Vol. 25 Issue 3

THE NANYANG

CHRONICLE INSIDE Express journeys

VOL. NO.

25

03 15.10.18

ISSN NO. 0218-7310

More students say no to plastic bags after levy kicks in

Students say NTU’s four new bus services have helped to alleviate overcrowding so far

NEWS | Page 3

Twenty-five and married While more people are marrying later, these three students have already tied the knot

LIFESTYLE | Page 6-7

南大步行挑战仅达 目标的5% 宣传不足及输入步行方式麻烦 等原因导致挑战进度极度缓慢

新闻| Page 17

Emerging victorious

Prime Supermarket gave out 2,500 plastic bags a day before the levy was implemented.

Students decline these bags to save money and the environment, but others say 20 cents is too little for them to change their habits ALAN YUEN STUDENTS are now taking fewer plastic bags after a 20-cent levy was implemented across campus on 1 Oct. Food outlet employees told The Nanyang Chronicle that as few as five per cent of customers have asked for plastic bags since the levy was implemented.

The levy, which applies at retail and food outlets, and at campus events, was announced during NTU President Subra Suresh’s State of the University address in August, and is part of a move to reduce plastic usage on campus.

Stalls which have started charging for plastic bag usage include Koufu, Each-A-Cup, Prime Supermarket and Giant Express.

The levy is estimated to save 10 million plastic bags yearly, reported The Straits Times.

NTU’s aquathlon, basketball and touch football teams beat the Fewer bags requested competition to secure top spots According to six retail and food outlet employees the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to, beat this year’s SUniG

SPORTS | Page 22-23

tween 60 to 95 per cent of customers have stopped asking for plastic bags.

Branch manager of Prime Supermarket, Mr Raymond Beh, 53, said the supermarket used to give out about 2,500 plastic bags a day. On 2 Oct, only 287 plastic bags were sold.

The supermarket also sold 30 reusable bags the day after the levy was implemented, twice as many as the 15 that are usually sold in a week, said another supervisor who declined to be named.

Food outlets have also experienced a decrease in plastic bag requests.

Ms Jean Teo, manager of NTU’s Subway outlet, told the Nanyang Chronicle that they now receive only 20 plastic bag requests for every 200 takeaway orders in a day, a 95 per cent drop from before, the 58-year-old added.

Most students the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to said they have stopped requesting for plastic bags to save money and prevent further wastage.

Even before the levy was implemented, Chong Wen Jun, 24, a third-year student from the School of Social Sciences, had already begun packing small purchases into his backpack.

“Most of the time, my purchases can fit into my hands or bag but there was a tendency to take a plastic bag because it was given by default,” he said.

“With the 20-cent charge, I’ll have to think

PHOTO: DEBBIE MICHELLE NG

twice before getting one,” said Chong, who now brings reusable bags to carry larger purchases that cannot fit into his backpack.

Leon Leo, 22, a second-year School of Computer Science and Engineering student, said he has also started to bring along a reusable bag when he shops for groceries at Giant to avoid paying the levy. “(Even) if I buy groceries and forget to bring a bag, I will carry everything with my hands,” said Leo, who is doing a second degree at the Nanyang Business School.

But there are still students who believe that the convenience of purchasing a plastic bag outweighs the cost.

Nicholas Tan, a final-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said that he does not mind paying the extra 20 cents.

“Unless it’s just an item or two, I would probably pay for a plastic bag,” the 24-yearold said.

“To me, 20 cents doesn’t make much of a difference. If it was 40 cents or one dollar for a bag, I would start to take action.”

MORE on-campus efforts to reduce plastic waste, PAGE 2

News

Students give out free reusable cutlery to reduce plastic waste

These cutlery sets, made from wheat straw and starch, will be distributed at the North Spine this month MICHELLE RACHO AND JEANNE MAH A STUDENT-LED campaign is hoping to reduce disposable plastic use in NTU by giving away 1,000 free reusable cutlery sets on 19 Oct. The initiative, called Ciao Cutlery, Bye!, is organised by five thirdyear students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. It aims to reduce waste generated by single-use plastic cutlery.

“Cutting down on plastics is the most accessible way for people to be more eco-friendly, especially since it is not that drastic a change in lifestyle or culture,” said Vanessa Tan, 22, the team’s leader.

NTU students, faculty members and staff can redeem a set of cutlery after completing a survey.

The set includes a spoon, fork and a pair of chopsticks made from biodegradable wheat straw and starch.

The team, which is funded by the NTU CoLab4Good Fund for

Part of the Ciao Cutlery, Bye! team are (from left) Joshua Ng, Jade Wong, Vanessa Tan and Esther Soh. PHOTO: THEODORE LIM

Community Projects and supported by the National Environment Agency, will also put up posters at food outlets and canteens on campus to encourage the use of reusable cutlery when taking away food.

The cutlery giveaway will take place between 10am to 4pm on 19 Oct at North Spine Plaza, as part of an event organised by the oneNTU initiative, ECHO. The idea of implementing social change first came to Tan and fellow

team member, Jade Wong, 21, during a public service campaign module they took while on their summer exchange programme in Philadelphia, in the US. Despite initially wanting to create a campaign to improve the recycling culture in Singapore, they eventually decided that they wanted a change that was “quicker and more effective”.

“Reducing the use of disposable cutlery in NTU is a small step towards making an environmental

impact,” said Tan. A survey of 164 students conducted by the team found that more than 60 per cent of respondents were open to using reusable cutlery in school.

One such student is Farhanah Iqubal, 22, a final-year student from the School of Biological Sciences.

He said: “I will make a conscious effort to use the cutlery set whenever I take away my food because it means there will be less trash in the landfill.”

However, there are others who are less receptive to the idea.

“If I use reusable cutlery, I will have to wash it and find ways to store it so it remains clean,” said final-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student Cheong Hui Shi. “Disposable cutlery is less troublesome because you can just throw them away after using them,” added the 23-year-old.

Melissa Choong, a second-year student from the Nanyang Business School, also found the use of reusable cutlery troublesome.

“I don’t think it is realistic to bring along my lunchbox or a reusable cutlery set every time I go out,” said the 20-year-old.

Instead, Choong makes an effort to limit her use of disposables by taking only what she needs.

“I do not use plastic bags to carry my food as well,” she added.

Future plans Moving forward, the team hopes to push for a weekly ban on disposable cutlery across NTU. But Tan hopes that this “forceful move” will not be needed.

“Most people are aware of the environmental issues we are facing.

We know we have to do something, that we can do something, and that it’s about time we do something,” Tan said. “We just need to find it in ourselves to take action.”

After the university’s recent push towards reusable metal straws, Tan hopes the campaign will spark a similar movement of bringing one’s own cutlery to school.

Tan acknowledged that producing and packaging reusable cutlery has an environmental impact as well, but said this cutlery is needed to kickstart the movement.

She hopes that the campaign will result in long-term behavioural changes.

“If people bring their own cutlery from home, such distribution won’t be needed in the future,” she said.

Increased wildlife sightings due to construction Most of these monitor lizard and snake sightings were at Halls of Residence 9 and 10, worrying residents about safety OSMOND CHIA A METRE-LONG monitor lizard clawed and leapt frantically against a door in Hall of Residence 9. Moments later, it scurried away, knocking over items along the corridor.

A 14-second video of the incident was sent to Pak Zong Xuan, 22, who stays in that room.

Thankfully, he was not on campus when it happened, he said.

“Imagine hearing a noise at the door, looking out the peephole and not seeing anyone, and then realising it’s a giant monitor lizard.

If I was in my room then, I would have freaked out,” the second-year School of Physical and Mathemati-

cal Sciences student said.

This was one of at least four reptile sightings involving monitor lizards and snakes on campus last month.

These incidents are due to construction on campus that has forced the wildlife to relocate, said Campus Creatures, a student-run group that aims to raise awareness about animals found on campuses and schools.

Forced out of home Campus Creatures member Gina Goh, 24, said loud sounds from construction sites may have forced animals out of their homes.

“They are seeking refuge elsewhere, which is one of the reasons why they are seen in populated areas,” said the final-year School of Biological Sciences student.

Construction work, which is being done at the Yunnan Garden and the Innovation Centre, causes

noise that could disrupt their way of life, she added.

Goh said that NTU sees abundant wildlife as it sits within the western water catchment of Singapore, a collection of reservoirs that is home to many animals.

While the monitor lizard seen outside of Pak’s room seemed aggressive, Ms Anbarasi Boopal, deputy chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), said these reptiles have no reason to approach or attack humans unless they are provoked.

Responding to the video, she said the lizard was likely to have been “spooked” by something.

“The monitor lizard appeared to be panicking and frantically seeking refuge by climbing up somewhere,” said Ms Boopal.

Cluster D a wildlife hotspot The encounters that were widely

shared on Instagram in September had occured in Halls of Residence 9 and 10, which are part of Cluster D. According to Campus Creatures, Cluster D, which is also made up of Halls 8 and 11, is located near forests that provide a home for the creatures. This has prompted residents to worry about safety.

On 26 Sep, Hall 10 resident Karin Ng, 20, told the Nanyang Chronicle she spotted a monitor lizard about two metres long in her hall.

The second-year School of Social Sciences student saw the reptile crawling on the ground floor before disappearing into a drain.

She shared the video she took of the encounter on Instagram later that day.

Ng’s roommate, second-year Nanyang Business School student Mary Villamore, 20, who has seen monitor lizards around Hall 10 on several occasions, said: “It makes me a little paranoid knowing that

such creatures are near us, and I will be cautious around them.”

Ng and Villamore’s hall mate, Guan Zhen Xie, 22, also encountered a small snake coiled up on the frame of his room’s door in Block 50 in September.

He called campus security who came to extract the half-metrelong snake.

“When I first came to hall, I was slightly concerned about safety, as there were wild boars and snakes near our hall,” said the secondyear Nanyang Business School student. “But after staying for a year, you get used to it and life goes on.”

When contacted, ACRES reminded students not to be alarmed by wildlife on campus and to keep at least a two-metre distance away from wild creatures. Students should also alert ACRES via its 24-hour wildlife rescue hotline (97837782) if they come across a wild animal in a built environment.

VOL. NO.

25

NEWS

THE NANYANG

03 CHRONICLE

03

Express bus services ease morning crowds These four new services are part of a trial that will last till the end of the semester, and students hope they will help to alleviate overcrowding MATTHEW LOH

SQUEEZING onto campus buses in the mornings may soon be a thing of the past for students, after four express bus services were introduced on Oct 1 as part of a trial to alleviate commuter crowds during peak hours.

On the morning of Oct 8, the Nanyang Chronicle observed that the Campus Loop and express buses arrived at the Lee Wee Nam Library bus stop at three-minute intervals. All commuters also managed to find seats.

This is in contrast to the packed buses in the past that often had commuters standing up to their entrance and exit doors.

Gabriella Christiani, a secondyear School of Computer Science and Engineering student, said the express bus from the bus stop at Saraca Hall to the North Spine helped her to save time.

“If it wasn’t for this express bus, I would have had to wait another 10 to 15 minutes for the next Campus Loop Red bus because the buses are usually full,” said the 19-year-old.

“If it wasn't for this express bus, I would have had to wait another 10 to 15 minutes for the next Campus Loop Red bus because the buses are usually full.”

Gabriella Christiani, 19 Second-year student School of Computer Science and Engineering

Heng Ming Ji, 20, a resident at Hall of Residence 10, said she was glad that one of the express bus services, which stops at her hall, skips heavy-traffic stops such as the one at Saraca Hall.

“When I am on the Campus Loop Red bus, I always see people struggling to get on board at Saraca Hall. But when I took the ex-

A commuter boards the Blue Loop Express opposite Hall of Residence 8.

press bus this morning, everyone had a seat on the bus,” she said.

The trial, which was introduced by the NTU Student Union (NTUSU) and the Office of Housing and Auxiliary Services (HAS), will last till the end of the semester and may be extended if it is successful.

These services run between 8.30am to 10.30am on weekdays along existing campus bus routes, but make fewer stops compared to the original bus routes.

Two currently run on the Campus Loop Red route. The first route begins at Hall of Residence 10 and makes stops at Graduate Hall 1 and the Lee Wee Nam Library, while the second route starts from Saraca Hall and makes stops at Hall 12 and the Lee Wee Nam Library.

Another express bus service runs along the Campus Loop Blue route, beginning at Hall 10 and making stops at Hall 8, Hall 6, Hall 4, Innovation Centre and the National Institute of Education.

From 4.45pm to 6.45pm on weekdays, there is also a twostop Campus Rider express route, which shuttles students between the Tan Chin Tuan lecture theatre and Pioneer MRT Station.

A spokesperson from NTUSU said that the express lines were drafted after a HAS survey identified bus stops that are often overcrowded during peak periods, such as the ones at the Saraca Hall, Hall 10, and Opposite Innovation Centre.

The express routes aim to shorten waiting times, reduce the number of passengers on

PHOTO: JOEL CHAN

the main campus loop buses, and reduce travel time, the spokesperson added.

Students are hopeful Students hope that the express services will be a long-term solution to overcrowding on campus buses and at bus stops.

Sidney Yong, 21, a resident at Hall 10, said he was happy that two of the express routes stop at his hall.

