blank piece of cardboard from her at Sunday’s men’s doubles badminton final, in which Taiwan’s Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) defeated China’s Liang Weikeng (梁偉鏗) and Wang Chang (王昶) to win their second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the event. A staff member told her they had “received an instruction from the Olympic Games saying that anything related to Taiwan or
DISCRIMINATORY: Airlines’ uniform requirements contravene the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, a watchdog said Airline companies’ appearance requirements obliging female flight attendants to wear pencil skirts and high heels are discriminatory, and they should be able to have the option to wear pants, the National Human Rights Commission said in a report yesterday. Completing a year-long probe, commission members said the uniform requirements of Taiwan’s air carriers contravened the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). To fight gender-based discrimination, government agencies should issue guidelines and require airlines to make changes so that female flight attendants have the option to wear pants, the report said. The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union in
COGNITIVE WARFARE: The People’s Liberation Army’s recent military exercises near Taiwan aim to intimidate the Taiwanese public, a legislator said Two sorties of Chinese drones were detected flying around the perimeter of Taiwan proper between 6am on Saturday and 6am yesterday, according to the Ministry of National Defense. A total of 31 Chinese military aircraft — which included several drones — and 12 Chinese warships were detected operating in and near the Taiwan Strait over the 24-hour period, the ministry said. Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said the maneuvers were likely aimed at affecting public sentiment in Taiwan, demonstrating defiance toward the US’ two-plus-two talks with India and Australia, and enacting China’s polarized strategy of pushing