Light on U
For the first time, students can do assignments and sleep right in school, which is mostly only found in foreign universities.
Overnight co-working space of ULIS at 10 PM (Source: The Hanoians)
In order to meet the demand of students, many universities around the world have opened 24/7 self-study spaces on campus such as Hayden Library at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It can be seen that such spaces in most universities in Vietnam are very limited, especially overnight ones. Indeed, of the 15 universities in Hanoi, none currently have places like that, as reported by a survey.
“I sometimes have to stay up late to finish the assignments during the exam period, which may annoy my roommates. However, there is no 24/7 self-study venue available for students across my campus“, said Le Thi Minh Ngoc, a student at the University of Economics and Business – Vietnam National University.
Always listening to students’ wishes, the University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) is the only university in Hanoi to catch up with the trend, opening a co-working space for overnight self-study for teaching staff and students.
“Youngsters these days keep talking about trends which we teachers cannot keep up with. But in this university, there is indeed a trend. It is the trend of striving to support and provide students and lecturers with the best facilities possible.”
Mr. Do Tuan Minh – President of University of Languages and International studies (ULIS)
Mr. Do Tuan Minh (Source: The Hanoians)
Facilities such as new tables and chairs, clean and fragrant, are regularly cleaned by the staff. Homies C3 has a lot of bookshelves with all kinds of languages in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and French. Communal tables and separate tables depending on individual or group activities are placed in each area, especially Homies C3 has 2 spaces separated by soundproof doors. Connecting with the library on the 2nd floor, Homies C3 serves students to study and research documents more conveniently and easily. Self-contained toilet in Homies space, separated, clean, and fully equipped.
The registration process for an overnight stay at Homies C3 is simple and up-to-date. The application form is submitted online via Google Forms. In particular, students who want to stay in shift 4 (10 PM-6 AM) must register before 5 PM of the same day and check in at Homes C3 before 11 PM.
Mr. Tuan Minh – President of the ULIS shared: “Our university’s goal is always to take care of students. Therefore, the school built many co-working spaces for teachers and students to work”. Currently, young people have a trendy word “night owl”, which refers to those who often have a habit of working late in the evening and at night, so Homies C3 has been put to the test.
” To ensure safety and security, there is only 1 person on duty in the morning, but in the evening there will be 2 people. There is a team of Youth pioneering and guards patrolling continuously outside and 24/7 security cameras in the homies”, said Mr. Minh. Besides, the list of students staying there will be recorded and managed by the guards and the police station nearby. Also, students have to follow Homies C3 rules. Specifically, if they had registered, they would not be allowed to go out until 6 AM to ensure their security.
Some students want to go there freely at any time and will feel inconvenienced if they have to register the form before 5 PM that day to stay overnight there. However, a plan and arrangement in advance are needed in a lifetime, said the principal. Early registration will make it easier for the school to grasp the number of students and send information to the police, and the guards for management.
Of course, there will be health concerns. From Mr. Minh’s sharing, he did not encourage students to stay overnight frequently, but it is acceptable for young people sometimes go there. If there is a need for a quiet place to finish deadlines or have group meetings without disrupting other people, Homies C3 can be a good choice. This is not a space for sleeping overnight but if the students are too tired from work, they can sometimes take a nap to keep their health.
On 30/11/2022, “the school has two options to consider – Homies C3 continue or stop opening overnight” Mr. Minh said.
Whether or not there will be sleepless nights on the ULIS campus?