Page 10 - Beyond COVID-19

Beyond COVID-19: Be Careful when Using Clubhouse

o matter where you are, your life has communicate. COVID-19 vaccines have been spreading fast
Nundoubtedly been changed because The audio-chat app is much more conven- on this app. Because chatroom discussions
of COVID-19. In an era of global lockdown ient for users to express their opinions. At are live and without written evidence, users
and self-isolation, people now rely on online the same time, it does not require speakers cannot go back to check information.
platforms for study, work and meeting to have a high level of education, so speech-
friends. es may be subjective, personal, unrepresenta- Reliable sources of news are more impor-
tive, or even fictitious. tant than ever because of all misinformation
An audio-chat app, Clubhouse, has become spreading online. The public should be well
popular because it gives people a chance to With audio, people can be easily swayed aware of the importance of media literacy.
interact with celebrities while they all stay by emotive delivery. They end up ignoring
indoors. Users can discuss popular topics or logical and factual content because they are
current affairs by joining different chatrooms trying to keep up with discussions and have
on the app. It lowers the barrier for users limited time to think.
to participate in discussions, as they are
allowed to use audio rather than text to For instance, some false rumours about By Alice Wang Sunyunhe

Reflection on Values of Higher Education

tudents from the Chinese University of things could go back to normal, but I am online learning is not that depressing for me.
SHong Kong, the University of Tokyo and graduating soon.
Kyushu University joined online colloquium I feel sad for students who do not have
‘Beyond COVID-19’ on February 19, 2021. Rather than keep complaining about this access to electronic devices and the Inter-
hopeless situation, I try to see the positive net. It is futile trying to convince them that
Edward Vickers, Professor of Comparative side of online learning. I sit in on classes that e-learning is not that bad. Almost every top
Education at Kyushu University, shared his are totally unrelated to my major, like cultur- university claim to promote equality and
observations and thoughts on changes in al and religious studies. They give me more inclusion and hail the ‘revolutionary’ online
higher education during the pandemic. time to critically think about political, social learning, but they fail to acknowledge some
Online learning is convenient and flexible, and cultural questions. students’ struggles for accessibility.
but it lacks human contact, opportunities for
informal discussion outside lectures and the I challenge myself to read more news from It is important for universities to under-
sense of community. various global and local media outlets. This stand and reinforce the real values of higher
allows me to know more about why coun- education, set good examples and give hope
I believe most students can share this feel- tries handle COVID-19 and related issues in in a struggling world.
ing. Although I can wake up late and attend such different ways.
lectures on my comfy bed, I miss going to
school. I miss having classes with my friends. In Hong Kong, I can still learn from online
I miss the food in school canteens. I wish resources and dine out with my friends, so By Bonita Wong

Opening Doors for Opportunities under the Pandemic

or many, COVID-19 pandemic has been quality in sanitation and access to health-
Fthe defining point of 2020. The scale and care during the pandemic has caused the
severity of the pandemic has turned people’s underprivileged to be disproportionately
lives upside down. affected by COVID-19.
At the same time, these issues have
For some, these changes have not been caused communities all around the world
positive as The Chinese University of Hong to band together to provide support to
Kong (CUHK) journalism major students, Eve those who need it. And it has taken the
Lee and Soweon Park, shared in an online movement even further – now, there are
event, Beyond COVID-19, on February 19. questions about how the underprivileged
They said the pandemic made it difficult for can be empowered even more beyond
them to meet their interviewees face-to-face the pandemic. Varsity student Laurissa Liu shared how she
and conduct filming for their video story produced a video story about university students
outdoors. As a university student, I am all too doing late night online lectures due to time
aware of the challenges posed by COV- difference.
Another group of CUHK students, Sarah ID-19. All of my classes have been held
Ryou, Charleen Chen and Laurissa Liu shared online for more than a year. It has been used to online video conferencing tools, it
about the difficulties international students a challenge to adjust to learning without a has become easier to contact interviewees
faced taking classes. International students classroom environment, or without facilities all around the world and to conduct inter-
were unable to return to their campus were provided by the school. At the same time, views online.
therefore forced to take classes late at night interaction with classmates and friends has
and early in the morning due to different been lost to online classes. Overall, while the virus has presented many
time zones. That has affected their sleep challenges, it has opened doors to urgent
schedule. But online university has opened the door social issues and opened opportunities that
for cross-cultural exchange on online plat- would not have been explored in the past.
Yet, the pandemic has also been an oppor- forms, leading to sharing of ideas between
tunity for important social issues to come to students and professors of different coun-
light. Social inequality is one of them. Ine- tries. Now that more and more people are By Patricia Ricafort