The recent suspensions of students following various university protests has highlighted that, when a university decides to discipline students in accordance with their disciplinary regulations, two fundamentals are important. Firstly, the university should follow their own regulations (which should be clear and fair). Secondly, the regulations provide a sufficient mechanism for unilateral decisions to be challenged. These are the fundamental principles of any just society.
Singling out a few students to suspend with immediate effect is only going to further alienate your population and unite them in their cause. My experience in higher education law has shown all too often that universities respond to on campus events in a reactionary manner. They can fail to diligently consider their internal regulations and in turn fail to ensure that what they are doing is in accordance with their own policies.
I have too often come across regulations that allow vice-chancellors, university councils, registrars, university secretaries to exercise certain powers, but then no clear provision being put in place to allow for that power to be challenged. Some can fail to even follow the procedures set out in their own regulations and by the time such improper decisions are reviewed or overturned students have suffered significantly.
