The new UM campus will be put into operation in the autumn of 2013. Preparatory work is now under way. UM’s Campus Relocation Student Affairs Sub-Command Centre held a Town Hall Meeting for students on 5 November to hear students’ comments for further improvement of the relocation plan. The Town Hall Meeting received a positive response, with students putting forward many constructive suggestions. Two more Town Hall Meetings are scheduled for 17 and 28 November respectively.

Facilities Partially Available for Use

It is expected that during the early period of operation, some sports facilities, such as the multi-purpose indoor stadium, indoor swimming pool, outdoor sports venues, gym rooms and activity rooms, will be available for use. As for dining facilities, in addition to meals provided by residential colleges, those Chinese and Western food restaurants as well as cafes open during the early stage should be able to meet the needs of staff and students.

Bus Routes To Be Finalised

Regarding transportation, the preliminary plan suggested by the Transport Bureau of Macao SAR is to design two bus routes starting from Macao and Taipa respectively, with the Macao route starting from Hac Sa Wan or Barra Square, and the Taipa route starting from Hung Fat Garden or the library on the current campus. After the Town Hall Meeting, UM conducted an Origin-Destination Survey for New Campus to collect data for the Transport Bureau’s reference and analysis based on which the bus routes will be finalised.

Nearly Four Thousand Parking Spaces

Difficulty in finding a parking space on the current campus has always been a headache for UM staff and students. During the Town Hall Meeting, students repeatedly asked about the parking arrangements on the new campus. Approximately 2,500 parking spaces for light-duty vehicles and 1,200 for motorcycles will be available on the new campus. There will also be twelve parking lots for bicycles, with about 1,085 parking spaces available during the early stage. The tentative plan is to purchase some bicycles and provide cheap rental service to staff and students to promote cycling culture.

2014/15 Freshmen Required to Live in RCs

On the new campus UM will fully implement a residential college (RC) system to let students enjoy a richer campus life. According to the latest plan, first-year students of the 2014/15 academic year are required to live in RCs during the first year. RC fees are tentatively set at MOP 12,500 per person per year for local students and MOP 20,000 for non-locals. The fees will include fifteen meals per week, activities, subsidies for overseas exchange, water and electricity, etc. RCs follow the principle of high standards and low fees. The fees RCs charge the students won’t even cover half of the cost. During the second year, RC students will have the option to choose roommates, which RC management will try their best to accommodate. Pearl Jubilee College and East Asia College students can choose to stay in their current colleges. There will also be four postgraduate residential buildings, and postgraduate students can choose between four different kinds of rooms.

Involve Students in Relocation Planning and Execution

The new campus is expected to be completed by the end of next March. Trial operation is scheduled for June, and full relocation is due to begin in July. To better plan relocation strategy and communicate with students, UM set up the Campus Relocation Student Affairs Sub-Command Centre which is led by Vice Rector for Student Affairs Prof. Haydn Chen. Members include Master of East Asia College Prof. Iu Vai Pan, Master of Pearl Jubilee College Prof. George Watt, Dean of Students Dr. Peter Yu, Head of Student Resources & Services Section Grace Chau, Functional Head of Dormitory Services at Student Resources & Services Section Sammy Wong, Director General of Postgraduate Association Ma Zhi Qiao, Head of Members Affairs Department of Students’ Union Vu Kai Pong, President of Dormitory Student Association Wang Chu Tong, Chair of Social Activity Working Group of East Asia College Yu Rui Wen and House Association Secretary of Pearl Jubilee College Ku Kin Ian. Through participating and leading the various tasks related to relocation planning and execution, students can learn how to manage a complex process. To keep UM staff and students posted on the latest arrangements concerning the relocation, UM will release the latest information through various channels. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email to campus@um.edu.mo.