NUS President apologises to freshmen after orientation controversies
NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan. Photo: National University of Singapore/Facebook
SINGAPORE — National University of Singapore (NUS) President Tan Chorh Chuan has apologised to the university’s freshmen following the controversies surrounding their orientation, while also assuring them NUS would not be scrapping orientation despite the suspension of student-organised orientation activities.
Instead, the university leadership and NUS community will work together to address the orientation-related issues over the “next few weeks and months”, he said at the NUS Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony, adding that “there are a wide range of things to consider”.
Last Friday, the university, for the first time, suspended indefinitely all team-building activities organised by students for its freshmen, such as orientation camps, and freshman activities in halls and residential colleges. The university cited “unauthorised and unsupervised” activities that contravened university rules.
This came after a New Paper report about sexualised activities at recent NUS orientation camps. A video showing students conducting dunking and ragging activities later emerged. On Sunday, the National University of Singapore Students’ Union (Nussu) apologised on Facebook, calling the sexualised activities “indecent, reprehensible and not condoned”.
Addressing the freshmen on Monday, Prof Tan said: “To all our Freshmen, I first want to say that I am very sorry that your first days at NUS have been clouded by the controversies surrounding student-organised orientation activities.
"We want to work with you to rethink how to do orientation in more meaningful ways so that all students, especially freshmen, will get to enjoy the orientation experience.”
He stressed that the university expects such activities to be “fully respectful of the dignity” of its participants and that it “do(es) not condone behaviour, games and activities that denigrate the dignity of individuals and that are sexualised”.
“It is very disappointing that a few in our student community have clearly not internalised this,” he added.
While student-organised orientation activities have been suspended, official university orientation events such as the Freshmen Inauguration Ceremonies, Welcome Receptions by Deans, Heads of Department and Masters, Faculty and Department briefings, and the student flag day fundraising for charities will continued as scheduled.
“We hope very much that the public will also support NUS student efforts at raising funds for the needy and disadvantaged in Singapore,” added Prof Tan.
