BA Society Annual Report AY13/14 by BA Society

Acknowledgements This annual report was co-written by Ong Bang Xiang, Committee Advisor and Stephanie Tang Li Ping, Main Committee (Vice President) for the School of Business and Accountancy (Society) for the academic year of 2013/2014. With special thanks to: Xu Xiaomin (BA Society Alumni) Marcus Goh (Main Committee) Ang Mun Chin (Main Committee) Darren Loh (Main Committee) Geraldine Soh (Main Committee) Darren Lim (Main Committee) Ong Ying Jie (Main Committee) Luah Guan Kiat (Main Committee) Janice Chiang (Main Committee) Tracey Leow Jia Le (Main Committee) Sheena Tan Yin Xue (Main Committee) Wong Kam Ho (Student Coordinator Officer) Jasiel Tan (Committee Advisor) Ngee Ann Polytechnic Photography Club (Pictures)

A big thank you to the individuals as mentioned above for their invaluable first annual report for the academic year of 2013/2014. 1

Message

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BA Society Organizational Chart

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BA Society AY 13/14 3.1 Committee Advisors 3.2 Main Committee 3.3 Student Coordinator Officers

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BA Society Milestones

Our Activities for the Year! 5.1 Student Coordinator Outing 5.2 BAmazing 9 5.3 Fund My Life 3: REMIX 5.4 BAMP

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BAOC, The Final Sprint!

Upcoming Activities!

Foreword 1.1 1.2

What our President & Vice President has got to say?

Greetings! For the first time ever, the team of Committee Advisors from the academic year of 2013/2014 are proud to present to you the inauguration of the School of

It is indeed a pleasure and honour to be able to serve the BA student body alongside with my fellow committee for the academic year of 2013/2014. In the year 2002, we watched as two independent student bodies came together to form one BA Society, one that is unsure of what is to come but pertinaciously established with one objective To serve the student body of the School of Business and Accountancy. Over the past 11 years, members of BA society have faithfully lived by one code Enthusiasm; w strength from the student body. It is what fuels our constant thirst for perfection in what we do and I believe this resolve will continue pulsating through the future generations of BA Society. With our trees finally bearing fruit, let us not forget the members behind the success of BA Society, an integral group of people, without whom BA Society will not be where we are today the lecturers in-charge of BA Society! We are, and always will be, indebted to your contribution to our Society. Now, before w of you who has contributed, in some way or another, to the success of BA Society. Without your continuous and unwavering support, Student Coordinator Outing (SC Outing), BAmazing 9 The Breakthrough, Fund My Life 3 Charity Run (FML) and BAMP would have never been made possible. Thank you. From here on, members of BA Society will continue on the path of perfection in the execution of the widely acclaimed event of th School of Business and Accountancy Orientation Convention 2014! Held at the start of every new academic year, this distinguished episode will cordially introduce the freshmen into their next phase of life. Stay tuned for more exciting updates of what is to come! Regards, Tan Jie Zhong Jasiel Committee Advisor, President BA Society AY 13/14

Greetings to all members of BA Society, What an incredible year it has been for us! As the saying goes, Teamwork makes the dream work. I am extremely privileged to have worked with every one and thank you for giving your time and skills! You outdid yourselves and made our events a great success. Each event required a great deal of your time and you voluntarily donate it. Nothing can be accomplished without your hard work, resilience and dedication. Yes, indeed our l, everything would have lacked the spark. Organizing and managing all of our events have not been a walk in the park for us but I am very thankful that we are embarking on this journey together, every Main Committee member and Student Coordinator Officer. The toiling process of putting our ideas together and racking our brains to brainstorm has always been made better with one and help. The love from this team is what gives me strength. Along our journey together, we have learnt to set aside all our differences for the undying passion we share. Learning to work together and love one another through the highest of highs to the lowest of lows is something that I believe we are all very happy and proud of. In this span of time together, we have forged unforgettable friendships and gained many valuable experiences that we will take with us forever. Once, again I thank each and every society member for your contribution, time and sacrifice during the academic year. From strangers to friends, we have come a long way guys. It has truly been a pleasure to see how each one of us has grown to be leaders in our own ways over the year. It has been a pleasure serving the School of BA alongside with every one of you and this friendship we have forged over the year will last for a long time to come. Cheers, Stephanie Tang Li Ping Main Committee (Vice President) BA Society AY 13/14

*Information pertaining to the various sub organizations of BA Society will be made Sub Committee members work directly under the Main Committee members who serve as their mentors.