The first-year student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering said: “When I go for my early morning class at South Spine on Thursdays, the Campus Loop Blue buses are always packed and (are) usually behind schedule.”

“Since the express lines stop at my hall, they give students who stay here a smoother and quicker way to get to class.”

Tan Hao Wei, 22, a resident of Hall 13, said he hopes the express shuttle buses will continue to arrive at regular intervals.

“If there are only a few express buses here and there, I don’t think much will change. The express buses will probably become just as crowded as the normal campus lines,” added the second-year Nanyang Business School student.

On Monday morning, the Nanyang Chronicle observed that there was about a 15-minute interval between the express buses at the bus stop at Hall 12 and 13.

NTUSU said it will continue to monitor the ground and gather feedback about the services to decide if they will continue next semester.

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF NTUSU

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NEWS

THE NANYANG

25

VOL. NO.

CHRONICLE 03

Poor business forces stall vendors out of Pioneer Food Court Rather than the estimated 2,000 visitors per day, stall owners said they see only 500 customers at best MATTHEW LOH STUDENTS visiting Pioneer Food Court may soon have fewer stalls to choose from as poor business forces more stall owners to pack up just a year after the canteen reopened.

While there were nine stalls at first, four of them — which sold Malay food, beef noodles, local dishes and Western food — shut down or were replaced within six months of the canteen’s reopening in September last year.

The owners of two other stalls tell the Nanyang Chronicle they may follow suit if business does not improve. The drinks stall and Korean food stall owners said they have been losing money since last year and will have to shut down if business remains poor for the next one to two months.

This will leave the food court with only four stalls.

The canteen was taken over by a new operator FoodHaven after closing temporarily in May 2017.

While stall owners said the number of customers has improved slightly since FoodHaven took over, some vendors said the increase still has not been enough for them to break even.

Thin traffic Drink stall owner How Kum Yeng, 58, said business did not improve as much as he had anticipated when the canteen first resumed operations.

“I used to have around 300 to 400 customers a day (before the canteen closed). After the reopening I thought that things would be better, but I still see only about 500 customers a day,” he said, estimating that he needs at least 700 customers daily to break even.

Similarly, Korean food stall owner Amy Khoo, 52, said she had expected a daily flow of 300 to 400 customers, but barely receives half of that even on a good sales day.

She added that business was even tougher during the school holidays because fewer students were staying on campus. If sales does not pick up, Ms Khoo said she is reluctant to endure further losses during the upcoming December break.

Mr Sean Tay, 27, the director of FoodHaven, said that based on the student capacity of the Pioneer and Crescent Halls of Residence, they had initially estimated a daily visitor count of 2,000.

The NTU Undergraduate Housing website states that Pioneer and Crescent Halls have a combined capacity of 1,250 residents.

“We noticed from the start that the student numbers were quite off from what we had expected.

The stall selling Thai food is one of six stalls at Pioneer Food Court still in operation.

Many of our stalls were unable to sustain their businesses and had to close down,” said Mr Tay. He added that the fewer number of customers may have been because FoodHaven was not allowed to advertise its reopening by putting banners outside its premises, as per regulations by NTU’s Leasing Department.

Nevertheless, vendors from the Thai food and yong tau foo stalls said they have no plans to leave Pioneer Food Court as their losses are not too significant.

Ms Crystal Lee, 42, an employee at the Thai food stall, said that while business was especially poor

during school holidays, the daily flow of about 250 customers during the semester is enough for them to break even.

Students are concerned Some residents the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to said that the lack of variety at the food court makes it an unpopular choice.

Jim Quek, 22, a resident of Crescent Hall, said he patronises the canteen purely out of convenience as it is nearby.

“I consciously limit the amount of times I eat there, even though it’s troublesome to go to another canteen. If not, I will get sick of

PHOTO: THEODORE LIM

eating the same food every day,” said the second-year School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student.

Another Crescent Hall resident Desmond Huang, 24, a final-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, said he is worried that the departure of more stalls will worsen business in the canteen and cause other stall owners to leave, further narrowing the range of food choices.

FoodHaven director Mr Tay said: “Our priority now is to fill up the empty stalls, which will hopefully attract more students to the canteen.”

Online food-ordering platform YQueue slows customer traffic during peak hours An influx of orders from students who use mobile application YQueue Campus to beat the line overwhelms self-service food outlets JEANNE MAH WAITING times at self-service NTU food outlets have increased as staff struggle to keep up with additional orders from online food-ordering platform YQueue Campus.

YQueue is a mobile application that allows users to pre-order and pay for their food without being on location. Food outlets like Each-A-Cup and The Sandwich

Guys hopped on board this initiative when it was launched on campus in June.

The number of users has grown six-fold from 22 to 1,450 since its launch.

The platform encourages users to place an order in advance at self-service food outlets to reduce the length of physical queues. But some use the app to place an immediate order, forcing staff to juggle two simultaneous lines.

Some of these staff members told the Nanyang Chronicle that overwhelming orders from YQueue have made it difficult for them to efficiently serve customers who are in the physical line.

An employee at Each-A-Cup, who wanted to be known only as Isaac C, said they receive orders via

the YQueue app every few seconds during peak hours.

“There are only five of us on duty and it is impossible to manage the orders from YQueue while preparing the drinks of those who are in the original queue,” said the 21-year-old.

A representative from The Sandwich Guys, who declined to be named, added that the number of customers had spiked in September when there was a 30 per cent discount to promote the app.

“The usual waiting time for a sandwich during peak hours would be 10 to 15 minutes. But during the promotional period, customers had to wait for 30 minutes,” said the 27-year-old.

When contacted, YQueue Singapore said the platform should not

be blamed for longer waiting times as they are dependent on how well the stallholders manage the orders.

“It is impossible to manage the orders from YQueue while preparing the drinks of those who are in the original queue.”

Mr Isaac C, 21 Employee at Each-A-Cup

“Some merchants process YQueue orders simultaneously with

orders from the original queue, while other merchants have staff just to process YQueue orders,” said chief executive officer Kevin Lee. While there are students who are unhappy with the longer queues, some YQueue users said the app has made lunchtime orders more convenient.

Loo Wan Yi, a final-year student from the School of Biological Sciences, has used the platform to order food from The Sandwich Guys. Once she is notified that her sandwich is ready, she drops by in between classes to collect it.

“The preordering function is very useful as I do not have to queue at all,” said the 23-year-old.

“I never have to miss my lunch just because there are long lines.”

VOL. NO.

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GRAPHICS

THE NANYANG

03 CHRONICLE

THE ARC

T

of learning

The Arc opened in February this year and has been awarded the Green Mark Platinum award from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which is the highest award a development can receive for sustainable building design. Illustrators Clara Toh, Belynda Hoi and Kelley Lim highlight the key features of this building

he Arc is NTU’s second learning hub, built in line with the university’s vision to develop a “smart campus” by 2020. The building does not have the usual lecture theatres and tutorial rooms.

Instead, it houses a total of 56 smart classrooms equipped with multiple LED screens and communication tools.

05

It allows NTU to be one step closer to achieving the “flipped classroom” system, in which students access course materials online before class and engage in deeper learning during lessons.

Besides its learning facilities, The Arc also has an eco-friendly and sustainable design, with features designed for Singapore’s humid tropical weather.

Tutorial rooms The rooms are equipped with multiple LED screens and wireless communication tools, allowing students to connect various devices to present their ideas on these screens. Instead of the usual classroom layout, the rooms have furniture that can be moved around to facilitate classroom discussions.

Aluminium sunscreen The building has no walls.

Instead, its entire infrastructure is supported by aluminium sunscreens that help to reduce solar glare and heat, enabling the building to be kept cool in Singapore’s humid weather.

Spiral staircase in the central atrium

Air-conditioning system

Instead of the usual industrial units, the air-conditioning system used in The Arc uses passive cooling coils and chilled water to dispense cool air, in a bid to conserve energy.

This staircase helps to connect the levels in the central atrium. It has a spiral design to enable maximum air circulation and allow natural light to stream in.

Student hub An area is designated for students to relax and discuss work. It is known as the Student Hub and comprises 13 project discussion rooms, a reading room and a cafeteria.

Water feature

A water feature is located at the base of the spiral staircase in the central atrium. It is both aesthetically pleasing and has a calming effect on all those who visit the learning hub.

Landscape deck

3D printing rooms The Arc has 3D printing workshops for engineering and 3D printing courses. Complex objects like electronics and medical implants can be printed here. In these rooms, students also research smart technologies such as printable electronics and lightweight aircraft components.

The Arc’s lush landscape deck is another attempt to cut down on solar glare and heat. The vertical greenery found on the facade, coupled with the aluminium sunscreens, have a cooling effect on the building.

Lifestyle Matriculated & Married More Singaporeans are choosing to get married later, but some NTU students have bucked this trend by tying the knot.

They share their love stories with Megan-Nicole Lye

Darius Li, 25, and Ms Carol Liang, 26, dated for seven years before tying the knot last year.

ON THE first day of 2017, when the clock struck midnight, beer glasses clinked together and cheers erupted from all around. This was how many celebrated their New Year’s Day last year. In contrast, Darius Li sat in silence across his then-girlfriend, fingers nervously fumbling the plush surface of a tiny square jewelry box.

The third-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) student was about to propose to her at a Japanese sake bar.

“I was nervous the whole time as I was trying to find an opening during our conversation,” said the 25-year-old.

“The moment it was quiet, I got down on one knee and popped the question.”

Li and his wife are among the people who have bucked the trend

of Singaporeans choosing to get married later. Last year, data from the Singapore Department of Statistics showed that the median age at first marriage was 30.3 years and 28.3 years for grooms and brides respectively.

A long time coming

Li and his wife, Carol Liang, 26, first met when they were members of their junior college’s shooting club. Eight years later, the pair is now happily married.

Li says that their marriage did not come as a surprise to their families, even though he and his wife are still in university.

Liang is pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at a private university.

“I think we dated for the same period of time as other couples,

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARIUS LI

“(Our friends and family) saw it coming because we were in a very stable relationship.

They said it was about time.”

Darius Li, 25 Third-year student School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

but others probably think it’s long,” he said.

The couple had intentions to settle down years before Li proposed to his wife, he said. They applied for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in 2014, after they viewed an apartment in Choa Chu Kang that they both liked and was in close proximity to where their parents lived.

“We talked about what we wanted in the relationship then, and we really wanted to settle down together,” he said.

At the end of 2016, the couple could not delay the marriage any further as they needed to collect the keys to their flat in two weeks, said Li. Li spontaneously decided to propose on New Year’s Day, he added.

Due to the short time frame, the custom engagement ring he had

ordered was not ready yet, as it was being shipped to Japan for the setting process. The diamond was also too large and needed further adjustments.

“I had to borrow a ring from the shop,” he said. “It was smaller and had a simple and basic design.”

Twelve days after he proposed, they registered their marriage, collected the keys, and moved into their new home.

The couple will be holding a traditional Chinese ceremony and a small banquet soon.

“We want to share it with people we care about, and it’s much cheaper that way,” he said.

To fund their wedding banquet and monthly household expenses, Li and Liang both work as freelance photographers. Li also gives tuition to primary school students.

happen in the future, but at least you know enough to take the leap of faith together.”

The right one

When they are not in school, Muhammad ’Arif Khairul Tan, 26, and his wife Nurul Raihana Abdul Razak, 23, take care of their twomonth-old baby girl.

PHOTO: DEBBIE MICHELLE NG

So far, their marriage has been smooth-sailing as he and his wife work as a team, Li said.

“I don’t really have to support the marriage because we always do things together,” he said.

Li and Liang had planned to get married for a long time, and knew what they were getting themselves into. Their family and friends were supportive of the union, Li added.

“They saw it coming because we were in a very stable relationship. They said it was about time,” he said.

Campus couple

Muhammad ’Arif Khairul Tan, 26, a final-year School of Humanities student, met his wife, Nurul Raihana Abdul Razak, 23, in January 2016 when he led a team of undergraduates for an Overseas Community Involvement Project under the NTU Muslim Society.

His wife, now a final-year EEE student, stood out to him.

“I thought she was mature, and we were keen to improve ourselves together,” he said.

He was so smitten by her that he proposed to her in December, 11 months after they first met.

In January the next year, they tied the knot. ’Arif’s religious beliefs also played a role in his proposal.

“I didn’t think it’s healthy for us to just be dating,” he said.

“It’s not just about hanging around each other because you can spend years together and have the relationship go nowhere. I didn’t want that.”

Getting engaged is a step towards getting to know the other person and his or her family, and in

Islam, this is honourable and dignified, he added.

Raihana initially had no intention to get married before graduating from university, and was speechless when ’Arif proposed.

“I didn’t know what my parents would say. But at the same time, I was willing and ready to be on board because I wanted a proper relationship,” she said. ’Arif’s sound character also changed her mind, she added.

“He was very determined and I also saw how serious he was about marriage.”

In the months leading up to their engagement, ’Arif got to know Raihana and her family members better by visiting her home and chatting with them, he said.

“Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the future, but at least you know enough to take the leap of faith together.”

