Scrap 5 layers of activity approval, student groups urge UM

 Umany and Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya say overlapping approval requirements undermine student autonomy and add to societies’ administrative burden.

Universiti Malaya was urged to give its student union sole authority to approve societies’ activities without requiring additional administrative approvals that serve similar purposes.

PETALING JAYA:

Two student groups have called on Universiti Malaya to abolish the five layers of approval needed for student activities, saying they undermine student autonomy.

The Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) and Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya urged the university to give its student union sole authority to approve the activities of societies without requiring additional administrative approvals that serve similar purposes.

“Student autonomy means students have the power to make decisions, instead of waiting for the university’s consent before every activity can begin,” they said in a joint statement.

Describing the existing process, the groups said the societies must first submit programme proposals to the student union for approval and then present the approval letter to the university administration.

Activities conducted in languages other than Malay require a separate application.

The societies must also obtain an adviser’s signature through the student affairs office as well as approval from the deputy vice-chancellor responsible for student affairs.

The groups said two additional forms introduced by the university – the declaration form and risk assessment form – had increased administrative burden.

They said the declaration form duplicates the approval function of proposals already assessed by the student union.

Societies organising activities throughout the semester must also complete the Borang Risiko before they can be approved.

They urged the university to withdraw unreasonable new application requirements, or to publicly explain the purpose, assessment criteria, and scope of both forms.

Umany and Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya also questioned the risk assessment criteria, saying activities involving external fundraising, guests, or public participation could not be classified as risky.

“Inviting guests, opening activities to the public, and securing external sponsorship are common practices for running university societies. Are these activities themselves considered security threats?” they said.

While acknowledging UM’s responsibility to maintain campus safety, they said risk assessments should be based on actual security threats, using clear, reasonable and transparent criteria.

The groups also called for societies to have autonomy over fundraising, sponsorship and financial management.

They said societies were barred from opening their own bank accounts, with much of their money managed through university accounts. They also had to submit separate applications to access their own funds. - FMT