Introducing Our People

3.1 Committee Advisors The Committee Advisors (CAs) are the Executive Management Committee of BA Society. The CAs oversees and manages the activities of the entire society. Each advisor was either in the Main Committee or a Student Coordinator Officer in their second year of study before being reappointed to head BA Society as a Committee Advisor. The job of a CA is to provide advice and mentorship to the Main Committee and Student Coordinator Officers with the management and coordination of their events. The advisors serve as liaisons to lecturers, other academic organizations and sometimes, external parties that may wish to collaborate with BA Society. The CAs make major decisions that affects BA Society as a whole and set the direction for the year. However, the CAs do not make decisions with regards to the events the BA Society organizes. The Main Committee members are the ones who call the shots during the events and CAs merely provide guidance. Every CA is allocated to a committee to guide each respective event committee. The CAs are also in charge of selecting the next batch of Main Committee members and Student Coordinator Officers for the next academic year. Each CA has their own post in the committee that serves the needs of different functions of the society.

The 12th Batch of Committee Advisors: Tan Jie Zhong Jasiel, President Jasiel is a Year 3 Business Studies student and was a Student Coordinator Officer in year 2. As the president, he is the figurehead of the society and he sets the direction for the society at the start of the academic year. He also represents the society in student union meetings and addresses the entire society on important matters.

Yeo Jie Ying, Secretary Jie Ying is a Year 3 Accountancy student and was a Main Committee member in year 2. As the secretary, she is in charge of all general administrative matters in the society. As the secretary she takes down minutes

Isador Lim Car Yen, Treasurer Isador is a Year 3 Business Studies student and was a Main Committee member in year 2. As the treasurer, she handles all financial activities of the society and mentors the treasurer in every committee regarding BA

The 12th Batch of Committee Advisors: Ong Bang Xiang, BA Society Liaison Bang Xiang is a Year 3 Banking and Financial Services student and was a Main Committee member in year 2. As the BA Society Liaison, he serves as a bridge for CAs between the Main Committee members and the Student Coordinator Officers. His job is to provide advice and guidance to the members as well as resolve arising problems that may occur within the society.

Abigail Wong Si En, BA Society Liaison Abigail is a Year 3 Accountancy student and was a Student Coordinator Officer in year 2. As the BA Society Liaison, she serves as a bridge for CAs between the Main Committee members and the Student Coordinator Officers. Her job is to provide advice and guidance to the members as well as resolve arising problems that may occur within the society.

Al-Emporio Teh Rui Ling, BA Society Liaison Emporio is a Year 3 Business studies student and was a Main Committee member in year 2. As the BA Society Liaison, she serves as a bridge for CAs between the Main Committee members and the Student Coordinator Officers. Her job is to provide advice and guidance to the members as well as resolve arising problems that may occur within the society. 11

The 12th Batch of Committee Advisors: Foo Jia Rong Justin, Union Representative Justin is a Year 3 Business studies student and was a Student Coordinator Officer in year 2. As the Union Representative, he represents the society in Student Union meetings and serve as a liaison between other academic organizations in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Sim Ying Hui Vivian, Welfare Director Vivian is a Year 3 Business Studies student and was a Main Committee member in year 2. As the Welfare Director, she is in charge of the general well being of every member in the society. She mentors the welfare committee and ensures that every society member is fit to carry out their duties during events.

