“With heartfelt devotion, we can serve you best,” pledged Mr Douglas Wong, the 20^th Students’ Union (SU) President, at the SU Joint Inauguration Ceremony held in the Wei Hing Theatre, 30 March. The new SU Executive Committee, "Red Door", together with the SU Council, Editorial Board, Arbitration Committee and other student societies, vowed to unite all SU members to serve the students, the University and the community.

 

The ceremony revealed a strong sense of allegiance among the new and previous SU committee members. Mr Wong and Mr Kelvin Chan, the 19th SU President, started a candle-lit relay with other SU student representatives to ignite the flourishing spirit of service. The SU leaders vowed to take their jobs seriously and strive for excellence in their term of service. The audience was then treated to a short film capturing the development of the SU over the past 20 years, reinforcing their commitment to continuous good works.

 

Professor H K Chang, CityU President, wished the 20^th SU success , reaping the harvest it sows, and deriving satisfaction from serving others. “What you've inherited is the University’s splendid achievements of our staff and your predecessors during the past two decades. As you students are all ambassadors of the University, I wish you to work with our staff and your fellow students to reach new heights for the University,” Professor Chang said. He also encouraged the students to cherish the experience of being SU leaders, as "not only an obligation, but a good opportunity to learn about leadership and team work”.

 

“Today’s joint inauguration witnesses the solidarity and collaboration of CityU student leaders,” said Mr Chung Shiu-ming, Deputy Chairman of CityU Council, in his officiating speech. “A university is a place for creating and disseminating knowledge. In addition to professional education, we also aim at nurturing students’ leadership skills, international perspective and the pursuit of excellence,” Mr Chung added. He congratulated the students for taking this chance for whole person development and acquiring valuable experience for their future endeavors.

 

In his inauguration speech, Mr Wong mapped out the future plan of the SU in four main areas – "social awareness, harmony, belongingness and university reputation". He committed himself to cultivating harmonious relationships with various parties and, above all, he urged the SU body "to serve with pleasure" as the most important criterion for success.

 

Established in 1986, the SU has a high degree of autonomy in running its affairs and the SU President is an internal member of the CityU Council, the supreme governing body of the University.

 

The 20^th SU is committed to informing the campus community of what’s happening in society, alerting students to current affairs, and expressing themselves. "Red Door", the Executive Committee of the SU, comprises 16 members. The Committee named itself after the main entrance of CityU’s Academic Building, signifying the continuous influx of knowledge from the outside world. The SU Executive, Council, Editorial Board and other student societies serve the student body of 12,000.