Muhammad ‘Arif Khairul Tan, 23 Final-year student School of Humanities

Although Raihana’s parents initially had concerns about the marriage since their daughter and ’Arif are still students, they eventually

agreed to the union.

“They wanted what was good and right for us, so we managed to agree on the idea of getting married,” said ’Arif.

The couple had a solemnization ceremony and a simple wedding in Raihana’s home. They invited only their family and closest friends.

In an unexpected twist of fate, ’Arif’s best friend married Raihana’s twin sister at the end of 2017, and the two couples had a slightly larger joint ceremony.

“It was completely unplanned,” ’Arif said.

Now, their family has also expanded, and the couple welcomed a baby girl two months ago. While the arrival of their first child brought them great joy, it also came with its fair share of struggles.

“In the first few weeks after she was born, we had to wake up every hour or two to feed the baby or change her diapers. Sometimes she would be crying for half the night,” ’Arif said.

But the couple is ready to tackle the hardships that come their way.

“We’re excited. It’s definitely not a breeze, but juggling our final-year projects and the baby is a challenge we take in our stride,” he said.

Although the couple is still studying, ’Arif’s earnings from over seven years of giving tuition and the cash grant from the government’s Baby Bonus scheme have allowed them to be financially independent for now.

“We’re not financially stable yet but that’s fine. I just have to ensure that we have shelter, savings for our baby and food to eat,” he said.

“Nobody knows what’s going to

Many people regard a night out at Zouk as something they would like to forget the next morning. However, this is not the case for finalyear Nanyang Business School student Teo Tian Cheng, 25, and his wife, Ms Liw Kia Chee, 26, who met at Zouk in January 2016.

Two and a half years into their relationship, the couple had a serious discussion about their future together. They found that they both wanted to settle down and live together, said Teo. The talk spurred the two to take the next step in their relationship.

In May this year, the couple registered their marriage and applied for a BTO flat.

They also chose to register their marriage before Teo’s graduation as they would be eligible for a higher grant for their flat, due to Teo’s unemployed status as an undergraduate, Teo said.

Currently, the couple lives separately as they await the completion of their flat.

“I’m in a family of five and we live in a four-room HDB. I share a room with my parents, so it would

be inappropriate and inconvenient for my wife to move in,” he said.

Renting a flat is also not an option due to the high costs involved, he added.

“I’m still looking for a job and I hope to secure interviews at some companies I applied to,” he said.

“Also, if I can’t get a job, we can’t afford the BTO.” Their wedding banquet is also postponed until Teo graduates and the couple is more “financially stable”.

Although Teo and Liw were certain of their decision to marry, their marriage was initially met with opposition from Teo’s parents.

“My mum was worried that I wasn’t ready for a marriage financially, mentally and emotionally because I still have my studies to manage,” he said.

She was also concerned about whether Teo was absolutely certain that his wife was the right one for him, he added.

However, Teo maintained firm belief in his relationship and finally persuaded his parents to give the couple their blessing. The couple is also determined to make their relationship work, he added.

Teo said: “My wife and I have this degree of understanding. We know that we love each other.”

Teo Tian Cheng, 25, and Ms Liw Kia Chee, 26, spend their weekends going on dates.

PHOTO: DEBBIE MICHELLE NG

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Rich flavours, rich history There are many food establishments on campus, but only a few have been around for more than a decade. Rachel Chiu and Edwin Chan speak to three of NTU’s longest-running food stalls to find out how they have managed to thrive here

Mr Chiam Puay Kherng, 64, has been running a noodle stall in the National Institute of Education's canteen for the past 19 years.

PHOTO: DEBBIE MICHELLE NG

STUDENTS have been able to enjoy a wide variety of food in NTU over the past few years, as eateries in the North Spine Plaza and canteens in the new Halls of Residence have sprung up.

Amid these new developments, however, there are a few stalls on campus that have been in business for over a decade and are still thriving.

Old school flavours

The noodle stall at the National Institute of Education (NIE) canteen had its start in NIE's old Bukit Timah campus, where it opened for business in 1999. When NIE relocated to NTU the next year, the stall followed suit.

Mr Chiam Puay Kherng, 64, and his wife, Madam Ng Cheng Hua, 56, have been running the stall together for the past 19 years.

“I help her sometimes, but my wife is the one who does most of the cooking. I take care of money matters and buy fresh ingredients,” said Mr Chiam in Mandarin.

Despite an unassuming signboard that reads “Noodle Stall”, the stall is famous among students for its bak chor mee, or minced pork noodles.

The couple prides themselves in their use of quality ingredients, and Mr Chiam said this is a reason why the stall has managed to retain many regular customers.

“Whenever there are excess ingredients, I always throw them away and get new ones rather than keep them overnight,” he said.

After operating his stall in the NIE canteen for so many years, Mr Chiam said he is reluctant to shift his business anywhere else.

“When you’re in one place for such a long time, you don’t really think of shifting elsewhere, especially if your business is doing well.”

Some of the couple’s loyal customers are former students who travel to NTU just to savour the popular bak chor mee again.

“There was one former student from the old Bukit Timah campus who told me he drove all the way from Ang Mo Kio,” said Mr Chiam, adding that the customer is now in his early forties.

“It’s nice to be remembered even after all these years.”

Mala mania

The owner of Canteen 9’s mala hotpot stall has also been in business in NTU for over two decades.

Mr Ong Yap Kwang, 57, first opened a Xi’an handmade noodle stall at Canteen 1 in 1996. After several rounds of relocation, his stall finally settled in Canteen 9 in 2008.

Now, his stall is known for its mala xiang guo, a spicy and numbing stir-fried dish, after it was included in the menu in 2011.

“There were no other stalls selling mala xiang guo back then, so I thought that customers would find our stall more fresh and unique. It also meant that we didn’t have any competition,” he said.

Mr Ong is also the operator of Canteen 9, but he is always stationed at the mala xiang guo stall, where he can be found cooking with his team of Sichuan chefs.

The cuisine’s authenticity is a reason for his stall’s success, he said.

“Our current head chef from

Sichuan learnt how to cook mala dishes from a first generation chef in his province. We have tweaked the recipe slightly to suit Singaporeans’ tastes,” said Mr Ong. For example, traditional mala hotpot has a very strong taste due to the presence of the pyrite herb in its ingredients. Some Singaporeans do not like that, so the stall tries to reduce its use of the herb in its recipes.

Mr Ong plans to open a bigger stall in NTU where he can sell a wider variety of dishes, with a creative spin on local favourites.

“I hope that one day I can use the idea of choosing ingredients for mala hotpot, but expand it to local dishes such as laksa and char kway teow. That way, you can choose all your ingredients for any dish you are craving for,” he said.

“In order to continue staying in NTU, I have to constantly innovate because that keeps things fresh and students will want to come back to my stall,” he added.

“It's nice to be remembered even after all these years.”

Mr Chiam Puay Kherng, 64 Owner of National Institute of Education canteen's noodle stall

Yong Tau Foo 2.0

Compared to the other two stalls, the yong tau foo stall at Pioneer Food Court has been in NTU for a shorter period of time. The stall first opened in Canteen 2 in 2007

Ms Yang Shui Fang, 52, is the manager of Pioneer Food Court's yong tau foo stall.

PHOTO: THEODORE LIM

Owner Ong Yap Kwang, 57 (second from right) and his team (from left) Mr Guo Feng, 38, Mr Zhang Yan Min, 45 and Mr Ma Xian Bao, 46, run Canteen 9's mala stall.

PHOTO: JOEL CHAN

and moved to its current location in 2017 after recontracting.

But in the 11 years since it opened, the stall has introduced new items to the menu to retain existing customers and attract new ones.

Its management claims that in 2011, it became the first yong tau foo stall in NTU to offer a stir-fried version of the local dish. Yong tau foo typically consists of ingredients like vegetables, fish balls and tofu, accompanied with soup or gravy.

“A student had fried yong tau foo outside of school and suggested it to us, and we took up her sugges-

tion,” said Ms Yang Shui Fang, 52, the stall’s oldest employee, speaking in Mandarin.

She added that the stall regularly listens to suggestions like these, so that it can improve its menu.

There has been an increase in the stall’s customers since it introduced the option of frying the yong tau foo ingredients, she said.

Its employees’ positive relationships with students also help the stall to thrive, Ms Yang added.

“They remember us because we always welcome them warmly, and that’s why they come back to buy yong tau foo from us.”

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A DATE WITH DEATH Death is a taboo topic, but an NTU module is helping students talk about it. Rachel Chiu and Edwin Chan speak to the module’s lecturer and students to find out about their discussions on mortality

As part of psychology module The Last Dance, 38 students participated in a funeral simulation on 19 Sep.

THIRTY-EIGHT bodies lay side-byside and motionless on the cold, hard concrete floor, each covered with a white sheet. These rectangles of white, spread out across the foyer of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences building, painted a picture of calm and stillness.

Passers-by did a double take and stopped to silently observe the peculiar spectacle, while sombre music played in the background and eulogies were read aloud.

Amid the sea of white, boxes of colourful crayons were strewn on the ground and pairs of shoes were placed next to the bodies, waiting to be worn again. This was not a mass funeral in process.

The “dead” were students taking part in a 30-minute funeral simulation held on 19 Sep. Known as I Died Today x NTU, the event was a part of The Last Dance, a psychology module under the School of Social Sciences (SSS) that deals with death, dying and bereavement.

The module aims to encourage students to have conversations about death and mortality, which are often heavy, taboo topics in Singapore. Its funeral simulation, which was introduced last semester, aims to provide students with an immersive experience of death.

Breaking the stigma

“We do not talk about death enough due to its stigma in our culture,” said Dr Andy Ho, an assistant professor at SSS’ psychology department.

Dr Ho introduced the module

in 2015 because he believed that it would ease students into the difficult topic and help them be more comfortable with discussing death openly.

If people do not think about or discuss death, they are often at a loss and do not know how to cope with their grief when a loved one dies, he said.

“We all die in the end, so why is there no one to help us deal with these emotions?”

Dr Andy Ho Assistant Professor School of Social Sciences Lecturer of The Last Dance

The 13-week course gives students a platform to discuss death through lectures, class presentations and experiential learning.

Although the module started three years ago, Dr Ho introduced the funeral simulation only last semester because he finally had a bigger team to assist him in carrying it out.

He introduced the “physical experience” to enhance his students’ understanding of the topic, he said.

“This immersive experience is good for students because nor-

mally in the classroom there is no spiritual and physical engagement. The simulation allows them to express what’s on their mind, and hopefully it will translate into a deeper level of learning,” Dr Ho added.

During the funeral simulation, students lay down on long sheets of canvas paper, which represented their graves, while teaching assistants traced outlines of their bodies.

The students were encouraged to imagine the thought process they would have if they knew death was rapidly approaching, and express their thoughts by drawing within the outlines.

Final-year SSS student Oh Jarrad Gjern, 24, took the opportunity to reflect on his life. His drawings were inspired by his loved ones because they were the people he would miss the most if he were to die, he said.

“I drew a group of people, who are close to me, where my heart is located on the canvas sheet. The purple flower at the centre of my drawing represents my girlfriend as she loves both flowers and the colour purple,” he added.

While some students reflected on happy moments in their lives, there were others who focused on sad ones.

Ng Jing Xi, 24, was one of them.

When sketching on his canvas, the final-year SSS student thought about regrets and unresolved questions that he would have if he died.

His body outline was divided

PHOTO COURTESY OF I DIED TODAY X NTU

into three sections: an orange one where he drew flowers, a blue one where he drew a heart, and a red section where he scribbled the word “why” repeatedly.

The bold orange represented the bright side of life and the flowers were achievements he had “planted”. Meanwhile, the heart symbolised the loved ones he was leaving behind and the colour blue illustrated his sadness at having to do so, he said.

“This red part represents frustrations, stemming from many questions like ‘Why am I leaving the world so early?’ and ‘Why did I have so little time to do what I wanted to?’” Ng added.

“I want to remove as many ‘whys’ as possible but I’m sure there will always be regrets left behind,” he added.

A cathartic experience

Despite the morbid topic, students like Oh found the experience enlightening.

Although the idea of simulating death was slightly uncomfortable, he was excited to participate in the funeral simulation and approached it with an open mind.

“During the simulation, I realised that my death would not cause much disturbance to the world. This was comforting as I felt at ease knowing that my death would not burden others,” he said.

As part of the module, students also discuss issues such as palliative care and government policies related to death during lectures

and class presentations. They also learn how to manage attitudes towards death.

These discussions have helped students such as S. Priyalatha, 23, change their mindset about death.

She is now able to have open discussions about death with her family, while tackling the topic with sensitivity, the final-year SSS student said.

“Conversations about death don’t always have to be sad. When you know what your family members want for their funeral rites and how you are going to be sent off, everyone will have proper closure,” she said.

The class has also helped her come to terms with the deaths of children whom she interacted with when she interned at the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

“It really affected me, but this module opened my eyes to the topic of death, and how it happens to young children too. We always celebrate birth, but we often overlook death although it might happen at any time,” she added.

The module also allows students to reflect on their priorities and find their purpose in life, said Dr Ho. Since death happens to everyone, we should all be prepared to deal with it, he added.

“If we want to drive a car, we can take driving lessons. If we want to fly a plane, we can take flying lessons. But we all die in the end, so why is there no one to help us deal with these emotions?”