3.2 Main Committee AY 13/14

From left to right

FIRST ROW: Janice Chiang Hwei-Yi, Ang Mun Chin, Low Wei Yan, Tan Sze Inn, Stephanie Tang Li Ping, Sheena Tan Yin Xue, Tracey Leow Jia Le SECOND ROW: Luah Guan Kiat, Geraldine Zi Xin, Gwen Tan Xin Yi, Ong Ying Jie, Rachel Soo Xin Hui, Qu Zhen Xing THIRD ROW: Hong Jia Jun, Darren Loh Wei Jie, Daren Lim Jun Hao, Marcus Goh, Heng Keh Jun, Tay Pek Khiaw Bryan

The Main Committee The Main Committee is the events planning and management side of BA Society. They are basically the brains behind the activities held by BA Society. At the end of each academic year, a new batch of Main Committee would be selected from a series of interviews to get the best candidates for the job. From there, the selected few would form the Main Committee of BA Society for the academic year. Main Committee recruitment starts shortly after the conclusion of BAOC. BA Society welcomes all aspiring Main Committee members to sign up and serve the School of BA! Being a Main Committee member: The Main Committee will decide what events and projects BA Society are going to take on for the academic year. This academic year, the Main Committee had decided to take on the Student Coordinators Outing, BAmazing 9, Fund My Life 3 and BAMP. Each committee member would then be allocated into his or her respective committees. From there, they would embark on the planning and management of their events. The pressure is on every Main Committee member to deliver the best out of every event. All events by BA Society that students of BA have participated in are the hard work of the Main Committee. They go through hours of meetings several times a week to plan trials, games and event operations. All these for one simple purpose: To forge tighter bonds and start new friendships within BA through such bonding activities that they plan. Aside from the 4 events, the Business and Accountancy Orientation Convention (BAOC) would be the most significant project that every batch of Main Committee will take on. This event would welcome more than 1300 freshmen annually to the School of BA. Also, this would be the last event that they will execute before stepping down from their post.

3.3 Student Coordinator Officers AY 13/14

From left to right

THIRD ROW: Wang Tian Long, Zane Tee Kai Li, Chia Whai Fen, Lee Geng Jie, Takagi Ken, Soon Yuen Ting, Tan Yi Jie Xenia, Ryan Jason Liew Hao Jie SECOND ROW: Lee Ji Kang, Jacob Julien Lau, Wong Kam Ho, Darren Lee Jian Wei, Darien Chuan Wei Jie, See Seng Yang, Go Qing Yi, Daryl Chui Hon Mun FIRST ROW: Li Mei Ying, Joey Yee Yen Yin, Regina Lim, Dayna Ong Jun Ting, Liew Xin Wei, Charmaine Tang Hui Xian, Nur Amirah Bte Sulaiman, Gina Phua

The Student Coordinator Officers The Student Coordinator Officers (SCOs) are the arms of BA Society. Similarly, as each academic year comes to an end, a new batch of SCOs would be selected to serve BA Society. The selection of SCOs are in a group of 3 rather than individually. Hence, aspiring SCOs would have to form their own groups consisting of at one male Year 2 BA student, one female Year 2 BA student and one Year 1 BA student of any gender. They would be required to go through a series of interviews as a group before being selected as SCOs. A total of 8 groups i.e. 24 SCOs would be selected to serve BA Society in the School of BA. If you have a passion to lead a group of people, form your group and join us! BA Society welcomes you! Being a SCO: They help the Main Committee by being coordinators during events. While the Main Committee is at the back end managing event operations, SCOs are at the front line ensuring the flow of the event and that instructions by the Event ICs are carried out. SCOs are required to attend every event trials that are held by the Main Committee. From there, they provide feedback and opinions for the Main Committee members to enhance their ideas and help identify areas that may be lacking. Other than being a coordinator, SCOs have to manage their own group of Student Coordinators that would be their student leaders during BAOC. Aside from BA Society activities, SCOs will hold their own activities throughout the academic year for BA students to participate in. Such activities include bonding dinners, themed events and a group chalet. BAOC would see the SCOs to be placed under tremendous pressure as the have to manage their group of Student Coordinators and freshmen. They have to ensure that BAOC is well coordinated and at the same time managing their group in ensuring every one have a memorable and enjoyable time.

Our Journey Thus Far

SC Outing | BAmazing 9 | FML 3 | BAMP

July 2013 (Saturday) starting off with an amazing race at Vivo City followed by a series of team bonding games at Tanjong Warriors and the groups taking part were grouped based on famous Disney characters. The main purpose of SC Outing is to allow each respective group of Student Coordinators to forge strong bonds between one another and also to create a sense of belonging within their respective groups. On top of that, it also allows the Student Coordinator Officers (SCOs) & Assistant Student Coordinator Officers (ASCOs) to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each member in their group to better prepare them for the upcoming freshmen orientation, BAOC 2014. This would help facilitate the SCOs' allocation of their SCs, to allow them to play towards their strengths and shore up on their weaknesses.

