Hong Kong University Students' Union 香港大學學生會 - In Defense of PFR Current Residents’ Rights

In Defense of PFR Current Residents’ Rights

(1 vote)

Sunday, 27 July 2008

On July 21,2008, Mr. Alan Ng, the accommodation manager of Pokfield
Road Residences（PFR）, made an important announcement: From Aug,
1st, PFR will decide the incumbents’ right to stay through a
lottery system: for this year, only 125 out of 196 current residents
can have the chance to stay, while others will have to move out by
Aug, 31st.

We regard this decision as erroneous and absurd, and his attitude as
irresponsible.

First of all, the new policy contradicts with PFR’s commitment and
cannot escape being shortsighted! From its establishment, PFR has
always been committed to creating a stable and harmonious home for
the HKUers, to ensuring their concentration on academics, to freeing
them from the trouble of rushing about for a place to accommodate
themselves. The new policy, in contrast, completely denies this
long-welcomed tradition and its implementation will inevitably kill
the stableness and harmony accumulated here for years, and will
render traumatic results for PFRers, all loss and no gains.

Secondly, the announcement of the new policy is arbitrary and
hurried, attempting at overthrowing all the existing order in PFR in
a single month simplistically and arrogantly, totally deviating from
the objective of school supporting units—serving the students.
While possibly easing the trouble of dealing with “low chance of
admission” problems caused by the fact that number of applicants
exceeds that of vacancies for the PFR management, it will inevitably
bring the current residents immense trouble, and is already causing
panic during the short one week: Greatly distracted from attentions
on their studies, 190 PFRers are at a complete loss. In less than a
month, how can we find a satisfactory place and move in? In fact,
all other residential halls have stopped taking in new residences;
August being the peak season for newly admitted students, it is far
from feasible to find privately rented accommodations in such a
short period. Who can be responsible for the chaos and turbulence
caused by a hurriedly announced, so-called new policy depriving
incumbents of their legitimate rights simplistically and arrogantly?
Moreover, it cannot prove much help for the accommodation problems
of newly-admitted students.

Thirdly, deciding the incumbents’ right to stay through “a lottery
system” to draw lots, the seemingly-fair “new policy” is in fact
far from fair at all. Since PFRers can stay throughout their study
period, as stated in every current residents offer letter as the
very beginning, most of current residents have paid great price in
order to move into PFR; they experienced long waiting in queue,
endured sharing a room with strangers, and many have declined offers
from other halls; They purchased furniture for the apartment,
instilled money and passion. The lottery system denies the cost paid
and passions instilled by the PFRers absolutely, this is cannot be
accepted! In the past, with graduates leaving PFR naturally, the new
applicants moved in sequence, PFR was in peace, but now the sudden
change will force current residents to move out, without offering a
corresponding plan to assist them in finding a place to live, this
definitely will cause much chaos in PFR. What is more, the newly
admits will probably not benefit much from the policy: drawing lots
every year with no guarantee at all, having to worry for a bed place
every year.

Last but not least, we regard it as a great mistake of Mr. Ng, as he
failed to make any communication and consultation with current
residents before making such an important decision, failed to
consider possible negative outcomes, and totally ignored the
interested party’s opinions. When making the announcement, Mr. Ng
speaks with a dictator’s voice from high-up, depriving the current
residents of their interest with a simple sentence of words: the
escape from a rigorous explanation about the reason or the details
of implementation of the “new policy” astoundingly,
inexplicability revealed his professional incompetence as a senior
student’s advisor, and has brought about a serious trust crisis
between the current residents (and even the new students) and the
PFR management!

Based on the four points, we demand:

1 “Old policy for current residents, New policy for new intakes”
rules should be adopted and current residents have the rights to
live till the end of study period.

2. Open apologies: Mr. Ng should make apologies in writing to PFR
current residents for his irresponsible remarks;

3. The transparency of decision-making process, and establishment of
student-resident involvement mechanism during important decision
making.

Kwok Wing Kin
President
Hong Kong University Students' Union
Session 2008

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