10-11 SPOTLIGHT

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Struggling to stay together Senior students who do not benefit from the guaranteed two-year hall stay programme are finding it tougher to stay in their desired halls. Photojournalist Debbie Michelle Ng speaks to two such students who are fighting hard to stay as roommates THEY laugh at each other’s jokes, sweat it out at dance practice, and share food, clothes and makeup.

The walls of their room are littered with post-it notes written for each other, scrawled with encouraging messages like “you can do this” and “don’t give up”. It is hard to believe that just a few semesters ago, these two roommates were strangers.

Now best of friends, Hong Li Xuan, 21, and Zhang Zhi Zhen, 23, entered NTU a year before the university announced a guaranteed two-year hall stay programme in 2017.

This meant that the new ruling of a guaranteed hall stay would not apply to them.

Terms and conditions To secure their spots in Hall of Residence 8, Hong and Zhang have to participate in several hall

activities to get on their hall’s recommended list — a list of 105 students, chosen by the Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC), who participate actively in hall activities.

Students on the list must sign a contract detailing how they will contribute to the hall in the coming year. Those who do not comply with the terms and conditions of the contract can be asked to leave.

Bonding through activities In order to be on that list, Hong and Zhang have dedicated their time to training for and competing in the Inter-Hall Games, Inter-Hall Recreational Games and the Hall Olympiad Closing Ceremony.

They have also taken on leadership roles in their hall’s orientation camp and other committees. Despite their hectic schedules, the pair

is glad to be able to do it together.

“It’s difficult to juggle school and hall sometimes. But when I look at Li Xuan, it’s like I’ve found someone special, and all the hard work is worth it,” said Zhang, a student from the School of Biological Sciences.

The third-year students first met each other at a hall event, and hit it off instantly.

They decided to be roommates soon after. Since then, the pair have fought hard to continue being roommates in their hall for the past two years.

“We do many activities together, but we’re actually quite different people. She’s a singer, and I’m a swimmer, but we still find ways to support each other,” said Hong, a Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information student.

“I don’t think I could give this up to stay with someone else.”

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6 1. Zhang Zhi Zhen, 23, and Hong Li Xuan, 21, have stayed together in Hall of Residence 8 since 2016. They first moved in together after encountering problems with their initial roommates.

2. The pair often return to their room past midnight after a full day of school and hall activities. To satisfy their hunger pangs, they cook supper in the pantry.

4

3. Now in their third year, Hong (left) and Zhang continue to take part in a variety of hall activities to retain their places in Hall 8.

These include dance, sports, recreational games, jam band and subcommittees like freshman orientation camp, and Dinner and Dance.

4. Despite their packed schedules, Hong and Zhang enjoy doing many things together, even their laundry.

5. Zhang (right) and Hong brush up their contract bridge skills with the help of their hall mates. They took up the recreational game together this semester, adding to the repertoire of games they compete in, such as carrom and boggle.

6. Both are actively involved in Hall 8’s dance team Srethgie, which is a four-time champion in the NTU Inter-Hall Dance Competition held during the Hall Olympiad Closing Ceremony. The dance troupe practices daily till past midnight in the weeks leading up to the competition.

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PHOTOS: DEBBIE MICHELLE NG

Opinion EDITORIAL Forming new habits to save the earth WE ARE creatures of habit. We do things that are comfortable and familiar to us, and are often reluctant to change how we live.

This is why even though scientists, activists and the media have, for decades, been telling us about the ramifications of plastic waste on the environment, most of us continue using plastic disposables without thinking twice. After all, there are no immediate repercussions that stop us from saying yes to a plastic bag.

However, the effects of using plastics are manifested in the long term. Plastics are not biodegradable. When incinerated, they produce heat-trapping, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which worsens global warming. Plastics also break down into tiny particles that are ingested by marine animals, some of which end up on our dining tables.

Singaporeans use three billion plastic bags a year and generate 800 million kilograms of plastic waste each year. The levels of greenhouse gas in our atmosphere are higher now than in the past 650,000 years. We know plastics are harming our environment, animals and even ourselves. But we use them freely anyway.

It takes a different approach to convince us to change our habits — like the new 20 cents plastic bag levy NTU recently implemented on 1 Oct. The levy, which was announced in President Subra Suresh’s State of the University address in August, applies at all retail and food outlets on campus.

Unlike the spate of environmentrelated messages, this levy has proven to be effective. According to retailers on campus that The Nanyang Chronicle spoke to, up to 95 per cent of consumers decided to go without a plastic bag since the levy was introduced.

Indignant that we now have to pay for something that has been free all our lives, we finally choose, albeit grudgingly, to stuff our groceries into our backpack or invest in a reusable bag.

Outside of campus, however, the rules are not the same. Few retailers charge for plastic bags and can give as many as we want.

We could relish in our newfound appreciation of free plastic bags and say yes when the cashier asks us if we would like one. We could also take extras for our next trip to NTU’s supermarkets.

Or we could get used to doing without plastic bags and politely decline them, whipping out the reusable bag we now carry.

After all, we are creatures of habit.

It can take as few as 18 days to form a habit, scientists say. This means we only need to endure the inconvenience of carrying reusable bags for a short while before saying no to a plastic bag becomes second nature to us — even outside of campus.

It is easy to see the levy as a ploy to make our lives as inconvenient or expensive as possible. But let’s choose to view it as a much-needed push to adopt more responsible habits.

THE NANYANG

CHRONICLE CHIEF EDITOR Gracia Lee

LIFESTYLE EDITOR Desiree Loh

DEPUTY CHIEF EDITOR Prisca Ang

OPINION EDITOR Alif Amsyar

SUB-EDITORS

Olivia Poh Neo Rong Wei

NEWS EDITORS Adele Chiang Michelle Racho

SPORTS EDITOR Adeena Nagib

CHINESE EDITOR

DIGITAL EDITOR Charlene Chua

LAYOUT SUPERVISOR Yeo Kai Wen

PHOTO/ GRAPHIC EDITOR

PRODUCTION SUPPORT

Theodore Lim

Joe Tok Kenny Wong

BUSINESS MANAGERS

FACULTY ADVISORS

Vanessa Tan Vinice Yeo

Tan Yu Jia

A students’ newspaper published by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718 Tel: 6790 6446

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Facebook: The Nanyang Chronicle Instagram: @nanyangchronicle Website: www.nanyangchronicle.ntu.edu.sg General Enquiries: chronicle@e.ntu.edu.sg

Wu Shangyuan Zakaria Zainal

GRAPHIC: KELLEY LIM

Finding fortune in the halal food industry MATTHEW LOH WHEN Subway announced on Facebook in August that it had obtained halal certification for its Singapore restaurants, many customers took to social media to protest the decision. They complained that it would lower the quality of Subway’s menu.

The halal certification from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) requires all meat to be prepared as prescribed by the Muslim law, and prohibits pork and products with alcohol.

Even though Subway initially faced criticism from customers and had to find substitutes for its nonhalal products, its decision is likely to lead to better business, due to a growing market for halal food.

More food and beverage (F&B) establishments are tapping into the growing halal food market. Muis reported that the number of Halalcertified premises in Singapore grew five-fold from 533 locations in 2000 to 4,016 in 2016.

Eateries that have not obtained halal certification will benefit from doing so. The certification will have a positive business and social impact, as it will result in higher revenues and allow Muslim diners to enjoy a wider variety of options.

New ways to go halal Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board of The Chronicle and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of Nanyang Technological University, its employees, the students or the Council of the University.

Signed opinion columns, letters and editorial cartoons represent the opinion of the writer or artist and are not necessarily those of The Chronicle.

Printed by KHL Printing Co. Pte Ltd, 57 Loyang Drive Singapore 508968

Singaporeans may be concerned about losing access to their favourite foods if establishments are certified halal, but food outlets don’t have to completely change their menus to feed Muslim diners.

For example, burger restaurant chain Fatboy’s created a halalcertified offshoot branch named FatPapas in February last year. The original Fatboy’s menu, which still contains non-halal food, remained unchanged at its original outlets.

Since then, FatPapas has opened three more outlets in Singapore, an indication that the new branch is well-liked by customers.

Not all F&B establishments can easily tweak their business strategies like Fatboy’s did, as many popular Singapore dishes are made with non-halal ingredients like pork and alcohol.

In these instances, businesses can partner with or invest in food providers who already serve halal food. Establishments can also experiment with halal versions of their products, such as chicken or beef bak kwa, a snack that is traditionally made from pork.

A lucrative market Singapore’s halal food industry is becoming increasingly lucrative.

About 14 per cent of Singapore’s population above the age of 15 is Muslim, according to the 2015 General Household Survey by the Singapore Department of Statistics.

By obtaining halal certifications, establishments here can extend their reach to an additional 650,000 potential local customers.

Mr Fazal Bahardeen, chief executive of halal travel marketing firm CrescentRating, said: “Having a well established halal certification body (Muis) gives an edge to the Singapore players. This gives their products a ‘halal assurance’ from a reputable certification body.”

Muslim diners will therefore be drawn to establishments that have obtained the halal certification as they believe it is credible.

Besides locals, these diners include Muslim tourists. Singapore is the world’s friendliest non-Muslim majority holiday destination, according to CrescentRating’s Global Muslim Travel Index.

In 2015, 15.2 million tourists entered Singapore, of which nearly

four million were visitors from Muslim-majority nations, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.

If food establishments are halalcertified, they could benefit from the large halal travel market.

In addition, food providers do not have much to lose as the cost of obtaining halal certification is not high compared to these F&B establishments’ revenue levels. To be halal-approved, establishments have to pay an annual fee that increases with their operation size.

For example, restaurants with a total floor area of more than 186 sq metres need to pay $1,120 to obtain halal certification, while a smaller restaurant with a total floor area of less than 186 sq metres is only required to pay $830. This is a small sum compared to the higher profits establishments could earn from having a larger customer base that includes Muslim diners.

More global opportunities The global halal food industry presents plenty of opportunities for F&B companies looking to expand into overseas markets.

Muslims make up a quarter of the world’s population, and two-thirds of them reside in Asia-Pacific, according to Pew Research Center.

There is therefore a huge global market for these companies to tap into. In addition, a large portion of this market is in close proximity to and accessible from Singapore.

The halal food industry is poised to grow. The Pew Research Center has found that the world’s Muslim population will grow by some 70 per cent by 2060. In addition, the global halal food industry is worth $1.9 trillion and is expected to grow to $3.5 trillion by 2024, said research firm Hexa Research.

The government is also implementing measures to help F&B companies tap into this large market. It announced in October 2016 that a networking platform to help companies enter the global halal food market will be built by the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Spring Singapore and International Enterprise Singapore.

Singapore F&B companies will therefore have more opportunities for expansion in the halal industry, both locally and overseas in countries like Brunei, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

F&B establishments will benefit from the largely untapped Muslim market, if they are willing to look beyond the initial pains of adjusting their business strategies and administrative processes to secure halal certification. Change might be uncomfortable, but it is necessary if they would like to tap into what the thriving halal food industry has to offer.

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Grief, the elephant in the room

GRAPHIC: BELYNDA HOI

ALIF AMSYAR OPINION EDITOR NENEK, as I affectionately called my late grandmother, taught me the importance of being thrifty when I was seven years old, but gave in when I shamelessly demanded Pokemon trading cards. As I grew older and started having goals, she supported my endeavours quietly but ardently.

As she aged, her health deteriorated and she was eventually diagnosed with a terminal illness.

My family had to prepare ourselves for the worst. My grandmother was then bedridden for the three months leading up to her death.

Watching her struggle to perform even basic movements, I constantly reminded myself to keep my emotions under control if she were to pass away earlier than expected. I thought I had prepared myself mentally.

But I was completely wrong. On my 24th birthday, my grandmother took her last breath. My world crumbled and for the first time in my adult life, I grieved.

The period of sorrow also gave me an opportunity to rethink society’s perception of grief, and I have come to realise that we need to offer more support to the bereaved and allow death to be discussed more openly.

An awkward conversation My friends were incredibly empathetic during my period of mourning. However, through this experience, I realised that most people, myself included, are unable to express how we truly feel when our loved ones die. This is perhaps because there is simply a lack of

vocabulary to do so.

This stems from the perception that death is often a taboo subject.

When my grandmother passed away, many of my family members were reluctant to speak about her passing and were afraid such conversations would make others uncomfortable.

In addition, we are influenced by social and cultural pressures which affect how we process grief, that is, whether we express it or suppress it. These reactions may vary greatly between individuals and evolve over time, creating constantly changing emotions, according to consultant psychiatrist Colin Murray Parkers in his book Bereavement in Adult Life.

Take my family for instance.

Based on our religious customs, offering prayers, as opposed to outward mourning, was viewed as the best way to respect the death of my grandmother and to express our grief and sorrow.

A 2010 study on grieving Malay and Muslim youths in Singapore found that spiritual growth was perceived as their way to become closer to God and maintain a spiritual relationship with the deceased. Through prayers, I found myself holding on to a connection with my late grandmother, even if it was an intangible one.

People manage grief in different ways according to their cultures and traditions. They also have their own coping mechanisms. Mr Parkers’ findings also found that the bereaved often try to avoid reminders of their loss and suppress expressions of grief.