The journey began on 16 May 2013 right in the midst of school. The planning committee met up twice a week, for 2 months before the actual event to come up with the activities and the actual flow of the event. As this was the first major event for BA Society for the academic year, it was a virgin experience for many of the Main Committee members to plan their first event. The Main Committee members got their first taste of handling their respective games as game masters, executing the games as well as controlling the flow of the participants. Similarly for most of the SCOs, it was their first taste of how BA Society carries out an event. In trials, SCOs must learn and understand all the games and event operations so that they can coordinate well during the actual day.

On 13 July 2013 at 1030 AM, the third floor of Vivocity shook as the entirety of SC Outing had a loud cheer off to herald the start of the amazing race. Groups were treated to a massive manhunt that spanned the entire Vivocity. After successfully completing the objectives of the manhunt, the teams moved on to tackle further games found throughout Vivocity. The groups would proceed on to Tanjong Beach, Sentosa, for the beach games. There, the teams were exposed to a myriad of c unorthodox items in place of a regular ball to a race against an opposing team to collect as much water as possible using an old school game such as Scissors Paper Stone.

friendships and bonds were created on that day, setting the foundation for more friendships to come. When time passes, the participants will look to the fun that they had during SC Outing and nod to themselves, thinking, Time well spent, new

All in all, between the sweat stained shirts and the sun burnt faces of the participants, SC Outing ended off with a bang. This concluded the first major event for BA Society and hopefully it set the tempo for future BA Society events.

Bamazing 9 is an island-wide amazing race around Singapore for. In its ninth inception, BA Society saw 120 participants (30 Groups of 4 participants each) from the School of BA eagerly signed up for the event. It was held during the September school holidays and is for students to have some competitive fun as well as to allow BA students to take a break from their academics. BAmazing 9 hoped to forge tighter bonds within each group of participants as they raced together around Singapore to be the first one to cross the finish line! It was a 2D1N island-wide race that spanned over the weekend of 14 th and 15th September where participants had to race from morning to evening on both days. The race includes finding the mysterious venues, playing fun-filled games and solving mindboggling clues. Of the 30 total groups that participated, only the top 12 teams on the first day will continue to race on the second day. The remaining groups were unfortunately eliminated but was given a goodie bag as a token of appreciation. Prizes were given to the top 3 groups on the second day of the race.

The committee started off with assigning roles within the committee so as have a clear distinction of what each individual was tasked to do. Subsequently, they headed into the timeline of the race and also the games that were suitable to be held. Every member was tasked with coming up of games for the race. Games have to be fun and at the same time engaging. This posed a challenge for the Main Committee members as they racked their brains to finally produce the activities that participants would play during the race itself. The committee also burnt many weekends to recce race locations around Singapore. Such places included the Tiong Bahru Bird Corner and Gardens by the Bay.

Together with the SCOs, the committee came down on the weekends on many occasions to design, build and paint our logistics so as to enhance the games. SCOs also provided constructive feedback to improve flaws during trials which ultimately contributed to the success of the actual BAmazing 9 event. With the successful publicity and overwhelming responses from the student population, BA Society was determined to make Bamazing 9 a memorable one for many during the year. All in all, BAmazing 9 was wrapped up as a well-organised event with great feedbacks and compliments from the participants that the whole BA Society can look back and be proud of.

was held on 25th October 2013. It is a charitable colour run cum concert event that seeks to raise funds for our beneficiary St. At the same time, it aims to imbue the values of empathy, kindness and passion in students as well as to promote a healthy lifestyle through the specially tailored 4kilometre campus run. This team of committee members fought hard together to make FML 3 a success. It was no walk in the park organizing a charity run cum concert performance. The committee had to secure sponsorships from external organizations and hunt for talented students to perform for the event. The committee members also had to establish the route for the 4-kilometre run bearing in mind feasibility and safety of participants. The difficult part came when they had to brainstorm on ideas to suit the theme FML 3 Remix. They had to create the ambience and the right setting at the venue to suit the theme. SCOs were tasked with the coordination road marshals they spurred everyone on with their enthusiasm till the last person crossed the finishing line.

