City University students threaten 'radical action' over college sale plan

Students at City University have threatened to take "radical action" after accusing the university of having kept them in the dark on its plan to sell its popular Community College.

About 7,000 students and 200 staff members at the college would be affected by the sell-off.

Students set up a Facebook page opposing the sale after the plan was revealed yesterday. The page drew more than 1,400 "likes" in about seven hours.

"We are all very shocked by the news and very upset about the university's black-box operation," said Timothy Lee Ho-yin, former student union president and one of the page's founders.

"It's really unfair to us. We want to know why the university wants to sell the college and what the arrangements would be for students and staff there."

Lee said the university had spoken vaguely of the plan at a university council meeting in November, when he was a student council representative. The next he heard was when the university yesterday revealed it was in talks with two potential buyers.

Lee said students and some teachers would form a concern group. If the university refused to consult all stakeholders, they might then take "more radical action, such as laying siege to the president's office", Lee added.