NUS has accepted its Orientation Review Committee’s recommendations, which includes new guidelines
National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduates supported the intention of its Orientation Review Committee (ORC) to strengthen safeguards and weed out bad practices during orientation.
But they also asked that the ORC be mindful not to put forward recommendations that would “diminish the spirit, dynamism and diversity of orientation programmes and activities”.
The undergraduates’ views were part of the ORC report, whose recommendations were accepted in full yesterday.
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS’ deputy president (academic affairs) and provost,had e-mailed students yesterday with a link to the report and announced the acceptance of all recommendations.
The ORC, whose 13 members comprised faculty members, student leaders and alumni, had earlier submitted the report with recommendations on how to improve the NUS freshman orientations.
The review was called after The New Paper reported on sexualised orientation activities which included students being forced to re-enact a rape scene between siblings.
BONDS FORGED
On orientation, the report said: “This was the period when students felt that they were made to feel welcomed and cared for, and where strong bonds of friendships were forged.
“Many of them cherish the experience so much that they feel strongly about wanting to impart these positive experiences to their juniors.”
The students’ views were in the annex of the ORC report.
To freshmen, the orientation also serves as a transition point into the NUS community.
“I was terribly afraid I would be all alone in law school. I met some of my best friends though camp, who support me daily through school,” said a freshman from the Faculty of Law.
For the seniors, orientation means an opportunity to take on leadership and planning roles.
A senior from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences said the planning experience has equipped him with “the skills to navigate inter-personal relationships in a work setting more comfortably”.
The students also said that orientation makes the school culture more vibrant.
Another senior said that in orientation, “new friendships are forged and energy and life” are injected into the school’s environment, adding that such camps are “a key stepping stone to making university life enriching and meaningful”.
The students also spoke out against inappropriate orientation practices.
A Faculty of Law undergrad said: “Inducing fear or inappropriateness during such an event is unbecoming and I believe that we, as a society, as students, as adults, are better than that.”
Inducing fear or inappropriateness during such an event is unbecoming and I believe that we, as a society, as students, as adults, are better than that.
– A Faculty of Law undergrad
