The event started with Prof.Gu (the Master of Diligentia College) addressing the students. Diligentia College is one of the three colleges having been established by CUHK (SZ) and here will be the common home for us all, she said. The college members including members of the college council, teachers, students (undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral students) will grow together in Diligentia College.
It followed by icebreaker games led by leaders with more than 700 Diligentia College students divided into some forty groups. Students quickly felt like playing the games; the auditorium was filled with their laughter. Later on, some professors came and naturally joined the students in the games. Students who lost in games were punished to sing songs for everyone, which made the atmosphere even greater.
Then, students and their parents enjoyed the tea break, after which they took a group photo on the stage. The camera captured the moment when they said “Xue Qin” (meaning “Diligentia College” in English), marking the perfect ending of the event.
Comments
Zhixuan Li, SME student of 2014 Class
In teachers’ initial explanation, colleges are like fraternities in American movies where people with similar interests and outlooks gather to make their lives more interesting and meaningful. The icebreaker games may be the first time for us to feel what it is like. From total strangers to acquaintances, we withstood punishment together, singing and dancing in front of everyone. These all naturally happened and brought warmth to us. Diligentia College means more than just an idea to live at the upper campus; instead, it turns into the smiling faces of a bunch of friends and interesting stories worth remembering in our lives. We also turned into the Smurfs living freely in real life at CUHK (SZ) rather than happily in songs. I start to look forward to more activities organized by the College, and to exploring a unique and pleasant place in the ivory tower of the university.
Yuhang Wu, HSS postgraduate student of 2016 Class
My sincerely thanks go to all teachers for their hard work. It was a great event, very well organized. I saw teachers running back and forth and they went to eat until the end of the activity. Through playing icebreaker games, I got to know some students who otherwise I cannot make acquaintance with, and we were all very happy. Students who lost in games and got punished were also very cool; there were tea break, noodles and rice provided, so I was not hungry at all. When everybody was leaving, they all put their seat back to where it’s supposed to be. I also did my part, helping the volunteering for the dancing party last night. All in all, everyone is lovely and nice, and the event was fantastic!
Yueming Li, SSE student from 2016 Class
The feeling of warmth overwhelms me since I became a member of Diligentia College. Just like what the Master said, “we are a family.” The College offers us brand-new platforms to facilitate our study, activities, life and sports. When two students never knowing each other find they’re from the same college, they will have a strange sense of intimacy. A college is like a huge bond linking hundreds of unfamiliar faces together. I would like to explore the fascination of my college life along with friends from different colleges of our universities.
Hengli Yu, SSE undergraduate student of 2015 Class
This was my second time participating the icebreaker games. Compared with last year’s experience, I felt like that the students were more relaxed and the atmosphere was more alive. There was also one thing different from last year’s event----students from different classes can be divided in the same group. In our group, there were undergraduates and postgraduates; it was like a family. We can feel the warmth. It was the first time that I’ve got to know what the College is, and I look forward to my future life here.
Master's words
Our College offers an opportunity to integrate a communal setting, multicultural activities, and academic excellence into a living experience to orient our students and nurture their moral character. Our students, teachers and other staff form an intimate and cordial community to develop a congenial college life which offers pastoral care and comprehensive whole-person education for students.We will strive to broaden our students’ classroom education by bridging their academic development and personal growth with intramural and extracurricular activities and programmes. We're a family and you're one of us now. Let us learn to start our new life together through diligence. You will find your residential experience a life enriching one as ultimately it will uniquely define you as a member of the Diligentia family.
