Hong Kong University Students' Union

The Hong Kong University Students' Union (HKUSU; Chinese: 香港大學學生會) is the officially recognised undergraduate students' association[3] of the University of Hong Kong. It was founded in 1912, and is currently a registered society under the Societies Ordinance.[4]

The Hong Kong University Students' Union
MottoUnity with Independence
InstitutionThe University of Hong Kong
LocationLevel UG1, Union Building, HKU, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Established1912
PresidentEdy Jeh[1][2]
Members16,722 (as of 2018)
Websitewww.hkusu.org
Hong Kong University Students' Union
Traditional Chinese香港大學學生會
Simplified Chinese香港大学学生会
Jyutpinghoeng1 gong2 daai6 hok6 hok6 saang1 wui6*2

History

The Union was established in 1912[5] when it was first named as the Hong Kong University Union (HKUU),[5] some two years after the foundation of the University of Hong Kong. The Union was then reorganised and renamed as the Hong Kong University Students' Society (HKUSS)[5] after the Second World War in 1945.[5] In 1949,[5] the Union submitted a successful application for becoming a student organisation to the Hong Kong Police.[5]

General

The Union serves both undergraduate and postgraduate students and is the only official student organisation serving the undergraduates of the University of Hong Kong. Undergraduates become a Union member automatically. Other students of the University can become a member upon the payment of membership fee.

According to the Constitution, the aims of the Union are:

  • To promote the welfare of the student body[5]
  • To act as a bridge between the student body and the University authority in furthering the interests of the students and the University as a whole[5]
  • To identify the student body with social issues in the interests of the people of Hong Kong[5]
  • To represent the student body both tensely and internationally[5]

Structure

The highest authority of the Union is the General Meeting (GM) and General Polling (GP). The quorum for both the General Meeting or General Polling is currently 10% of the full members. The General Meeting is hardly ever called, mostly because it is difficult to find a venue to accommodate many members at the same time. However, General Pollings are held almost every year.

There are currently 122 student societies affiliated to HKUSU. These students' societies and clubs can be categorised into six main groups: Campus media, Faculty and academic societies, Hall students' association, Sports clubs (forming the Sports Association, HKUSU), Cultural clubs (forming the Cultural Association, HKUSU) and Independent clubs (forming the Independent Clubs Association, HKUSU).

Union Council
The Hong Kong University Students' Union Council

香港大學學生會評議會
Session 2020
Type
Type
Leadership
Acting
Council Chairperson
MA Ho Tin,
AS'20 / MHR'19
since 31 July 2020
Acting
Honorary Secretary
KWOK Wing Ho,
RCLHR'20
since 12 August 2020
Structure
Length of term
One year
Members of council
  Union Executives (10)
  Cultural, Sports and Independent Clubs Association (5)
  Hall Students’ Association (13)
  Faculty Society (10)
  Popularly Elected Union Councillor (1)
  Campus Media (2)
  Vacant (18)
Union Executives (7)
Cultural Association (1)
Hall Students’ Association (1)
Popularly Elected Union Councillor (9)
Official Observers
(All vacant)
Past President (1)
Partially affiliated Hall Students’ Association and Faculty Society
Elections
Last election
Annual Election 2020
Next election
Annual Election 2021
Meeting place
Union Council Chamber
2/F, Hung Hing Ying Building
The University Of Hong Kong
90 Bonham Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Constitution
The Constitution of The Hong Kong University Students' Union

The second highest authority and highest standing authority of the Union is the Union Council.[6] Its functions are to represent the students of the University in such matters as affect their interests and to afford a recognized means of communication between the general body of the students and the University authorities.

Chairperson

Elected at the first meeting in every session, the Council Chairperson is the presiding member of the Union Council. The Chairperson has to be a Union Councillor of the past session to be elected Chairperson of the current session; if he is also a Union Councillor of the current session, he has to resign from the original representation and the seat will be substituted if necessary.

When any member is in the Chair, he cannot move, second or vote on motions.

Honorary Secretary

Also elected at the first meeting in every session, the Honorary Secretary heads the Union Council Secretariat. There is no specific requirement for seeking to be elected Honorary Secretary, but if he, same as the Chairperson, is a Union Councillor of the current session, he has to resign from the original representation and the seat will be substituted if necessary.