This could either be a coping mechanism, or worse, a societal pressure to maintain an image of calm and poise. If it is the latter, this elephant in the room

can be addressed through open discussions about death that are also sensitive to the feelings of people who are grieving. To enable such discussions, a better support system needs to be established.

Existing support systems On an institutional level, studies on grief are conducted in Singapore to find out ways to give better emotional support to grieving caregivers and relatives.

For example, the Singapore Hospice Council commissioned a study last year to find out how people deal with loss, and whether current services are adequate in meeting their needs. The council also set up a grief task committee, comprising healthcare and social sector professionals.

“All of us experience losses in life, be it relationships or our identity or roles in life, and we don't deal with those losses very well," said Dr Angel Lee, who chairs the council.

Separately, the Ministry of Health has also initiated discussions with HCA Hospice care, Singapore’s largest palliative care provider, to improve the support system for family and caregivers of those who have passed on, reported The Straits Times in 2017.

Organisations such as the Institute of Mental Health and the Agency for Integrated Care have also set up a variety of channels, like live chats on their website, email, social media and hotlines to enable grieving Singaporeans to reach out to them. Individuals can seek professional help in times of grieving through these channels.

For instance, Hotline 800 is dedicated to the Mandarinspeaking community, while the AMP Hotline caters to grieving Malay and Muslim families, and

the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) helps Indian families in need of counselling.

But these channels are not always successful in helping the bereaved.

In 2016, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) spoke to 35 widows, mostly over the age of 50, to find out their needs. The widows said they found it difficult to share their grief with family and friends, whom they felt were not adequately understanding or empathetic with them, according to The Straits Times.

The plight of these widows highlighted the lack of support programmes for individuals who are grieving in Singapore.

“Bereavement is often seen as a private issue. Furthemore, death and dying tends to be taboo in our culture,” said NCSS deputy chief executive Tina Hung.

“Seniors in their grief journey often experience uncertainty, regret and pain, and they may be unable to find closure without external help,” she added.

Viable enhancements The scope of existing programmes needs to be broadened to reach more people, as this would result in a better support system for the bereaved in Singapore.

Firstly, the government could establish a more accessible and welcoming system which allows grieving individuals to share their experiences through applications on their mobile phones, instead of through a hotline.

The mobile applications can offer functions such as virtual hugs, live chats with professional counsellors, and forums where grieving individuals can communicate and empathise with one another.

For example, American mobile

application My Grief Angels allows its users to be there for one another during difficult times. Such an application can be tailored to Singapore’s context to cater to the needs of grieving individuals here.

In addition, there needs to be a comprehensive guideline for those offering a listening ear on how to properly support a grieving individual.

These guidelines can be taught in schools and through a nationwide campaign.

Singaporeans need to be exposed to taboo topics such as death, with teachers and professionals facilitating these conversations.

Pets are a good start. We can encourage individuals to express their thoughts about their pet’s death, if they had one. This strategy is especially suitable for children, who might not fully understand what death is about. If we are able to cope well with the death of a pet, whom we see every day and interact with often, chances are we'll be able to manage the death of a loved one much better.

It is also important for us to have open conversations about the death of a loved one, instead of avoiding the subject. We can also help the bereaved by asking them simple, non-intrusive questions such as “Do you feel like talking?” and “How are you coping?” to let them know that we are there for them.

The grieving process is different for every individual, and can often be a sensitive topic. Wellplanned and thoughtfully designed programmes to comfort the bereaved can help them suffer less emotional stress during a difficult time.

While death is inevitable, we can do more to create a better environment and support network for people who are grieving.

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The great weight debate DESIREE LOH LIFESTYLE EDITOR AT 165 CENTIMETRES and 130 kilograms, American model Tess Holliday does not seem like the typical choice to grace the cover of a magazine. In fact, Holliday’s appearance on the cover of Cosmopolitan UK’s October issue may even shock readers who are used to seeing skinny women, who dominate the fashion industry.

Defying beauty standards, Holliday, who is clad in an emerald green one-piece swimsuit, is seen blowing a kiss to the reader. The caption on the cover reads “A supermodel roars: Tess Holliday wants the haters to kiss her ass”.

The US size 24 model’s body mass index (BMI) of 47.8 places her in the morbidly obese range. A healthy BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9, and anyone with a reading above 30 is considered obese.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I believe that magazines should not place obese models on their covers as this normalises and even glorifies obesity, which has adverse effects on one’s health.

In the name of diversity Supporters of the body positivity movement may argue that in an industry notorious for its narrow standards of beauty, Holliday’s cover has been a victory for the plus-size community.

In the fashion industry, “plussize” refers to US sizes eight and above. The average American woman is between a size 16 to 18, according to a 2016 study from the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education.

Most of the models who appear on the covers of mainstream magazines are “straight-size”, a term used to describe models who are the standard industry size, which ranges from zero to four.

In a 2016 study, website The Fashion Spot looked at 679 cover stars across international magazines, and found that only six of them were sizes 12 and up — a dismal 0.9 per cent.

Some say that Holliday's cover has been a victory for the plus-size community.

In a sea of straight-size models, any inclusion of largerbodied women is regarded as an improvement in representation for this often overlooked group.

Last year, the darling of the plussize community Ashley Graham broke barriers by becoming the first plus-size model to appear on the American edition of Vogue.

Posing with straight-size stars like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, the size 16 model held her own.

Holliday’s Cosmopolitan debut was seen as another spotlight on plus-size women and this was praised by social media users.

A user who goes by the handle @LifewithPugs tweeted: “If I had seen plus-size women like me on magazines growing up, it wouldn't have taken 25 years to love my body. Thank you @Tess_Holliday.”

Putting plus-size models on covers is a celebration of diversity.

For the many plus-size women who grew up without seeing someone of their body shape being represented, these covers may help them to be more accepting of themselves.

Inclusivity versus exploitation The fashion industry has long been slammed for promoting unrealistic body types by using extremely skinny models. For years, the industry has been accused of promoting unhealthy body images to women and ignoring well-documented health problems experienced by underweight models.

However, steps have been taken to rectify this problem. In 2017, French luxury groups LVMH and Kering, which house top brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci respectively, pledged to stop size zero models from participating in catwalks of fashion shows and advertising campaigns.

In the same year, the French government also passed a law requiring models to have a medical certificate confirming that they are not dangerously underweight.

Top brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci pledged to stop size zero models from particpating in catwalks.

Magazines are now choosing to put plus-size models on their covers instead, in the name of body positivity and inclusivity.

That said, the media should not merely jump on the body positivity bandwagon and recklessly peddle messages of self-acceptance.

Being overweight can result in a plethora of problems such as kidney diseases and Type 2

GRAPHIC: CLARA TOH

diabetes. In 2013, the American Medical Association officially recognised obesity as a disease that could cause heart attacks and strokes, among other negative effects on one’s health.

In addition, a 2018 USbased study published in JAMA Cardiology found that middleaged obese women were 85 per cent more likely to suffer from a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or cardiovascular death than women at a normal weight.

Overweight and obese women should therefore not be lauded as beacons of self-love when their health is clearly at risk.

Putting overweight and obese models on covers is essentially as harmful as using size zero models — magazines are merely swinging from one extreme end of the weight spectrum to the other, without considering the negative repercussions.

Detriments of representation Still, some people may argue that readers will not aspire to become

obese simply because they see such a body type being represented. Cosmopolitan UK editor Farrah Storr used this line of defence to justify her decision to place Holliday on the cover.

Putting overweight and obese models on covers is essentially as harmful as using size zero models.

Speaking on British talk show Good Morning Britain, Ms Storr said: “Are people going to look at that and go, ‘Do you know what?

I’m going to go and mainline doughnuts, this is what I want for my life’. Of course not… I’m celebrating her. I’m not celebrating morbid obesity.”

While these arguments are valid, placing obese women on magazine covers may normalise obesity.

In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Public Policy and

Marketing, researchers found that “the use of acceptance cues of larger body types increased unhealthy behaviours” such as eating greater portions of unhealthy food.

When participants of the study felt that having a plus-size body was socially acceptable, they displayed a lower motivation to engage in healthy behaviour.

The appearance of obese models on the covers of mainstream magazines signals that society should be more accepting of them.

These editorial decisions may be well-intentioned, as we should not judge people by their looks, but they could also appear to endorse obesity and lead to a misguided acceptance of it.

People who are already overweight or obese are especially at risk. While inclusivity in representation can help plus-size women be at peace with their bodies, it may ultimately give them an unwarranted sense of validation that prevents them from improving their health.

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Make huayu cool again

GRAPHIC: KELLEY LIM

EUGENE TANG MANDARIN is playing an increasingly important role in the world, especially with China’s rising global power, said Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman in his book Easternisation. It is therefore worrying that Chinese Singaporean youths often do not see the value and importance of being able to communicate well in Mandarin.

This is despite the Singapore government’s extensive efforts to promote the use of Mandarin. A prime example is the 1979 Speak Mandarin Campaign that aimed to unite the local Chinese population despite their different Chinese dialects. This campaign has lasted four decades and has taken on different taglines like “Speak Mandarin? No Problem!” and “Chinese Language?

Who's Afraid Of Who?” Over time, the campaign has evolved into encouraging the English-educated Chinese populace to speak more Mandarin in their

everyday lives. However, despite government efforts to promote bilingualism, English continues to be the dominant language spoken

by Chinese Singaporean youths today, according to the 2015 General Household Survey.

Lack of values This trend can be attributed to the lack of opportunities to use and practise Mandarin in everyday life within one’s social circles, since English is the lingua franca here.

In 2015, 37 per cent of Singapore’s Chinese households used English as their main language of communication at home — an increase of 12 per cent from 15 years ago — the same survey found.

Besides using limited Mandarin words such as zhe ge (this) or na ge (that) while pointing fingers to order a plate of cai fan, or mixed vegetable rice, students usually speak little to no Mandarin in everyday conversations.

For most students, mandatory Mandarin classes end at the secondary school level, and it is up to the individual to hone their language

skills beyond that. In schools, many students find it a chore to attend Mandarin classes as they find the language difficult to learn.

My classmates would describe their Chinese homework, like xi zi (writing practice) and mo xie (writing from memory), as uninteresting and repetitive.

It doesn’t help that students have few opportunities to practise speaking Mandarin at home, which makes the language unfamiliar to them. A 2009 Ministry of Education report showed that 60 per cent of Chinese Singaporean children who entered primary school were from an English-speaking background.

These challenges are prevalent among Chinese Singaporean youth, but they can, and need to be, overcome. Language is inextricably linked to personal identity, and with a poor knowledge of Mandarin, youths will also have a weak cultural identity. They will be “bananas” — yellow on the outside, white on the inside — a derogatory term used most recently in the blockbuster film Crazy Rich Asians to describe Asian-Americans who

have lost touch with their roots.

Singaporean youths look to the West for media and entertainment, and are often influenced by Western thoughts and ideals. Our reliance on Western media has become second nature to us, especially since we are well-versed in English.

In order to avoid becoming a society filled with “bananas”, we need to encourage the dual mastery of English and Mandarin among Chinese Singaporeans by making Mandarin more relevant to them.

Contextualising the language Mandarin lessons can be tailored to the context of the local Chinese community. This would not only help to make Mandarin more relevant to Chinese Singaporean youths, but preserve Singapore’s rich cultural heritage.

For instance, words like shi chang, the mainland Mandarin word for market, can be replaced in the school curriculum with words of local origin like ba sha — derived from the Malay word for market, pasar. The local word is filled with

more meaning and reminds us of the multiracial nature of our nation.

In addition, students need to have more opportunities to practise speaking Mandarin in their daily conversations.

Parents can encourage their children to be confident and adopt a positive attitude towards learning Mandarin. Only then can we make huayu (Mandarin) cool and allow our Chinese students to be able to speak the language confidently.

“Learning languages is equivalent to learning about cultures, values and the philosophy of life,” said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung at an opening ceremony hosted by the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language last month.

“These help to cultivate a sense of belonging and familiarity in Singaporeans, and give us confidence in facing what lies ahead. In a globalised world, this confidence is important,” he added.

For a start, we can hope that more Chinese Singaporeans will be able to perform everyday tasks more confidently in Mandarin.

Like ordering cai fan, for instance.

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May the most vocal get the best grades WONG WING LUM CLASS participation is often an unpopular grading criteria among students, who tend to associate it with fierce competition for attention and an unfair system.

This is despite the positive intentions behind its initial design.

According to a 2016 paper by the Teaching and Learning Centre in the London School of Economics and Political Science, the exchange of ideas in class can foster higher level analytical skills.

In the long run, it is meant to cultivate discussion, according to a 2009 article by US-based blog for faculty, The Teaching Professor.

However, reality has shown that not all students benefit from such dialogue. For example, some students are more introverted and might experience anxiety if they are required to speak up in class.

Class participation should therefore not be graded.

Unfairness of class participation As students have different learning styles, a graded class participation system creates an uneven playing field that allows students who are naturally more vocal to score higher class participation marks.

Meanwhile, students who are more introverted, or who prefer to silently process their thoughts over expressing them verbally, lose out, according to a 2013 study in the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice.