BAMP is a 3D2N camp for the students of the School of BA. It aims to bring the students of BA together. Through various engaging activities in the camp, BA Society hopes to use this camp as a platform for campers to forge new and stronger bonds with friends from not only their course, but also other courses. BAMP 2013 was held from 18 December 2013 to 20 December 2013 in campus. The will come together to form an alliance to obtain an ancient book of secrets to save Egypt from a drought. BAMP 2013 received overwhelming responses in sign ups but sadly due to constraints, BAMP was only able to take in 120 cam pers out of the few hundred that signed up.

BAMP started out from the first meeting by establishing the theme with the committee. Once the theme of Ancient Egypt was decided, pieces of the puzzle started to come focus being to bring all groups together, to work as one camp (BAMP). In the following months, the committee held countless meetings to ensure perfection of the camp. During the meetings, the skeleton of BAMP was formed. Ideas were debated upon, and decisions made, the committee eventually decided on the games to be held during the two trial camps. The first trial camp was conducted at the end of November and were organised and executed by the BAMP Committee while the other Main Committee members and Committee Advisors were participants. The second trial camp would include the SCOs as campers to simulate actual camp days. Both trial camps allowed the BAMP committee to gather feedback and identify areas that were lacking. From there, they made improvements and modifications to their games and camp operations.

During BAMP, our 120 campers were divided into 8 groups; each group having 15 participants and were led by 3 SCOs. While the Main Committee members took charge of the camp program and operations, the SCOs took charge of the campers ensuring that every group were enjoying themselves by constantly supplying their groups with energy and enthusiasm. BAMP 2013 went through 8 long months of planning which was also the last event for our society members aside from BAOC. BAMP provided a wonderful learning experience and many opportunities for the Main Committee members and SCOs to work hand in hand. It also served as an avenue for many of our society members to step up their game, get out of their comfort zone and be leaders in their own ways. All of which to prepare them for our final sprint BAOC 2014!

The Final Sprint!

7 APRIL 2014

9 APRIL 2014

The 8 Titans are building their army, Pledge your loyalty & join them as their Student Coordinator!

With the conclusion of BAMP 2013, this marks the end of the 4th event of the academic year for the Main Committee members and the Student Coordinator Officers. The lessons learned and experiences gained thus far would have prepared the MCs and SCOs for the final lap of their journey in this academic year BAOC 2014 Conquest of the Titans! BAOC is a 3-day freshmen orientation program that welcomes more than 1300 freshmen to the School of BA annually. It is the largest orientation program to be held in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It is entirely run by students - members of BA Society and it is the most significant event that our society organizes every year. BAOC will consist of 8 groups and led by 3 SCOs each. For 4 months, the Main Committee members and SCOs will be busy preparing for this event. From event operations to flag making, every detail has to be carefully thought through to prevent hiccups in this major milestone of our society. Committee Advisors would also provide mentorship and assistance to all managing committees and SCOs. Everyone plays a vital role in ensuring the success of BAOC 2014. BA Society regards this event highly as it serves as a platform for many new friendships to be made and bonds to be forged between BA seniors and their freshmen. For most of the BA freshmen, it will be their first experience with the School of BA. Hence, BA Society hopes that through BAOC 2014, it first moments for them. For most BA Society members, BAOC 2014 is a bittersweet experience. With the end of a successful BAOC also comes the end of the journey for many of us as we serve the School of BA for the very last time in the academic year of 2013/2014. As we look back at the year, every society member had his or her fair share of ups and downs and making it all the way to the end was really not easy. But each member of BA Society leaves a leader in their own ways and a stronger individual. Hence, BA Society would like to thank everyone who had supported us along the way because, without this endless support we would not have come this far. On behalf of everyone in BA Society we thank you once again and see you next academic year! Your Enthusiasm; Our Motivation. Cheers, Ong Bang Xiang Committee Advisor, BA Society Liaison BA Society AY 13/14

1. Main Committee AY 14/15 Recruitment 2. SCO AY 14/15 Group Interviews Do

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