Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2003

Trials and Tribulations Shuk-man's cabinet included heavyweights such as president of the provisional executive committee of the former student union and a committee member of Campus Radio. However there were only 10 of them and not enough helpers. It was hard work and the outcome rarely did justice to the effort put in, she recalled. Contrasting their job with that of interest clubs within the University, Shuk- man said, ‘The service targets of an interest club are easily identifiable and its objectives are clear. The wo r k l oad for committee members is never excessive. They are also less prone to criticism than student union officers, and can derive far greater satisfaction from their wo r k. G i ven the frequency of the University's exams, it is not surprising that students interested in organizing events tend to prefer interest clubs. That is why there are so many of them,' she analysed. Effective communication channels are also lacking between the college student union and the students, according to Shuk-man. It is hard these days to get students involved in events—the only exceptions being the annual orientation camp and Feast-for-a-Thousand— let alone in discussions of a more serious nature. Shuk-man said she had made use of the opportunity given her at Chung Chi's weekly assembly to urge students to be more active, but claimed that she did not have enough time to make her appeal effective. The Silver Lining While Shuk-man feels let down by her peers' lukewarm reception of college student union activities, she is extremely appreciative of the coziness of Chung Chi's hostels. ‘In a small hostel of 50 to 60 students, the sense of belonging and comradeship is particularly strong, the participation rate in extracurricular activities is also impressive, especially when compared to those organized by the student union,' she said. Despite a few setbacks, or rather, because of them, Shuk-man's student union experience over the past year has helped her grow u p . ‘ I used to be unhappy i f I d i d n 't get the recognition I ' d expected for something I ' d done or i f I was criticized. That translated into pressure. But I've learnt to calm down and keep my emotions in check. And when I reflect on my performance, I realize it wasn't that bad after all, which meant the pressure I used to give myse lf was uncalled for. I ' ve also acquired interpersonal skills over the past year. Now when I 'm working with someone, I don't armour up into an assertive, command- spewing machine. I ' d try to see things from the other's perspective. Work proceeds more smoothly when the atmosphere is relaxed,' she mused. University and College Identity Shuk-man is proud of her CUHK identity. When she meets up with old friends studying at other local universities, she realizes just how exceptional her university's credit unit system is. ‘Students changing majors benefit the most from the system as they do not need to waste time repeating a year and pay additional tuition,' she commented. As for her college identity, Shuk-man had this to say, ‘The Chinese University identity is emphasized only when we interact w i t h outsiders. Among ourselves, we're known to each other by our respective college identity. This is because we have a greater sense of belonging to our college.' Shuk-man hopes that these traditions and systems of the University w i ll be preserved in the future. She highly appreciates the efforts of Prof. Ambrose King, the vice-chancellor, in taking the time to attend student gatherings and exchange ideas w i th them, which has helped to strengthen communication between the administration and the students. She hopes that the new vice-chancellor w i ll be someone who w i ll not only attach equal importance to such communication but w i l l continue to uphold the educational ideals cherished by the University. Recounting Their Experiences at CUHK 5 2