Besides introverts, class participation also marginalises students with disorders that are hard to recognise, such as social anxiety — a phobia of being judged — since they might be too afraid to speak up.

“Introversion — along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness and shyness — is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology,” writes author Susan Cain in her New York Times bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.

It is not always out of fear or shyness that introverts hesitate to speak up.

Ms Susan Cain Author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Ms Cain argues that it is not always out of fear or shyness that introverts hesitate to speak up. During her 2012 TED talk, Ms Cain said that some quiet learners benefit

from simply listening to their peers.

Others speak only when they are given adequate space to be heard after extroverts stop talking.

Third-year School of Humanities undergraduate Ho Pei Yi, 20, identifies herself as an introvert.

The linguistics and multilingual studies major said: “I understand the content better when my peers ask questions and provide their opinions.”

However, some educators might not recognise this form of quiet learning.

A 2011 article in the Journal of Educational Psychology showed that quiet learners are often marked down by educators who perceive their silence as a lack of understanding of the content or simply being uninterested.

Mandatory class participation therefore alienates soft-spoken students. It reinforces the cultural bias against introverts and their learning mechanisms, argued Ms Cain in an interview with The Guardian in 2012.

Reduced quality of learning Besides a lack of accommodation to students’ different learning styles, graded class participation might also reduce the overall quality of learning.

A 2015 study in the Asian Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning found that competition among students was the main factor driving graded class participation.

When high weightage is allocated to class participation, students often start to speak up for the sake

of class participation points.

An anonymous student in the same study commented: “Marks for class participation bring up many unnecessary and rephrased answers, which discourage meaningful participation.”

The study also revealed the poor quality of such comments.

For students who tend to struggle with heavy course content, mandatory class participation could be another obstacle to their learning.

Some students need more time to process content taught in class, and having to partcipate in class discussions before understanding the material might distract them from fully internalising the content.

“Graded class participation made tutorials feel like examinations because everyone is pressured to perform,” said first-year School of Computer Science and Engineering student Nicholas Yeo. In one of his modules, every student is forced to present during classes. Yeo, 20, believes that tutorials should focus on helping students to clear their misconceptions instead.

Cultural influence Despite resistance to graded class participation in Singapore, this model has been successful overseas, even among quieter students.

In a 1994 paper by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, findings showed that international students from East Asia – Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan – were more likely to participate in the American classroom than in schools at home.

Initially, the international students were quieter due to their struggle with English, the language of instruction. However, the student-centric nature of American classrooms encouraged them to be more vocal.

For instance, students felt that everyone was equal and could express their opinions, regardless of their learning abilities, according to the paper.

Another factor was the pedagogical difference between East Asian and Western education.

In the US, classes tend to be discussion-oriented. Less emphasis is placed on having the right answers and the blind regurgitation of facts, a contrast to the traditional East Asian style of teaching.

A 2017 article in the Journal of Education and Social Policy revealed that Singapore’s society was generally collectivistic and valued the opinions of authority figures.

Not surprisingly then, students here tend to speak only when they are called on by teachers, who are not frequently challenged.

Students are also often eager to take in what teachers present and are not trained to actively seek other perspectives. This has fostered a learning environment that is less open to exploring unorthodox ideas, reducing the potential for learning.

Towards inclusiveness Teachers need to rethink what constitutes class participation, while keeping Singapore’s cultural context in mind. Participation differs from engagement. While participa-

GRAPHIC: KELLEY LIM

tion can be defined as the activeness of a student in class, being engaged is the ability to demonstrate understanding of content. Classes can start to focus more on student engagement to create insightful learning experiences.

Class participation might still be a useful tool because without the incentive of grades, classrooms here will mostly be silent. However, even if participation needs to be graded, educators must try to accommodate different learning styles and engage students more meaningfully.

Teachers can present alternatives to the typical class participation of speaking up, through technology, for example.

Blackboard discussion boards or Facebook groups provide avenues for soft-spoken students to articulate their thoughts without the pressure of putting themselves in the spotlight.

This concept also tends to reinforce the notion that students should articulate their ideas only when they are motivated by grades, and a student might stop participating in class discussions once he believes he has scored an A. Even though it is difficult for Singapore’s result-oriented education system to focus on the benefits of doing away with class participation, steps should be taken to move towards fostering a genuine passion for learning in the classroom.

It is much more important to engage the mental faculties of students than to measure how vocal they are during class discussions.

校园新声代追逐音乐梦 — 刊19页

新闻

oneNTU步行挑战仅达目标的5% 卓思恬 ● 报道

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大的“OneNTU步行挑 战”（oneNTU Steps Challenge） 动员全校在53天达一百 亿步的目标，但截至活动的第 43天（10月8日），进度却只有 554,884,493步，仅达目标的5%。 8月27日，南大校长苏布拉· 苏雷什教授在南大市民会议 （University Town Hall）正式宣布 一百亿步步行挑战，通过健康 活动纪念新加坡独立53周年。 日期从8月27日到10月18日， 参加者只需在使用个人计步器 来计算步行记录后，到南大应用 程式或iNTU网页输入数目即可。 当天，市民会议结束后，共 有500位学生一起完成了2公里 的步行，为步行挑战揭开序幕。 然而，挑战正式开启后，每 日的进度却变得非常缓慢。

学生认为挑战宣传不足 校方除了在校内各处的电子公 告牌上登出步行挑战的记录， 也在挑战开始时发布了几封电 邮号召南大学生参加挑战。 然而，接受采访的同学都表 示，校方关于挑战的宣传实在 太少，又欠缺详细说明。 社会科学院四年级生叶家伶 （23岁）表示自己只在进学校 时看见电子公告牌上写的步行 记录，并没有注意到校方所发 的电邮。 黄金辉传播与信息学院四年 纪生黄慧（22岁）也说：“一 百亿的目标定得太高，大学里 很多人却不知道这件事。” 其中一位从未听闻此项目的 学生是生物科学学院四年级生 卓己安（22岁）。 他说：“我完全没有听过这 个挑战，我上iNTU网页的时候有 看见计步器，却不知道它是做 什么用的。” 学生认为校方应该更积极宣 传，尤其有必要告知学生们此 挑战的意义，引起共鸣来提高 参加率。 生物科学学院四年级生黄同

学（22岁）就表示自己不参加 的其中一个原因是因为朋友群 中没人参加或谈论此挑战。她 说：“如果有朋友参加，我可 能也会参加。”

手动输入方式麻烦 由于没有统一的计步器，参加 步行挑战时要手动输入步行记 录，对学生来说是一件麻烦事。 只在挑战刚开始的一周输入 过步行记录的社会科学院四年 级生温依华（23岁）表示，要 花时间输入记录的参加方式没 有效率。 温同学说：“我不想每天浪 费时间去上网记录。既然要动 员全校一起参加，校方可以派 发计步器，同时也可以达到宣 传目的。” 上周输入过步行记录的机械 与宇航工程学院五年级生李骞 宇（23岁）也表示自己只有在 登录iNTU时才会顺道输入记录， 但不是每天都会打开iNTU网页。 电子与电机工程系四年级生 覃子豪（22岁）每周会定时输 入自己一周以来的步行记录， 但也认为手机计步器有待改进。 他说：“系统可以连接到较 普遍的计步器应用程序，让输 入步行记录自动化。在iNTU的网 页上也应该显示目前全体的进 度，而不是只在电子公告牌上 显示。”

没有奖励就少了动力 受访者也认为学校可提供一些 奖励鼓励学生多参加挑战。 一些学生正参加类似挑战， 例如“豆先生”（Mr Bean）的 步行挑战。 参加的温同学说，只要下 载“豆先生”的应用程式，该 程式会自动计步，达到一定的 步行目标就可换取一杯豆奶或 其它奖励。 社会科学院的四年级生郑慧 欣（23岁）也提议，校方可以 增设奖项来鼓励步行最多的参 加者。比如，在规定期间达到 最多步数的学生可以获得优惠

截至步行挑战的第43天，全体师生的集体步数仍远离一百亿的目标。 券，以示鼓励。 李同学也建议，校方可以设 每个月的较小目标，而非一次 挑战一百亿步，循序渐进来鼓 励学生多走动。 然而，仍有学生认为此项挑 战是团结与动员整个南大社群 的好机会。 正积极参加挑战的覃同学也 表示，此挑战的确鼓励自己多 走路。 他说：“我知道学校有这个 活动之后，就会在不赶时间时 不搭巴士而选择走路。” 他也说：“若学校达到一 百亿步的目标我会有一种满足 感，因为我也有参与。” 黄同学说：“整个南大合起 力量去完成一个看起来不可能 的挑战就有那种打破吉尼斯世 界纪录的感觉，其实挺酷的。”

提倡步行文化活出健康 南洋商学院二年级生张国梁

（23岁）是南大学生会的福利 组执委，也参加了南大市民会 议2公里步行的活动。 张同学目前正参与南大步行 地图的设计，此地图将标示南 大各地点的距离、步行时间与 步数。这张地图也将方便学生 们计算步数以参加步行挑战。 学生会也想借此机会提倡步 行文化。 他表示：“很多时候，同学 们不知道步行其实是比等待并 乘搭巴士更快速的移动方式。” 负责此项挑战的ECHO委员会 发言人指出，南大学生每日平 均走7千步，因此一百亿步只是 一个延伸目标。 ECHO委员会也承认，要让参 加者输入每天的步行记录并不 容易, 但他们正透过各种平台与 活动号召与鼓励参加者。比数 字更重要的是，此活动旨在鼓 励南大学生与职员拥有健康生 活习惯。

图片：林澤立

In summary NTU launched its inaugural school-wide steps challenge, oneNTU Steps Challenge, on 27 Aug, inviting students, faculty and staff to clock in 10 billion steps in 53 days. But results have been lacklustre. Only 500 million steps have been completed so far in 44 days, which is only about five per cent of the overall goal.

Students attribute this to the lack of publicity and incentives for participation, as well as the hassle of recording one’s steps on the NTU mobile app or the university’s website. Those who participated, however, see it as a meaningful attempt to unite the university towards a common goal and encourage the NTU community to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The challenge will end on 18 Oct.

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担心毕业后前程 大四生再争实习机会 朴利彬 ● 报道

南

大不少应届毕业生试图趁 毕业前再寻找实习工作， 尽管他们早已完成了大学必修 的实习课程。 记者采访的应届生多数正 在寻求更多的实习机会。而在 2018年第一学期进行的南大实 习展览会上，除了正准备必修 实习的大学生外，还可找到不 少应届生的身影。 南大人文与社会科学学院 四年级生黄燕（23岁）说，她 必须在两个学期内完成结业专 案，还要在这段时间内完成剩 余的课程，但仍然打算为自己 寻找实习机会。 她说：“我因毕业以后寻找 全职工作带来的压力而不安， 而且我对在以后是否能够成功 争取工作产生质疑，因此我认 为我还需要更多实习经验让我 做好充足的准备。” 计算机科学与工程学院三年

级生黄斌升（24岁）表示，他 在近两年内完成了长达20周的 实习课程，也曾在暑假时自愿 参与实习工作。 尽管他实习经验充足，他依 旧考虑在正式毕业之前争取实 习机会。 他说：“我想要通过更多的 实习经验作出最适合自己的选 择，也把在这最后一年争取的 实习工作当作最后一个曝光的 机会。” 今年2月，一项由新加坡国立 大学、新加坡管理大学及南大 共同展开的调查显示，这3所大 学2017年的毕业生全职就业率 为78.4%，创下了从2012年进行 调查以来的新低。 不仅如此，调查也显 示，2017年毕业以后在半年 内找到全职工作的大学生，从 2016年的89.5%降至88.9%。 南大生物科学学院四年级生 李槿慧（23岁）说：“我的前 辈因找不到全职工作而选择继 续就读硕士课程，而且最近我 们的领域就业机会逐渐减少，

这使我对未来的前景深感担 忧。” 她表示，此危机感迫使她 趁还未毕业前争取更多实习机 会，以便提升本身的技能。 黄燕同学也表示，公司看重 实习经历，因此实习经验对于 找到全职工作真的有着举足轻 重的作用。 BP制造业执行经理张兴盛先 生表示，在公司有实习经验的 毕业生实际上比其他毕业生占 了更多优势，因为相比下他们 比没有经历的毕业生更熟悉工 作岗位。 他说：“这对公司与学生两 者带来双赢。公司可提前选拔 应届生人才，在实习阶段锁定 表现优秀的学生；学生也可为 未来铺路，在毕业以后回到理 想公司工作。” 南大应用科学学院应届毕业 生张思凯（24岁）表示，寻找 实习机会的过程会无意间带来 一股压迫感，因为找不到实习 机会同等于毕业后找不到全职 工作。

他说：“假如我连实习机会 也无法成功争取，毕业以后成 功找到工作的机率就会更少。” 黄燕同学也说，身为即将毕 业的学生，自己并不能把所有 的时间投入在实习工作上，只 能兼职实习，这也缩小了她实 习选择的范围。 不仅如此，有些公司并不接 受即将毕业的学生为实习生。 新 加 坡 国 家 青 年 协 会 （National Youth Council, NYC） 人力资源部副经理莎斯维妮小 姐（Nur Syazwani Jantan）表示， NYC限实习招聘对象为除应届毕 业生的所有大学生，这是因为 NYC意图给予还未面临毕业的学 生打造前途的帮助。 她说：“对应届毕业生而 言，实习不再锁定为奠定工作 基础的立足点，争取实习机会 是他们为减低危机而采取的一 种措施。” 截至截稿时间，就业与实习 指导处（Career and Attachment Office）仍未对南苑的询问做出 回复。

In summary MORE NTU students are seeking additional internship opportunities in their final year, despite having already completed their compulsory professional internships, according to final-year students whom the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to.

