By Gaargi SHARMA (Alumni Civility Hall)

“Roundtable discussion” - when one utters this term the first thing that comes to mind is a group of serious people sitting together with strained looks on their faces discussing issues of grave importance with the utmost earnestness. But if you attended the roundtable discussion held at the G/F Common Room in Hall 8 on 17 March 2011 from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm, you will realise how untrue this picture can be!

Academic staff from the Department of Applied Social Studies, Dr. Ho Wai Yip, an expert on Islamic studies, and Mr. Fung Sai Fu Simon shared with us their views on the topic. The Residence Masters of Halls 3, 8 and 9 - Dr. Cheung Chor-Yung, Dr. Mike Yao and Ms. Alisa Kwan - graced us with their presence. The participants also included inquisitive students with a proportional mix of locals, non-locals and exchange students. When we asked Miss Karishma Bhalla, an exchange student from Warwick University who hails from Dubai, about the event, she stated excitedly, “The discussion was an engaging and engrossing intellectual session involving views being exchanged among members who included students, tutors and professors, who supported an interactive presentation. Events like these will increase our awareness on what’s happening in our world and provide important perspectives from various angles, increasing cooperation and motivating students in residence, including local and international as well as exchange students like me, to participate actively.” She echoed the words of every individual present there, including me.

Fun fact- in Arthurian legend the circular table of King Arthur and his knights was used for discussions shaped so that his knights could sit around it without anyone having precedence. Now, doesn’t that go well with what we did? Sharing without precedence =]