The Honorary Secretary has full right to speak, but he cannot move, second or vote on motions.

Union Executives

An Executive Committee, elected in the way of General Polling, acts as the executive body for HKUSU.

The Union Executives are the forefront members representing HKUSU. The Committee comprising 17 members formulate Union policies and carry out resolutions of the General Meeting and General Polling. As well as this, they carry out daily administrative work of the Union.

The composition is as follows:

  • President
  • Vice-President (Internal)
  • Vice-President (External)
  • general secretary
  • Financial Secretary
  • University Affairs Secretary (two seats)
  • External Affairs Secretary (two seats)
  • Student Welfare Secretary
  • Publications and Publicity Secretary
  • Social Secretary
  • Current Affairs Secretary
  • Administrative Secretary
  • President of the Sports Association (ex officio)
  • President of the Cultural Association (ex officio)
  • President of the Independent Clubs Association (ex officio)

Welfare and Internal Affairs

HKUSU student activities and service outlets include:

Outlet Name Services offered Location
The Union Office Room, poster, banner sites booking services UG1, Union Building, HKU
The Student Co-operative Store (Co-op Store) Discounted stationery and souvenirs UG1, Union Building, HKU
Computer Hardware and Accessory Store Computer Hardware, Accessories, Software, banner and poster printing G/F, Union Building, HKU
Self-serviced Photocopying Centre Octopus Card-operated Photocopying Machines, mobile phone charging UG1, Union Building, HKU
HKUSU Photocopying Store Discounted photocopying UG1, Union Building, HKU
Pillar of Shame in front of the Students' Union Building before its revamp in 2011

University Affairs

The Union acts as a channel between students and the University. Some of the current projects include:

Project Theme
3-3-4 University Curriculum Reform Curriculum, General Education, Study Load of Professional Subjects (e.g. Engineering, Accounting, Law, etc.), Grading / GPA / Honours Classification System
Centennial Campus Relocation of Faculties and the Students' Union, Usage of the Main Building, etc.

External Affairs

HKUSU, as one of the students' unions of the 11 universities in Hong Kong, has been very active in current affairs and student movements.

In 1998, the General Polling of the Union adopted that the Pillar of Shame (國殤之柱) should stay in the University campus permanently. This marked the beginning of a permanent stance that the Chinese Communist Party should be held responsible for the June Fourth massacre in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. Later in 2009, another General Polling passed stated that the Central People's Government of China should rehabilitate the June Fourth Massacre, and be held responsible for the deaths and casualties during the incident.

In November 2016, students' unions across all major Hong Kong universities, including HKUSU, invited Christopher Patten, former Hong Kong governor, to be the guest of honour in a lecture that held at Loke Yew Hall in the University of Hong Kong.[7]

The Students' Union Building before its revamp in 2011

New Union Building

As part of the construction of the Centennial Campus, the Hsü Long Sing Amenities Centre, where the HKUSU had resided for a number of years, was demolished in 2011. Development of a new Students' Union Building was completed in September 2011. Since the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, and Faculty of Social Sciences has been relocated in the west of the HKU, the new Students' Union Building has become the heart of HKU, where majority of student activities will take place.

Choir

The Hong Kong University Students' Union Choir was founded in 1967 and has won a number of student awards since its foundation.[8][9][10][11]

Notes

    References
    1. "HKU students' union repost Lennon Wall messages". Radio Television Hong Kong. 14 July 2020.
    2. "More than 2,500 HKU students, staff and alumni sign petition against dismissal of Hong Kong legal scholar Benny Tai". South China Morning Post. 3 August 2020.
    3. "Campus Life". www.cedars.hku.hk. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
    4. "List of Societies" (PDF). Hong Kong Police Force. December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
    5. "關於我們 | HKUSU". www.hkusu.org. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
    6. "About". HKUSU Council | 香港大學學生會評議會. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
    7. "與彭定康對話──從1997到2047：香港前途與大學管治 | HKUSU". www.hkusu.org. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
    8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    9. http://www.hktreblechoir.com/wyccf/results/2011/
    10. http://www.hksmsa.org.hk/download/winlist/66MWinner.pdf
    11. http://www.hksmsa.org.hk/download/winlist/69MWinner.pdf

    See also
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