This trend is fueled by a slight fall in employment rates across fresh graduates in Singapore, with 88.9 per cent of graduates finding a full-time job within half a year of graduation in 2017, as compared to 89.5 per cent in 2016. Final-year students said they want to use internships to increase their chances of securing full-time positions after graduation.

That said, some companies said they do not accept finalyear students as interns. The Career and Attachment Office did not reply to the Chronicle's queries by press time.

言论

“钱”途与梦想冲突时，该选哪个？ 来

到人生的分岔路口，不少 面临毕业的南大生以及毕 业生因梦想和专业科系保证的 未来职业之间产生冲突而困扰。 他们恐怕等到经济能力稳定 之后再追求理想时已远落在别 人后头，同时害怕追逐理想可 能会带来的无数后果及应承担 的风险。 有的学生肆无忌惮地多方追 求理想。然而，选择有经济保 障才是比较实际的选择。 虽许多学生心里向往梦想， 最终还是选择往“钱”看。 南大金融会计学系三年级生 林惠姿（23岁）说自己在研读 会计学的这两年来，对这门学 问的热忱每况愈下，反而越来 越渴望追求舞者的梦想。 她坦言，既然如此她却计划 毕业以后从事审计事业。 她说：“梦想固然重要，但 把握现实才有机会迈向梦想。 坦白说，我没有足够的信心完 全脱离轨道，我无法完全忽视 现实生活。” 现实是残酷的，但也是必须 面对的事实。与其盲目追从风 险高的梦想，不如掌握好现实

为未来做好有实际性的准备。 美国乔治城大学的卡尔。 纽坡特教授（Cal Newport）在他 的《优秀到不能被忽视》（ So Good They Can’t Ignore You）中写 道，许多人其实对自己的梦想 概念模糊，一段时间喜欢某种 事物，过几年又另有兴趣。而 在这含糊的过程中迷茫的追寻 所谓的梦，其实是在浪费宝贵 的时间。 况且，虽然有梦想，开始 创业时可能会遇到经济上的困

插图：许敏慧 难，对此行不熟悉等因素而困 难累累。 纽坡特教授阐明，实实在在 地修炼职场上的技能，赚取经 济的保障，在工作上到达优秀 的水准时，那就会是你的热忱 所在。 倘若理想职业与大学时期所 专修的科系毫无交叉点，即将 踏出社会的学生更应该毫不犹 豫地搜查与各自文凭有关的工 作。唯有根据本身最专业的方 面发展，才能为历年来已付出

的所有心血及花费的时间和金 钱换来一番成就，不白费心机。 南大海事研究学院毕业生陈 安琪（25岁）表示，她在大学 生涯时期发现自己其实热衷于 传播媒体领域，但她依旧坚持 从事国际贸易方面的职业。 她说：“我很清楚这门领域 不是我理想中的事业，但我并 不能眼睁睁看着父母这几年来 为供我读书用的血汗钱变成纸 渣。” 但这不代表前往梦想的道路 是完全封闭的。 数码新闻平台Quartz的一篇言 论作家凯瑟琳。巴。穆吉拉写 道，自己在毕业后选择了“不 精彩” 的工作，才能还清房屋 的债务。除了实际用处，她也 认为有了金钱的资助也才可以 更无忧无虑地追求梦想。 她说：“假设你能够在不 用担心如何缴付房屋租金的情 况下，安心地绘画、唱歌、演 戏，甚至任由自主地写诗，那 是我的梦想。” 经济保障后可确保我们将会 有更多资源追求梦想。追寻梦 想需要“金钱”这基本条件。

金钱是很客观的试金石，缺了 金钱，谈梦想又何容易。 总括而言，两手空空，没有 本钱去谈梦想。（文 / 朴利彬）

In summary WHILE deciding on their career paths, the writer advocates in this opinion piece that people should maximise their earning potential rather than prioritise their pursuit of personal passions.

Contrary to the popular saying that one should choose passion over money, scholars argue that most people do not really have a concrete idea of what their passion is. Passion can also leave one disillusioned if it is not easily monetised.

Pursuing more well-paying jobs related to one’s field of study, on the other hand, will enable them to reap the benefits of their years of labour and investment in university. After they achieve financial stability, they will have more resources to realise their passions as well.

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生活

新加坡华语音乐 校园找出新声代 陈纬铨/梁荣伟 ● 报道

两

名南大生热爱华语音乐， 分别在本地华语音乐比赛 中打出成绩，并有望日后在我 国华语音乐坛发光发热。

凭才华勇闯歌唱比赛 人文学院三年级生谢政哲（24 岁）参加了本地华语音乐比赛 《SPOP听我唱》，闯进20强。 《 SPOP 听我唱》是新传媒举 办的歌唱选秀节目，从在籍学 生当中找出新生代歌手，并展 示新加坡本地的创作。 谢同学说：“很多年轻人不 知道我国华语音乐的人才，所 以这个比赛的目的是让新加坡 人欣赏本地制作的音乐。” 参赛者可从80年代的新谣到 今日音乐排行榜的热门歌曲当 中选唱。特别的是，这些竞赛 的歌曲都是本地创作的华语流 行歌曲。 谢同学说，他在中学的时候 发现自己的歌唱才华，加入了 合唱团，发挥潜能。

久而久之，他也开始在教 会歌颂，升大学时也在学生宿 舍、学校的活动中或为朋友的 婚礼唱歌。在朋友的鼓励下， 谢同学决定参加《SPOP听我 唱》比赛。 他说：“一开始，我只是想 玩玩看，尝试一下，没有想到 我会晋级。” 谢同学透露，拍宣传照、 选歌、排练，整个过程有一个 月半的时间。虽然这个期间非 常忙，他说自己能得到这个机 会，仍很开心。 比赛中，谢同学与许多本 地数一数二的音乐人物接触并 向他们学习。这些资深人物包 括音乐总监林倛玉和《幸福不 难》原唱者龚芝怡。比赛的宣 传大使《中国新歌声》参赛者 向洋和董姿彦，及本地音乐家 文慧如，也分享他们在新加坡 音乐界发展的心得，谢同学说 自己从中学到了很多。 在复赛中，谢同学演唱了张 智成的《末日之恋》，这首歌 由本地作词家张思尔作词，而 由本地流行歌手林俊杰作曲。

谢政哲从中学就开始追逐歌唱梦想，在今年的《SPOP听我唱》歌唱比赛闯入20强。 谢同学说：“比赛的时候， 我以平常心对待，以平常的唱 歌方法唱。” 虽然谢同学未成功晋级，他 说经过比赛后，更欣赏本地制 作的华语音乐。然而，他表示 新加坡人对本地华语音乐带有 消极态度。 他认为新加坡华语音乐最大 的困难，就是太多新加坡人无 法接受，甚至藐视本地制作的 音乐及各种艺术。 他说：“有些人认为本地华 语音乐与海外不可比。” “我希望新加坡文化会变 迁，人们会加以接受并支持本 地制作的音乐。”

写词作曲释放情感

伍雪绮首写的歌曲《后知道的幸福》在《新空下》新谣比赛得了创 作优胜奖。 图片：梁荣伟

起初，写歌词只是人文学院四 年级生伍雪绮（22岁）释放情 绪的一种方式。她欣赏华文能 够在短短几行字内带出深沉的 含义，开始以歌词诠释自己的 感想，并添上旋律，编成曲子。 伍同学首写的歌曲，《后知 道的幸福》，就这样在去年诞 生。 起初，她对自己的作品缺 乏自信，所以把这创作抛在脑 后 。直到她在国外留学时领悟 到华文音乐对她的重要性，才 打算更认真地尝试创作。 此外，她想趁在大学的最 后一年来花更多时间与心思在 课余活动上，因此她回国后才 开始想尝试衡量自己的作曲能 力，鼓起勇气拿创作参赛。 比赛肯定了她的实力。伍同

学在联合早报今年举办的《星 空下》新谣比赛得了创作优胜 奖。 她说：“当我看到年纪比我 小许多的中学生上台演奏他们 的创作时，我感到十分欣慰。 但同时，我也后悔没早一点发 掘我对创作的兴趣。” 跟着音乐成长的她，自7岁就 开始学习钢琴，而在中学与初 院时期加入打击乐团。 她一直对弹唱感到兴趣， 但留学回来之后才打算练好嗓 子，并寻找老师拜师学艺。 伍同学在网路上找到网红歌 手黄长俊，并在他旗下学习了 半年。但是，她始终对自己的 嗓子缺乏信心。 在凑备新谣比赛时，伍同学 找了南大商学院三年级生汤德 芳来录唱《后知道的幸福》。 汤同学是她在新传媒实习时认 识的朋友，而她本身也有创作 与歌唱的经验，并教导伍同学 如何把脑海里的旋律输入软件 数码化。 如今，伍同学已写了5首华语 和一首英文歌。她打算继续参 加创作比赛，而她下一个目标 就是为谢同学写歌，并一同参 赛。 她说：“为人写歌时，我利 用的词汇会比较贴切于歌手， 让他更容易诠释歌词背后的情 绪。” 对于创作，伍同学觉得现在 已有许多电脑软件帮助制造旋 律，只要语言精通，创造自己

图片：谢政哲

的曲子并不困难。 她说：“只要能写下自己的 感受，拥有一个有音乐创作电 脑软件的电脑，任何人都可以 创作。”

《后知道的幸福》

扫描此QR码收听伍同学的创作

In summary THIS article features two NTU students from the School of Humanities — a singer and a songwriter — who are ardent supporters of local music and have competed in local Chinese music competitions.

Third-year student Darwin Shia, 24, made it to the top 20 of Mediacorp Channel 8’s SPOP Sing! competition, while finalyear student Ng Xue Qi, 22, won a commendation award for her composition at Lianhe Zaobao’s annual xinyao competition.

They told The Nanyang Chronicle that these competitions have fueled their passion for singing and composing respectively, and that they hope more people will see the value of supporting local Chinese music.

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CHRONICLE 03 生活

寻寻 "蜜蜜" 南大三种特制甜

南大的美食应有尽有，但想要品尝甜品，校园的甜品店却是罕见的。本文找出校园中三家甜品摊位，他们精心制作的甜品 都值得一尝，想吃甜食时就知道往哪里，就能满足口感了。陈昱嘉● 报道

红牛韩国刨冰 (Red Bull bingsu) 学生考试期间最常喝的能量饮 料红牛，竟然也能做成甜品! 韩 国刨冰甜品几年前在本地掀起 热潮，有各式各样的口味如巧 克力、红豆等，但用红牛做的 刨冰还是第一次听过。 位于数理科学院的咖啡馆 Cafe4You的特别红牛韩国刨冰由 细细的冰霜、香草雪糕及棉花 糖组成。红牛口味的冰霜是通 过把饮料倒进制冰机后，凝固 化成冰片制成的，刷刷堆成一 叠松软的红牛冰片。 第一口就感觉味道非常特 别，冰片即酸又微甜，犹如正

在喝一杯红牛饮料。粉粉的冰 片松软又入口即化。 香甜的香草雪糕及棉花糖与 酸甜的冰片是个绝配，衡量了 味觉。虽然吃久了，冰片的味 道可能略显单调，在热天或考 试期间享用一碗红牛冰，也蛮 过瘾的。 Cafe4You 的经理林威勇（24 岁）说当初，自己询问了学生 考试时通常喝什么饮料，才想 起用红牛做甜品的主意。他与 员工在制冰机尝试并请顾客试 吃后，发现到多数人都喜欢这 口味，就推出了这新产品。 他说，其实吃下一碗红牛 刨冰，犹如喝一杯能量饮料一 样，分量相同。一碗红牛冰也

可与朋友分享，糖分摄入量没 那么高，会比较健康。 这家咖啡馆仅在2017年在南 大开店，售卖西餐、中餐、咖 啡及甜品等。林经理透露，虽 然咖啡馆有一些常客，整体上 的人潮并不多，可能也因地点 有些偏僻。 他仍旧希望生意会蓬勃发 展，继续添加菜单上的创意食 品吸引顾客。 他说：“我们想要创造价格 实惠和特制的东西给学生吃， 而不只是售卖在外头普遍常见 的食物。” 地点：Cafe4You, 数理科学院 (School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences), #02-01

柚子樱花芝士蛋糕 (Yuzu sakura cheesecake) 精致的日本樱花躺在晶莹剔透 的粉红菜燕里，叠在嫩白的乳 酪蛋糕上，美丽的蛋糕真是叹 为观止。 这些亮眼的蛋糕是第13学生 宿舍食堂的甜品摊位After7Bakery 的特制创作及辛劳。这家西式 甜品摊售卖各式各样的松饼及 蛋糕，而笔者尝试了最引人入 目的柚子樱花芝士蛋糕。 蛋糕的层次配合巧妙，微甜 的菜燕配上奶白的马斯卡邦尼 芝士 （mascarpone cheese），加 上松软的饼干底层，吃起来非 常清爽。芝士中也藏有小块的 柚子樱花芝士蛋糕上的樱花是源于日本的土产。

