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THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE STUDENTS.
Membership
OHE Untion is the centre of the social life of the students.
of the Union is obligatory. It was established on the 18th October, 1912. There was, to start with, no club house, the building now used as a general office being then the students' common room. sity at that time had no playing-field other than the small ground in the The Univer- University compound. The Pokfulum athletic ground was presented by Government in March 1915. Sir Kai Ho Kai, Dr. Francis Clark, and Mr. S. W. T'so were mainly responsible for raising a sum of $18,000 to level and turf the ground. In 1923 the athletic ground was extended and returfed, a sum of $5,000 having been raised for this purpose by some generous men whose names with those of the subscribers of 1915 are inscribed on a tablet in the Union
Assembly Room. Money for a pavilion for the athletic ground was subsequently collected from the public. One of the subscribers was Mr. Ho Kwong who also gave $1,400 for furnishing it. The pavilion was opened by Sir Henry May on the 3rd May, 1916. On the 16th February, 1916, it was decided to erect a Union Building. A sum of $30,000 was raised from the public, and $18,000 were borrowed from the University. Sir Reginald Stubbs opened the new building in November 1919. Sir Paul Chater subsequently gave a library to the Union in memory of Dr. G. A. Jordan. This library is known as the Jordan Library.
The Union is also indebted to Messrs. J. H. Taggart and to the Hon. Mr. W. H. Bell for donations which have enabled the atheltic association to fence the recreation ground and improve the hard tennis courts.
The Union is generally responsible for the promotion of the literary, social and athletic activities of its members. It is controlled and directed by a Council, the President and Honorary Secretary of which, as also two independent mem- bers, are elected by the undergraduates. The Honorary Treasurer is the Registrar. Apart from the Union, but not independent of it, are the Medical Society, the Arts Association, the Engineering Society and the Photographie Society. There are also an Education Society, a Law and Commerce Society and a Chinese Society. There is a Union Magazine with English and Chinese Sections. The editors are students, members of the staff acting as associate editors.
In 1931 an inter-university athletic meet was arranged. At this meet the two Canton universities the Lingnan and Sun Yat Sen and the Hong Kong University competed. The first meet was held in Hong Kong, the students of this University acting as hosts. In the summer 1927-28 the University Cricket Club headed the Senior and Junior Leagues.
The Union Building is rapidly becoming too small to house the increasing number of students. The University very urgently needs more lawn-tennis courts. A gymnasium would also be a most desirable addition.
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