University of Hong Kong head uses misconduct meeting to slam proposal for governing council to have an office on campus

There's been a significant disagreement at the University of Hong Kong, the oldest university in the city. The university's president, Xiang Zhang, has expressed strong opposition to a proposal. This proposal involves the university's governing council having its own office on campus. This issue was brought up during a meeting where allegations of misconduct against Zhang were being discussed. These allegations were brought forward last month by anonymous whistle-blowers. They accused Zhang of mishandling donations from a mainland Chinese corporation. They also claimed he hired a headhunter from the United States to recruit a pro-vice-chancellor and a medical dean without going through a bidding process. Furthermore, they alleged that he insisted the candidates have a background from a US university. Zhang admitted that he and some council members have differing views. The meeting was initially scheduled for last week, but had to be postponed due to an insufficient number of attendees. Zhang also requested that his lawyer be allowed to attend the meeting and asked for more time to prepare. During the meeting, Zhang voiced his criticism of the proposal for the council to have an office on campus. He warned that this could have a negative impact on the university and expressed his concern about it. He suggested that it could lead to the council becoming more involved in the university's daily management, which could potentially undermine its academic autonomy. He also admitted that he and the council's chairwoman, Priscilla Wong Pui-sze, have differing views on university management, which has resulted in a tense relationship. He acknowledged that the allegations against him could damage the university's reputation. He expressed disappointment that confidential communication within the council had been leaked to outsiders and questioned the council's ability to handle the allegations against him fairly and impartially. Casey Chik Yau-hong, a student representative on the council, stated that the meeting should not be used as a platform for a political trial. He urged the council to establish an investigative committee as soon as possible to ensure that Zhang is treated fairly. He suggested that if there is any wrongdoing, an investigation should be conducted to uncover the truth, in line with the principle of procedural justice. He added that this would meet the public's expectations of the university. He proposed that if there is evidence suggesting that Zhang may have committed any wrongdoing, it would be worth considering suspending his duties as president.