KUALA LUMPUR – Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) has refuted news reports claiming that its vice-chancellor allegedly told students to keep their romantic relationships with academic staff secret.
In a statement yesterday, UTeM said that the news report which referred to a speech by vice-chancellor Massila Kamalrudin was taken out of context as the video was edited.
Instead, UTeM explained that Massila was advising students to maintain good conduct and avoid unwanted situations.
Also referring to calls by the Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) for Massila to resign, UTeM suggested that the news report was part of a plot from a group dissatisfied with the university’s directive to all academics to keep an annual indexed journal.
“UTeM refutes the statements in a news report published through Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
“UTeM hopes that if any party chooses to make statements about the institution, should first verify with the university,” the statement read.
In an FMT report yesterday, Gerak slammed Masilla for sharing inappropriate advice at a university programme gathering.
Citing a YouTube video which has since been taken down, Massila allegedly told students that “if they intend to flirt even with the dean, they should only do so outside campus.”
She was also accused of saying it was fine to flirt with female lecturers, adding that relationships “are in god’s hands”.
Gerak said such a speech was inappropriate as it does not serve the purpose of motivating and preparing new students to overcome academic challenges. – November 3, 2024