UM held a Town Hall Meeting on 5, 17 and 28 November respectively, in order to hear the students’ comments and suggestions about the new campus. Below are the most-asked questions at the meetings.
Q: Will all faculties move to the new campus in the 2013/2014 academic year?
A: According to the plan, all faculties will have moved to the new campus and begun operation by the start of the 2013/2014 academic year.
Q: Will all students be required to live in the residential colleges (RC)?
A: Every undergraduate student will belong to an RC. For the 2013/2014 academic year, students will have the option to choose whether they want to live in the RC or not. But first-year students admitted in or after the 2014/2015 academic year must live in the RC during the first year, and this will be one of the graduation requirements. Senior students can choose whether they want to live in an RC or not.
Q: How will students be assigned to different residential colleges?
A: It will be random assignment based mainly on the balance of faculty and gender as well as other considerations.
Q: What’s the fee schedule for residential colleges (RC)?
A: RC fees are set at MOP 12,500 per person per year for local students and MOP 20,000 for non-locals. The fee will include fifteen meals per week, activities, overseas exchange (applicants who meet all the requirements will be granted funding), water and electricity subsidies, 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, and will be significantly lower than the cost of a good quality education.
Q: Are residential college (RC) students free to choose their roommates?
A: Starting from the second year of living in the RCs, students will have the option to choose roommates, which the university will try its best to accommodate.
Q: Do I have to dine at the residential college?
A: Students are required to eat 15 meals a week at the RCs. But they can choose to eat at different times or request for take-out food in advance.
Q: How will the accommodation for postgraduate students be arranged?
A: Postgraduate hostels will be available. Postgraduate students will also have the option to apply to be a resident tutor (floor) and live in the residential colleges, but the number of places will depend on actual needs.
Q: Do I have to stay in the new campus 24/7?
A: Of course not. Students can enter and leave the new campus freely.
Q: The new campus is large. Will it be inconvenient for students to attend classes in different buildings?
A: Generally, classrooms will be located in the same or adjacent building. Even if students need to move between buildings to attend classes, they should be able to cover the distance in less than ten minutes by bike or loop shuttle bus.
Q: How long will it take to commute from the current campus to the new campus?
A: About 15 minutes by bus from the current University Library.
Q: Will the supermarket, restaurants and library on the new campus be open 24/7?
A: Commercial outlets, including restaurants, will operate into the night but won’t be open 24/7. However, there will be a 24-hour reading area in the library where students can study and have internet access; and most of the Learning Commons will also be open 24 hours a day.
Q: University teams carry out their trainings mostly in Macao. Will moving to the new campus inconvenience their training?
A: The new campus will have plenty of sports facilities, such as the multi-purpose indoor stadium, the indoor swimming stadium, track and field ground and various outdoor sports venues, which should be able to meet the training needs of most of our university teams.
Q: Will shuttle bus service between the current and new campuses be available during the next summer holiday when the relocation takes place?
A: Shuttle bus service will be available during the relocation period. But whether it will continue after the new campus is put into operation next September will depend on the arrangements of the Transport Bureau and the actual needs of UM staff and students.
Q: What means of public transport will be available to access the new campus?
A: According to the tentative plan proposed by the Transport Bureau, there will be two bus routes starting from Macao and Taipa respectively.
Q: How many parking spaces will there be on the new campus?
A: There will be about 2,500 parking spaces for light-duty vehicles and 1,200 spaces for motorbikes.
Q: Will cars or motorbike riding be allowed on the new campus?
A: No, with the only exception of university-authorised vehicles.
Q: How will the university help students living in dormitories to move their belongings to the new campus?
A: The university will provide up to ten standard-size paper boxes for each student living in dormitories. Moving fees will be waived.
Q: Will the new campus provide more part-time job opportunities and higher pay?
A: The university will extend the scope of the Campus Training Programme to provide more internship opportunities for students so they can gain practical experience. The university is collecting data and studying the possibility of raising the hourly pay for students in the future.
Q: What security measures will be in place on the new campus?
A: The new campus will only have one entrance/exit facing Taipa and Coloane, with the other three sides being securely segregated from the rest of the island with fences and artificial river. There will also be a police station, a customs and a fire station on the north of the new campus for prompt assistance in case of emergency.
Q: How will the university ensure indoor air quality on the new campus?
A: UM will carry out in two stages air quality monitoring in frequently used places, such as offices, classrooms, auditoriums, theatre, gym rooms, and student dormitories, for Air Charges per Hour and the concentration of radon, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds.
Q: Where can I obtain more information about the new campus?
