The University of Zimbabwe has banned kissing or hugging on campus and anyone found engaging in such activities would be immediately evicted from their halls of residence.
Students are in uproar at the decision, which was communicated to them in a circular which said "those caught in an intimate position" would be punished.
Student and gender representative Tsitsi Mazikana told the BBC: "In this age to say I’m no longer allowed to kiss or hug someone… is unreasonable.
"If they were talking about anything moral they wouldn’t be placing condoms in the hostels and in the clinic, but… kissing and hugging – there’s nothing immoral about that."
The Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) said the university administration had a habit of instituting arbitrary rules without consulting student bodies.
President Gilbert Mutubuki said: "We are against these rules which we view as archaic, repressive and evil. We are urging students to resist the rules. These rules reduce the university to a primary school. The authorities need to be reminded that this is an institute for adults who are mature."
The union is organising a petition against the campus kissing ban.
Dzimbabwe Chimbga of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) told The Zimbabwean: "There are certain acts that are not fit to be practiced in public but definitely hugging and kissing do not fall in that category.
"This makes the communication unconstitutional because it limits students’ rights of association."