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 Students’ opinion of the National University of Singapore Students’ Union is improving, according to Tay E Teng, outgoing president of the 28th committee.
She addressed a packed auditorium at Prince George’s Park Residences on Sep. 20 for NUSSU annual general meeting.
She said, “The S/U incident especially has helped change the perception students have towards the union being more relevant and outspoken.”
Her comment referred to the strategic role the students’ union adopted in the previous 2006/ 07 academic year to negotiate with the university administration and lobby for student welfare. Tay also cited the infrastructural improvements on campus, the implementation of a cohort-based tuition fee model and an S/U policy favourable to the majority of students as results of the university administration engaging with the students’ union. “The NUS administration has shown that it is more willing to listen to the views of the students’ union,” she said. The positive evaluation of the students’ union was presented in its committee reports for 2006/07 academic year and passed without objections. A unanimous decision that NUSSU Aspire online magazine would no longer be represented by a standing committee was also passed. The Publications Cell cited the reason that the online communication portal has “lost its relevance to the union.”
The issue of relevance of the law faculty in Bukit Timah Campus to the NUS Kent Ridge campus was also raised by Law Society representative Ng Sook Zhen. According to Donald Koh, 29th elected president of NUSSU, Rag and Flag Day at the start of the semester was an opportunity for the law faculty’s first-time participation with its own float and provided a chance for them to bond with the majority of the Kent Ridge campus students. Addressing the issue of physical isolation of BTC and its students, Koh, said, “We are also looking at major events to be held at BTC so students from the Kent Ridge campus can go over and see what it’s like there.” However, he also said plans have not been made and “nothing is concrete” at present. The issue of bridging the campuses through organising events would depend on students’ participation. Koh said, “In the end we need to see what the BTC students want more – convenience or to be part of the Kent Ridge campus.” |
