Chongqing Vocational Institute of Industrial Technology, a student who worked part-time delivering food on campus, recently received a “warning” disciplinary action from the school, sparking online attention. Under public pressure, the school has suspended the disciplinary process, but it has not calmed the online questioning.
According to a report from “Modern Express” on March 26, a freshman student, referred to as Lin, started working part-time delivering food on campus since January this year. “When I was delivering a bunch of food on campus for the first time and was discovered by the school, they asked me to write a pledge,” she told the media. Recently, when she was delivering food, school staff found her again, and this time she received a disciplinary notification letter from the school.
The content of the “Proposal for Disciplinary Action Notification” shows that the school intends to give Lin a warning.
Lin believes the punishment is unreasonable. For students with not-so-good family backgrounds, this kind of part-time work is more convenient. Currently, there are more than ten students at the school who are in a similar situation, working part-time to supplement their living expenses, including several students from financially disadvantaged families.
After receiving the disciplinary notification letter, Lin checked the school regulations cited, which showed as “violating other student dormitory management regulations, causing a negative impact. Depending on the seriousness, a warning or higher-level punishment will be given.” The regulation does not explicitly list the delivery of food as a prohibited behavior.
This incident has since sparked public attention and criticism.
Netizens criticized the school, saying, “They not only do not support impoverished students but also cut off their means of survival,” “Who would want to deliver food while in university unless forced by life circumstances?” “Isn’t it supposed to encourage students to work hard and be frugal? What is the school thinking?” “What else could it be! They’re going after the cafeteria’s profits!” “The school cafeteria should be investigated on who it’s contracted to!”
“Students working hard to support themselves is a practical choice. Punishing students based on vague regulations lacks persuasiveness. Management should balance order and students’ livelihoods. Simple disciplinary actions are both lacking in compassion and show a rough enforcement of rules.”
Under public pressure, the school has suspended the disciplinary process. On March 26, a school staff member told “Modern Express” that the school has currently suspended the disciplinary process and has not imposed actual penalties on the student, details of which cannot be disclosed at the moment.
However, the school’s response has not calmed the public’s doubts. “The school has currently suspended the disciplinary process but has not clearly responded to the basis of the dispute.”
“The reason for the ongoing public opinion is actually due to the incomplete response – the school has suspended this disciplinary process, but has not indicated why the initial disciplinary opinion was made and what basis in compliance with the regulations was. This has led many netizens in the comment section to suspect whether the disciplinary process was suspended due to the heat of online discussions.”
Furthermore, it is worth noting that “suspension” and “termination” are two completely different concepts. Suspension means temporarily stopping something in the process, with a possibility of resuming later, while termination means an end, with no further continuation.