[SCMP] Little room has been left for teaching in the historic Main Building under plans handed to the government ahead of the consultation process
Students have been left wondering why the University of Hong Kong is consulting them about the future of the iconic Main Building when administrators appear to have already decided its fate: that the bulk of the historic surroundings be reserved for the exclusive use of the administrators themselves.
It turns out the administration has already submitted detailed plans to the government on the future of the building, currently occupied by the arts faculty until its move to a new campus in the summer. And the blueprints, obtained by the South China Morning Post , leave little room for students or teaching.
There has been no mention of the plans during the consultation process, although it is understood they were submitted to the Environmental Protection Department and the Development Bureau in the first half of last year for their comments.
Students and teachers were surprised to learn about the plans' existence. They were not mentioned during the two forums held last week - part of the consultation the university has said it is conducting before deciding how best to use the building after it is renovated.
Dan Chan Koon-hong, President of the Students’ Union, said present and past unions had stood up against the prospect of administrators dominating the building, which has been a place of inspiration for students for a century.
"We will go all the way to oppose this plan if the university still has it in mind. There's no point turning the building into one mainly for administrators and not for teaching and learning and students' free use," Chan said.
According to the plans, the registry, HKU's key administrative body, would become the largest user of the 100-year-old monument, taking up a total of 2,366 square metres on the ground, first and second floors.
Next would be the Centre of Development and Resources for Students, which provides services like career counselling and financial assistance, with 1,096 square metres.
The vice-chancellor's office would move into the third floor, taking up 540 square metres. His office alone would be bigger than the area reserved for students and the public - a few reading and meeting rooms - which would add up to less than 330 square metres.
The university would keep the central Loke Yew Hallas it is, while the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole,a gallery dedicated to the renowned scholar, would be relocated from the rear of the campus. A glass roof would cover one section of the building, and two lifts would be constructed, the building's heritage status allowing.
The whole of Hung Hing Ying Building, another declared monument opposite the Main Building, would be given over to the alumni office. It currently houses the music department which will be joining the arts faculty at the new Centennial Campus, neighbouring the main campus in Pok Fu Lam.
A survey by the student union earlier this year found the majority of the 1,100 respondents wanted to see the Mani Building used for teaching, studyand museums.
Samuel Li Shing-hong, a former union representative and a third-year politics student, called for the administration to explain its actions.
"If they have already drawn up a plan, I am worried the consultation is just half-hearted and there's little room for amendment," Li said.
Li also disagreed about the planned relocation of Jao's gallery, saying any new museum in the Main Building should commemorate the university's history as a whole rather than an individual.
Historians say the Edwardian baroque-style building completed in 1912 played an important role not just in the city's educational development but also in its social history.
During the second Sino-Japanese war and the second world war, Loke Yew Hall, then called the Great Hall, was used as a venue for concerts and dance parties to raise money to buy, for example, warm clothing for Chinese soldiers.
The hall was converted into an emergency relief hospital when the Japanese invaded the city in 1941. It was bombed and later rebuilt, but some damage left by shells remain visible on the main granite staircase.
Mirana May Szeto, assistant professor of comparative literature, said the Main Building should continue to be a humanities space. She and other members of the arts faculty submitted a proposal in 2010 to the university suggesting a section of the building be turned into a space for Hong Kong literature and culture.
"The Main Building is a monument for Hong Kong people, and it should not be just a place for formal functions," Szeto said.
"I hope it will remain a place everyone can enter; just like now, old people can come in to do tai-chi in the morning, and couples can come to take wedding photos."
A spokeswoman for the university would not comment on whether the floor plans submitted to officials were still valid or if the consultation meant there was room for change.
"In planning the use of its spaces, the university has to take care of the needs of different users and activities, with an ultimate goal to maximise students' access to the iconic heritage of the university," she said.
The Main Building will continue to be the main venue for ceremonies, public talks, careers fairs, and so on, she added.
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