雪糕奶油威化饼 (Butterscotch waffle with ice cream) 简单的雪糕威化饼，吃起来能瞬 间带来好多快乐。这就是第11学 生宿舍的‘威化饼与糕点’店给 学生带来的滋味。 威化饼的厚度刚刚好，不会 太薄，咀嚼的时候够爽口。虽 没有想象中脆，却还满松软的， 淋上糖粉及奶油酱，配上香草雪 糕，吃起来的确有满足感。 摊位也售卖众多口味的威化 饼，如香蕉巧克力、草莓等。 摊主是和蔼可亲的莉莉斯女 士（Mdm Lilis, 42岁）。她透露 威化饼的面糊是她自制的，而不 是从供应商购买的。

红牛韩国刨冰的酸甜爽口冰片由能量饮料制成。 柚子，淡香的蛋糕衬托出柚子 的甜果味。 After7Bakery 的摊主之一的黄 晓惠（40岁）也透露，蛋糕里 的樱花是特地托朋友从日本买 回来的，可见这甜点的真材实 料。 摊位在2017年8月开档，是 黄女士与朋友李晓君共创的第 一份企业。她们两年前在个烘 培文凭课程结识，发现到彼此 志同道合，想要一起合创甜品 店。 因为两人都不喜欢过于甜腻 的食品，烘培的甜点也想要减 低糖分，尽量用天然及有质量 的食材创造。柚子樱花芝士蛋 糕是她们的原创品。

图片：林澤立

黄女士说：“我们当初就自 己去想出办法，想要做与别人 不同的蛋糕，才能够吸引顾客 群。” 甜品摊位的确吸引了一批忠 实的顾客。黄女士透露，有学 生甚至特地从不同宿舍来到第 13学生宿舍，只为了品尝她们 的蛋糕。 然而，因为暑假时期的学 生群实在太少，继续缴付租金 成问题，她们决定在10月16日 后搬迁到另一个地点，离开南 大。新店即将卖现有的蛋糕口 味，也会开启烘培课程。 地点：After7Bakery, 第13学生 宿舍食堂 （截止10月16日）/ 2 Jalan Lokau, #01-50 （新地址）

图片：林澤立

她说，平时喜欢与9岁的儿子 在厨房里烘培威化饼，儿子有 一天问她为什么不卖这拿手的 甜点，她从中才得到售卖威化 饼的启发。 这也是她为学生付出的一片 心意。她说：“学生们通常读 书到饿肚子，我想做能喂饱学 生的甜品，让他们不挨饿。” 学生们经常参与课外活动到 晚，莉莉斯因此决定延迟收档 时间到晚上十一点，为学生提 供特制的菜单，赢得了学生的 青睐。甚至有学生在毕业前为 她设计特制菜单的海报，供她 使用。这份威化饼，真是吃在 嘴里，甜在心里。 地点：Waffles and Pastries, 第 11学生宿舍食堂

In summary

松软的威化饼是喂饱肚子的一顿早餐或下午茶点。

图片：黄淑玲

SATISFY your sweet tooth with these three delicious desserts found on campus. The Nanyang Chronicle recommends the Red Bull bingsu at Cafe4You (located at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences), with its ice shavings made from the energy drink itself. Canteen 13’s After7Bakery offers a light and exquisite yuzu sakura cheesecake, made from mascarpone cheese and yuzu bits. At Canteen 11, another filling treat is the butterscotch waffles, made with homemade batter and served with vanilla ice cream.

Sports Is it fair for athletes to take sports modules?

Apart from skills, coaches take into account class participation and attitudes to even out the playing field, but some students still feel that it is unfair SAMANTHA KOH EVERY Thursday morning, a group of 30 students gathers at the basketball court in the National Institute of Education for their tchoukball module. During the practice games, six players stand out as they dodge slower opponents and score several goals, all without breaking a sweat.

These six students are experienced athletes, most of whom signed up to get an “easy A”.

The 20 sports modules offered by the National Institute of Education (NIE) are popular among students, and they are often oversubscribed — the demand for these classes can outstrip capacity by almost three times.

Students are allowed to enrol in these modules regardless of whether they have experience in the sport. But there has been a long-standing debate among the NTU community on how fair this practice is, given that proficiency in the sport is often the largest grading component.

Second-year Sports Science and Management student Brendon Toh, 23, who took the squash module last year, said students were graded on how successfully they could hit the ball into a specific boundary. This was the skills test component that made up 30 per cent of their grade.

“Naturally, the experienced players were able to meet the grading requirements more easily compared to those who just learnt the sport,” he said, adding that in the class of 20, there were about four players with prior experience.

Final-year School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) student Lynn Kiew agreed, and added that athletes should not be allowed to take up a sports module they have been trained in.

The 22-year-old said: “It’s as good as giving them a free A. For language modules, those who have already learnt the language are not allowed to take them, so why can’t it be the same for sports?”

However, athletes do not feel that having prior knowledge and skill in the game will guarantee them an A. Adalric Ng, 23, a second-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student who took both indoor volleyball and tennis last

Chua Song Xing, 24, a third-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, attempts to score a point during a game in tchoukball class.

semester, said: “I got an A for both modules but I only have experience in indoor volleyball. I think that while my experience in sports may have helped, getting an A still relied on me being able to keep my skills consistent in playing the sport.”

“Naturally, the experienced players were able to meet the grading requirements more easily compared to those who just learnt the sport.”

Brendon Toh, 23 Second-year student Sports Science and Management

Some students feel that the grading criteria should be changed to cater to students of different proficiency levels.

First-year MAE student Lim Jia Wei, 20, suggested giving more weightage to the leadership skills of experienced players, while grading beginner players on their skills in the sport.

Lim is currently taking the

PHOTOS: JOEL CHAN

tchoukball module and has no experience in the sport.

But second-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student Jason Chua believes athletes should not be treated any differently.

The 23-year-old represents NTU in the Singapore University Games for tchoukball and received an A when he took the tchoukball elective.

He said: “I believe that the system allocates modules fairly…

Students should be aware of the playing field and drop out if they are uncomfortable.”

Even out the playing field

Tchoukball coach Melissa Lim, 31, acknowledged the difficulty of grading students who come in with various experiences and skills, and said she takes into account students’ individual progress and participation, which make up 10 per cent of the final grade, in order to make grading fairer.

About one in six students who attends her class has experience in the sport, she said.

However, other coaches feel that students should know that there will be experienced students in class before taking the module.

A sports module coach, who declined to be named, said: “Students should not take sports modules for the sake of getting a good grade but with the attitude and mindset of learning something new for themselves.”

Shannon Tan, 22, an experienced tchoukball player, attempts a shot from the side, a move which makes it difficult for defenders to catch the ball.

22-23 SPORTS

SUniG 2018: Going for gold Jill Arul speaks to three teams that stood out in this year’s Singapore University Games in the events of aquathlon, basketball and touch football, which achieved first and second places despite facing tough opponents

Isabella Sally Noble Sheldon, 21, an exchange student at NTU, finished third in the women’s individual aquathlon category at 36min 31sec.

NTU IS doing well in the 13th edition of the Singapore University Games (SUniG), and, as of 11 Oct, has bagged 14 gold, 16 silver and 13 bronze medals, placing second behind NUS. NTU has earned a total of 9 championship points so far, an improvement from last year’s 8-point performance. The Games started on 8 Sep and ended on 15 Oct.

Turning the tide NTU’s 20-strong aquathlon team pulled off an impressive podium sweep in both the men’s and women’s individual categories, placing first in both team categories.

This feat ended the university’s six-year streak of coming in second place.

“I feel really proud,” said captain Ronnie Lai, 22. “We usually lose to NUS by one to two minutes. But this time round, not only did we win the championship, we swept all the medals too.”

For the competition, athletes swam for 750 metres before running for five kilometres. The top

few fastest timings were then added up to determine the teams’ placings.

For the men’s category, the top five timings were added, while the top three timings were totalled for the women’s category.

The men’s team came in at 2 hours 37 minutes 47 seconds, about eight minutes ahead of NUS. The women’s team came in 1h 47min, about nine and a half minutes faster than NUS. Their stellar performance was a result of a stricter training regiment, said Lai. This year, instead of starting intensive training in late August, the team began training earlier and had almost 10 sessions a week from July.

Each training session involved both the running and swimming components, so team members could decide which event they needed to train more for.

“I believe that’s how we improved. We had like-minded people all coming together to push each other,” said team captain Lai, a second-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student. “When you

have someone to push you, you can definitely go faster and endure for a longer time.”

Four of the medal-winning SUniG aquathletes this year were exchange students. For Isabella Sally Noble Sheldon and Harrison Fleming, this was their first aquathlon.

“We usually lose to NUS by one to two minutes. But this time round, not only did we win the championship, we swept all the medals too.”

Ronnie Lai, 22 Aquathlon captain Second-year student School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Sheldon, 21, who is from Denmark, was keen to try out a new sport when she arrived

PHOTO COURTESY OF NTU SPIRIT

at NTU. The third-year School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering student, who has competed in cross-country for five years, placed third in the women’s individual category with a timing of 36min 31sec.

She said: “I can’t really compare (aquathlons) to anything I’ve done before. I’m used to running, but never after swimming.”

Fleming, 21, an Australian, is an avid swimmer and runner who also competes for NTU’s swim team.

The final-year School of Civil and Environmental Engineering student came in at 31min 13sec and placed third in the men’s individual category.

“Over the last few weeks, I’ve met so many people that I consider really great friends,” said Fleming. “The team dynamic is really strong and I think it showed over the (competition) weekend how well we work together.”

Although the Games have ended, the team’s intensive training continues as they prepare for the Singapore Aquathlon on 4 Nov.

Defending the title The women’s basketball team won the finals against Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) 52-33 to clinch their 10th consecutive SUniG title.

After losing to SIM at last year’s Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games, they came back with a vengeance to beat their opponent.

“It was a huge upset that we lost our title for IVP, but in a way it was a lesson for us to not get too comfortable with our winning streak,” said captain Amanda Lim, 22. “It really made us step up this year.”

The team began intensive training in June and competed in the National Youth Sports Institute League in July to gain more game exposure and build team chemistry on the court. They won first place in the competition.

Two of the five new players that joined the team this year are Choo Jie Ying, 19, and Sharon Lee, 22 — members of Singapore’s National Youth basketball team.

“They are a great advantage to the team,” said Lim, a final-year

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NTU’s Mabel Koh (centre, in black), 20, was a constant threat against the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) team.

student from Sports Science and Management.

“It was a huge upset that we lost our title for IVP, but ... it was a lesson for us to not get too comfortable with our winning streak. ” Amanda Lim, 22 Women’s basketball captain Final-year student Sports Science and Management

“They’re really valuable in attack and defense, and one of them (Jie Ying) is very tall, that helps us too.”

During the finals at The Wave, SIM had initially been leading 1110, but Choo, a first-year Nanyang Business School (NBS) student, made an impressive block midway through the second period to regain possession of the ball, allowing NTU to edge ahead.

The first half ended 24-16 to NTU, and as their supporters cheered them on, they remained in the lead until the final buzzer sounded.

“We didn’t start off that well, but towards the end we got our momentum back as a team. We wanted it very badly, and we kept reminding each other to

Tessie Chin (centre, in white), 22, dives through SIM’s defense line to score a try.

Captain of the women’s basketball team, Amanda Lim, 22, succesfully executes a lay-up.

stay focused and cherish each possession,” said Lee, a first-year NBS student.

Coming back stronger The touch football team started the season at a low, but fought back to eventually become the runners-up.

In their opening game against NUS, they were in the lead in the first half but fumbled in the second half, ending the match with a score of 6-8.

“We lost our focus while defending, which cost us and allowed them to score,” said captain Nur Hidayah Joha, 22.

After the loss, the team restructured its play-ups and fought harder in their next three

games to win convincingly against SMU, Singapore University of Technology and Design and SIM. “We were more decisive in our attacks and managed to minimise our mistakes from NUS,” said Hidayah, a thirdyear School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student.

Team member Clara Tan, 22, a second-year School of Social Sciences student, added: “Overall, for every game, we kept consistently improving — working on what we did in previous games individually and working together to improve.”

The team won their final match against SIM on Oct 8 with a score of 4-1.

PHOTOS: JOEL CHAN

The first half ended in a 1-1 tie, but NTU stepped up its play, tiring out the SIM girls.

They managed to gain an advantage and kept their lead throughout the second half, scoring three more tries — diving to place the ball over the try line at the end of the play area.

Hidayah said she was proud of her team, especially since at least half were new members who started training only a few months before.

“It was a progressive effort from everybody,” she said.

“It was our last game and we really wanted to play as a team.

We didn’t hold back and gave it our all.”

Vanoha Chiang, 22, runs forward to gain ground and draw in SIM defenders.

PHOTOS: THEODORE LIM