[Message from Dean] Dear Students, It is with a heavy heart that I write to you on this Monday morning after the extraordinary events over the past weekend and in the light of their ongoing evolution in the hours and days ahead. For 127 years and counting, our Faculty has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the community, in service and at the same time in a leadership role. It remains our collective responsibility to be steadfast in our mission -to care and to serve, particularly during the hour of need. Earlier this morning, both the President and Provost have reaffirmed the Universitys position of maintaining all activities, teaching, research and otherwise, as usual. Accordingly the Faculty will continue to hold classes and keep our operations running as best we can. We understand circumstances may make it difficult for us to fulfil our duty. Travel and transport have experienced significant delays. Consequential events arising from what is ongoing elsewhere in Hong Kong may well affect some of our operations. Some, even many, students have expressed your resolution to stay away from scheduled teaching sessions. We hear you. We understand. We respect your freedom to express and to act on your decisions. Given the considerable uncertainty of how events may unfold, it would be very difficult to assess how and for how long learning may be affected. We will keep a very close eye on the situation, be in close contact and work with you, students and teachers of the Faculty, going forward. A core mission of a university is to nurture a community of freely enquiring minds. Different people will naturally hold different, sometimes very different, views. Please be reassured that under no circumstances will anyone be penalised in any way on account of their views. At the same time, as a self-accrediting body of various professional programmes, it remains the Facultys statutory duty to ensure all requirements of such programmes, including continuous assessment, are met before progression, graduation and ultimately registration as a licensed practitioner. Together with other prescribed indicators such as examination grades, fulfilment of required attendance of specific continuous assessment components will be considered on an individual basis by the Board of Examiners every year end. We undertake that we will take into full account all mitigating factors, internal and external, fairly and compassionately. This is a solemn promise. Fellow students and colleagues who take part in the continuing events, I plead that you take good care of your own safety. For those who volunteer as first aiders providing care to those injured or hurt, we salute your humanitarian spirit. But you must take all precautions to protect yourselves if you are to be able to help others. Since last evening the Faculty has set up a hotline () to assist students in need or in difficulty. We continue to stand by to help in any and all ways. Stay safe. Keep calm. Act rational. In prayer with you, for HKU and for Hong Kong, Gabriel Leung Dean
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 03:48:38 +0000
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