A: You could visit the new campus website http://www.umac.mo/new_campus_project/, follow the new campus information display board, or email to campus@um.edu.mo.
Q: Will all faculties move to the new campus in the 2013/2014 academic year?
A: According to the plan, all faculties will have moved to the new campus and begun operation by the start of the 2013/2014 academic year.
Q: Will all students be required to live in the residential colleges (RC)?
A: Every undergraduate student will belong to an RC. For the 2013/2014 academic year, students will have the option to choose whether they want to live in the RC or not. But first-year students admitted in or after the 2014/2015 academic year must live in the RC during the first year, and this will be one of the graduation requirements. Senior students can choose whether they want to live in an RC or not.
Q: How will students be assigned to different residential colleges?
A: It will be random assignment based mainly on the balance of faculty and gender as well as other considerations.
Q: What’s the fee schedule for residential colleges (RC)?
A: RC fees are set at MOP 12,500 per person per year for local students and MOP 20,000 for non-locals. The fee will include fifteen meals per week, activities, overseas exchange (applicants who meet all the requirements will be granted funding), water and electricity subsidies, 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, and will be significantly lower than the cost of a good quality education.
Q: Are residential college (RC) students free to choose their roommates?
A: Starting from the second year of living in the RCs, students will have the option to choose roommates, which the university will try its best to accommodate.
Q: Do I have to dine at the residential college?
A: Students are required to eat 15 meals a week at the RCs. But they can choose to eat at different times or request for take-out food in advance.
Q: How will the accommodation for postgraduate students be arranged?
A: Postgraduate hostels will be available. Postgraduate students will also have the option to apply to be a resident tutor (floor) and live in the residential colleges, but the number of places will depend on actual needs.
Q: Do I have to stay in the new campus 24/7?
A: Of course not. Students can enter and leave the new campus freely.
Q: The new campus is large. Will it be inconvenient for students to attend classes in different buildings?
A: Generally, classrooms will be located in the same or adjacent building. Even if students need to move between buildings to attend classes, they should be able to cover the distance in less than ten minutes by bike or loop shuttle bus.
Q: How long will it take to commute from the current campus to the new campus?
A: About 15 minutes by bus from the current University Library.
Q: Will the supermarket, restaurants and library on the new campus be open 24/7?
A: Commercial outlets, including restaurants, will operate into the night but won’t be open 24/7. However, there will be a 24-hour reading area in the library where students can study and have internet access; and most of the Learning Commons will also be open 24 hours a day.
Q: University teams carry out their trainings mostly in Macao. Will moving to the new campus inconvenience their training?
A: The new campus will have plenty of sports facilities, such as the multi-purpose indoor stadium, the indoor swimming stadium, track and field ground and various outdoor sports venues, which should be able to meet the training needs of most of our university teams.
Q: Will shuttle bus service between the current and new campuses be available during the next summer holiday when the relocation takes place?
A: Shuttle bus service will be available during the relocation period. But whether it will continue after the new campus is put into operation next September will depend on the arrangements of the Transport Bureau and the actual needs of UM staff and students.
Q: What means of public transport will be available to access the new campus?
A: According to the tentative plan proposed by the Transport Bureau, there will be two bus routes starting from Macao and Taipa respectively.
Q: How many parking spaces will there be on the new campus?
A: There will be about 2,500 parking spaces for light-duty vehicles and 1,200 spaces for motorbikes.
Q: Will cars or motorbike riding be allowed on the new campus?
A: No, with the only exception of university-authorised vehicles.
Q: How will the university help students living in dormitories to move their belongings to the new campus?
A: The university will provide up to ten standard-size paper boxes for each student living in dormitories. Moving fees will be waived.
Q: Will the new campus provide more part-time job opportunities and higher pay?
A: The university will extend the scope of the Campus Training Programme to provide more internship opportunities for students so they can gain practical experience. The university is collecting data and studying the possibility of raising the hourly pay for students in the future.
Q: What security measures will be in place on the new campus?
A: The new campus will only have one entrance/exit facing Taipa and Coloane, with the other three sides being securely segregated from the rest of the island with fences and artificial river. There will also be a police station, a customs and a fire station on the north of the new campus for prompt assistance in case of emergency.
Q: How will the university ensure indoor air quality on the new campus?
A: UM will carry out in two stages air quality monitoring in frequently used places, such as offices, classrooms, auditoriums, theatre, gym rooms, and student dormitories, for Air Charges per Hour and the concentration of radon, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds.
Q: Where can I obtain more information about the new campus?
A: You could visit the new campus website http://www.umac.mo/new_campus_project/, follow the new campus information display board, or email to campus@um.edu.mo.
