Hannah Sorenson (MAIS '22) checked in with representatives of the HNC student committee, also known as the "banwei" (班委), to learn how they are working across international locations to bring the HNC community together.
Among the many questions faced by Hopkins-Nanjing Center students and staff in the wake of COVID-19, a group of students finds themselves tasked with the following: how do we build community amongst a multicultural, transnational cohort of strangers without meeting in person? These four students, known formally as the banwei (班委), were chosen by their peers during a series of orientation events held through Zoom in early September. This year’s banwei represent different degree programs and experiences—even finding themselves spread around the world between Yangon, Nanjing, and Bologna—tasked with bridging the distance between their classmates in a number of other geographic locations and time zones.
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| Amanda Bogan, HNC American Program Coordinator |
As a Certificate ‘17 and MAIS ‘18 alum, Amanda has her own memories of banwei and a comprehensive understanding of their important role. “I enjoyed taking part in banwei-led activities that brought together both Chinese and international students, such as volunteering to help set up events, decorating the student lounge for Christmas, or participating in language exchange activities,” she noted. “These kinds of activities were a fun way to connect and foster conversation with classmates who I wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to talk with.” In addition to their regular duties, Amanda confirmed that creativity will be a higher pressure and focus for this year’s student representatives. “It goes without saying that this is one of the most challenging semesters faced by HNC students and banwei… From some of the communications I’ve had, I know this is a goal they are already working towards, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the different activities and events we come up with for this semester.”
So, who are this year’s banwei? What have they been working on? What are their goals, key challenges, and creative approaches?
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| Banwei clockwise from top left: Austin Bliss, Deng Lin, Moe Pwint Phyu, and Xue Pei |
Austin Bliss (王澳清)
I am from the US. I first visited China in 2014 and have since become deeply invested in the country. My undergraduate university was the Chinese University of Hong Kong where I majored in Contemporary China Studies. The HNC seemed like an ideal next step to take after this as I hope to work in Mainland China after graduation.
Deng Lin (邓琳)
I am currently pursuing my second year of a Master’s Degree at Nanjing University, majoring in International Relations. I am also currently a student in HNC’s Certificate program.
Moe Pwint Phyu (胡煜嫻)
I’m an HNC/MAIR DC candidate from Yangon, Myanmar. I’m starting my SAIS journey in Nanjing, virtually. Before, I have also lived in Vermont and Beijing. I’m eager to learn about international relations on environmental and trade issues.
Xue Pei (薛沛)
I am from the Certificate class of 2020. I’ve been working for years, so working as a banwei is an efficient way for me to get to know my classmates. I am lucky to work with other banwei, all of whom try to plan and organize activities for students separated and trapped by the pandemic.
What motivated you to join banwei?
AB: The situation the world faces right now is unfortunate and I do like to spend a fair amount of time complaining about it. That being said, I highly value what the HNC attempts to do by bringing Chinese and American students together in such a unique way. I hoped that by joining banwei I could help facilitate this exchange online in spite of the travel restrictions that prevent international students from entering China.
DL: I have always been a passionate and positive person. I like to get in touch with my classmates, listen to the different suggestions, and organize class activities. Providing makes me happy, taking responsibility makes me do better.
MPP: I’d like to be closer to my classmates and feel more integrated into the HNC community by joining as a class representative. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center is a prestigious institute for studying US-China relations, established with American and Chinese students. However, we have also had students hailing from other countries each year. This year we have students from Japan, India, Singapore and so on. So, I’d like to be a voice of international students at HNC.
What have you been working on so far?
AB: We have a lot of ideas and limited time and resources to get them done. We are in the process of planning an election discussion event with Professor Renouard and a variety of other things further down the line. As I am the only banwei member in Bologna, I have been trying to facilitate better cohesion amongst the HNC group here and am also planning an in-person version of the election event we plan to hold online with everyone.
DL: In the past two months, we tried to find every student and make sure they are in contact with the HNC community. We have organized an offline meeting for students in Nanjing. We have also published some important notices in the WeChat group.
MPP: We’ve been working on finding language partners for students who’d like to learn Mandarin and English. Also, we’re organizing cross-campus happy hours for those who’d like to network and talk about world affairs. This year is a little challenging because the activities will take place virtually.
What do you hope to accomplish this year?
MPP: I hope to organize one big cross-campus social hour for students residing in all three of SAIS’s campuses: DC, Bologna and Nanjing.
XP: Online communication fails to replace the face-to-face communication that contributes to emotional connections, and most of my classmates haven’t known each other, let alone made friends, although we want to. I, together with my classmates, hope to study and work on campus next semester.
Given the exceptional virtual circumstances of this semester, how do you connect with your classmates? With each other?
AB: Being in Bologna is great because I do have quite a bit of in person interaction. For those classmates not in Italy, WeChat is a very powerful tool. I’d much rather go out for hot pot or something with them, but a quick chat now and then works for now. I think Zoom is great too for planned events. The breakout room function can facilitate more personal exchange and I hope banwei can plan some events that incorporate it.
DL: As the class committee, I have more contact with the students. Sometimes they ask me questions about class, the library, or interesting places in Nanjing—I try my best to help them. In addition to large-scale group activities, I attend some private gatherings of the students at the HNC. In some difficult courses, we learn together, so the connections between us will gradually become greater.
MPP: I always say hi to [my classmates] on Zoom privately and check in with them when they’re late to class due to daylight savings, etc. My friends also help me out with language barriers when I miss some instructions in Chinese.
What would you like current students to know about you or banwei?
AB: We are trying to make this work! I must admit it would be much easier if we could just plan in person events in Nanjing. The time zones, conflict with classes and generally difficult situation has made this a hassle. If anyone wants to help or has ideas, send me a message on WeChat!
DL: I hope they realize that we are friends no matter where we are. I am always here to provide help. If they have any opinions and thoughts, let me know at any time. Our purpose and hope is that students can better participate in HNC’s activities, and that they can feel that they are part of the HNC.
MPP: That I want to build genuine friendship with my classmates and [that] my home is open to all students in the SAIS community.
What would you like prospective students to know about you or banwei?
AB: I haven’t been to the HNC in person as a student yet (I did visit once), but I can already tell that this is an incredible community with a great diversity of people. It is worth keeping together even right now. If you come to the HNC you should definitely give banwei a try. I am sure that the challenges will be different, but the goals will be similar.
Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself or banwei?
AB: The HNC is very important right now and we all have a responsibility to maintain its mission. I think as a community we are actually doing a pretty great job at that so far. Banwei is here to help…so if you need us, do get in touch!
While this year has undoubtedly presented countless hurdles to building communities, the banwei is one of the many fibers working harder than ever to keep us connected. Whether it’s through WeChat or Zoom, or even distanced social and academic gatherings in Bologna and Nanjing, the 2020-2021 HNC community is continually growing together. At the very least, in the hopeful words of one of our banwei: “when we return to Nanjing, we won’t feel like strangers.”
Written by Hannah Sorenson, MAIS '22.
