It has been a long while since students have last stepped inside campus. Although a new school year has started, we are still attending 'Zoom University' for the first few weeks. As the pandemic slowly leaves Hong Kong (hopefully, at last), it is certain that we can finally wander around campus during breaks.

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Face-to-face classes starting earliest 22 September

 

HKU Vice-President Prof Ian Holliday said in an email on 28 Aug, that the school will 'make a partial return to face-to-face teaching' starting 22 Sept, as the COVID-19 situation is improving in Hong Kong.

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From 22 Sept onwards until 30 Nov, all courses with 'face-to-face' or 'mixed' mode of delivery will provide a face-to-face option, but students who do not plan to come back to Hong Kong can still take these classes online.

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All final exams will be online, except for those with special requirements, or 'because all students in the course are in Hong Kong and it is safe for them to attend an in-person exam'. Faculties will issue guidance to students, Holliday said.

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The Starbucks near Main Library is gone,

USweet says goodbye,

Sodexo leaves HKU

 

The Starbucks outlet next to the Main Library has been closed down since 1 Jun 2020, as the contract has expired. According to a report by Undergrad, the new vendor is expected to open by the start of the new school year – but there has yet to be any new information on the incoming vendor on CEDARS’ website.

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Another catering outlet located in the Union Building, USweet, also bade farewell to HKU students in July. According to previous reports, the departure was a result of a dispute between USweet and the Student Union Executive Committee [SU Exco] about its tenancy in June, which led to its departure. Malachite has been told that new shops are expected to open after the start of the new school year, according to a spokesperson from SU Exco. 

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Last year, HKU partnered with Sodexo in providing catering on-campus, but the partnership terminated in July this year. Here's a quick recap of the outlets run by Sodexo; well – more like restaurants you won’t see anymore when you return to campus.

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• OBC Grill

• Mein Bowl

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Semester 2 exchanges might still run

 

Malachite has reached out to the International Affairs Office, and they said that they are 'monitoring the situation closely', as 'the environment is changing rapidly.'

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While the clouds are starting to clear up in Hong Kong, it is still a mystery whether HKU or universities overseas will reconsider their arrangements.

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