National University of Tainan (NUTN) was left red-faced as word spread that a student had submitted a form that said he was absent from class because he had been “abducted by aliens” and that the school had approved the form.
The approved excuse form, which has since been posted online, sparked heated discussion among netizens, with some saying the incident was “cool,” while others suggested the school should invite the student “to share the story of his encounter with aliens.”
Commenting on the incident, the school said it was pure negligence on the part of the administrative official, who was new to the job, who carelessly clicked “approve” when reviewing the excuse form online.
Photo: Meng Ching-tzu, Taipei Times
According to the school, the form was filled out by a freshman on Friday for a day he missed two days earlier. For fun, the student put down “abducted by aliens” as his excuse, the school said, adding that the student, after learning the incident had grown into a much-talked-about story, has offered an apology to his professor for causing such a ruckus online.
The school said that the administrative official who made the error would not be punished, though an oral reprimand has been issued. The student has also been advised that “there are certain things that should not be joked about,” the school added.
While some students at NUTN found the incident ridiculous, some revealed there had been a previous incident where a student put down that she was suffering from “Princess Syndrome” (公主病) as a reason for her absence from class. That form was later rejected by an administrative official.
“Princess Syndrome” is a popular slang in Taiwan used to describe girls who regard themselves as princesses and who avoid doing anything that requires hard work and responsibility.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost