10 April 2024
By Irene Meng
The maximum duration for hall residency policy (The P-1 policy) was first proposed at the February 22, 2024 meeting of the Halls Committee. The purpose of this policy is to limit the duration of undergraduate residence, including both local students and non-local students in residence halls, to a maximum of one year less than the duration of study, e.g., a maximum of three years for undergraduate students in a four-year program.
Besides, the policy confining the maximum residency year of students to Programme year -1 is planned to implement fully in readmission 25-26, while a quota of 5% of total residents is given to readmit these affected students in readmission 24-25.
In the face of such haste and lack of consultation, student representatives from various halls of residence actively campaigned for a meeting with the University and set up a questionnaire to gather the views of people living in halls of residence. An informal meeting was successfully arranged with University representatives, including Professor Ian Holliday.
Information about the informal meeting posted by The Joint Hall Students’ Association. @hku.jhsa/ Instagram
During the meeting, Professor Ian Holliday responded to questions from student representatives. He considered that even if students lived in Cheung Chau, they could still go to HKU by taking the ferry and then transferring to MTR. Faced with the possibility that this measure may cause students to have a long commute, Professor Ian Holliday, stated that living in a residential hall is not the only option, and students can rent a room near the university.
“ I don’t understand such a decision, not all students can afford to rent out a room. I live in Sheung Shui and it is an hour’s drive back to school. This policy has caused serious inconvenience and burden to me and my family.”
Mr Hui, 18 years old, local student live in Lee Shau Kee Hall
He explained that he had been applying for government student allowances and renting a room was definitely not feasible for him.
Student representatives at the meeting questioned the specific contribution criteria for appeals. Professor Ian Holliday said, “No criteria, no guarantees, don’t ask. Those who cannot be readmitted this year must be the students who have done nothing, like non-local students……None of them has done a damn thing except complaining.”
A non-local student was surprised and considered it very arbitrary and irresponsible for the university to directly equate non-local students with no contribution at all.
“I think the university should at least make sure that we have a hall to live in until we finish our undergraduate degrees, otherwise it could cause safety issues. My mother would not be comfortable with me renting out a house.”
Miss Feng, 19 years old, non-local student live in Lady Ho Tung Hall
Despite an outcry from students and hall representatives over the lack of consultation on the policy, the University has refused to compromise or back down from its previous decision, refusing any compromise or consultation on the issue.
In light of this situation, 9 Student Associations of HKU halls, including Lady Ho Tung Hall, Lee Hysan Hall, Lee Shau Kee Hall, R.C. Lee Hall, Simon K.Y. Lee Hall, Suen Chi Sun Hall, Starr Hall, Swire Hall and Wei Lun Hall were officially established the Joint Hall Students’ Association in aims to create a united platform on 21st March 2024.
“ Leaving aside the question of whether the policy is effective or not, whether the original intention of the university authority in wanting to provide mobility for hall places is correct. What I find most incomprehensible is why the university is so bent on not listening to the views of students, not to mention conducting public consultation.”
Anonymous interviewee, a member of R.C. Lee Hall Student Association
“Apart from that, I am most worried about the legacy of the hall culture. This policy will not only lead to the loss of a large number of senior hall residents who have made contributions to the hall, but also threaten to chill the remaining hall residents and make them lose the motivation to continue to contribute to the hall,” she added. “As a member of the Hall Student Association, I hope that each hall can retain the uniqueness of its culture.”
Reported by Irene Meng
Edited by Cherrie Lee and Rachel Ng