Friday, August 29, 2008
Update from Singapore
Well, as many of my friends are overseas on SEP, it's time to update them what's happening here in our little NUS, with specific reference to our faculty.
Well, Q & A yesterday was quite interesting, especially since it was my first one.
Firstly, I have to say that our attendance was quite pathetic. Well, maybe it was just a coincidence of some sorts, it seems that many of the MC and our affiliates are busy or something, hence unable to attend the Q & A. I'm not sure about last year's, but I'm kinda sure it was a lot more people than that? Not really sure at all.
Well, as for the content of the Q & A, I wouldn't really say it out here, but seriously I wasn't really stimulated by it.
Talked to Joan, Serene and Mao Mao at the back of the LT after the Q & A, and I felt some things.
1. The questions were a tad too theoractical - Well, in this kind of setting, people will sure give the theoractically-correct answer, so it's a contest of who can speak better, rather than who can really work while having fun. When these theoractical questions are asked, people could answer them quite quickly. When I asked about the specifics of FOP, I felt that people got my question perfectly clear, but they were stunned for a moment, and were slow to come out of the blocks. But well, in this kind of sessions, you can't expect too much, as it's kinda of 'fake' and 'social' setting, and seldom will people have the balls to say very direct and practical things (which some of them did, so i salute them).
2. There was an overwhelming feeling in me that some people feel that instead of being "the voice" of the students concentrating on "their welfare", we have focused "too much" on projects. So in this scenario, people assiociate us with "projects", instead of "welfare" and "voice".
There were issues like how to "bring people into Arts Club", how to "make our presence felt", provide more "welfare" etc.
That actually led me to ask Joan and Serene, so what do we mean really by "bringing people into Arts Club" and "welfare"?
"Bringing people into Arts Club" - Do
participating in Arts Camp/Rag/Oweek and during-the-semester-projects count? Or is it about
organising?
I keep hearing things about "Letting people have a place that they can gather" etc, but does that really help without the "organising"? We've seen how people who have organised stuff together getting closer through work, and to be perfectly honest, how people who don't really help get rather ostracised because they are not contributing yet hanging around in the clubroom.
And space, once the consumption of it reaches a certain quantity, is a rivalrous good. Meaning, the consumption of this good will lead to another person having less of the good. How many people can we accomodate "hanging around" in the first place? That's something for us to ponder as well.
"Welfare" - Well, that's something I cannot really comprehend. So what exactly is welfare? Laptop nannying? Having a room for people to gather? Churning out projects for them to have fun? Making "their voices" heard? Give out more welfare packs? That something we have to answer, before we can confidently conclude that something has lost its direction.
And regarding "voices heard". In the view of the generally apathetic nature of Singaporean students (especially during the semester where all are mugging like mad), do they really have very good feedback about what's happening in school? And if so, do they provide them through the right channels, or simply moan and do nothing about it? Since we can't solve the apathetic part, the only way is to provide a better and more obvious channel.
Well, as I told Xinyu and Naga while we were walking back: it's like going to church. Only those who wishes to be converted can be preached to, and for the rest, there's nothing we can do about it. Hence, in judging the success of anything, we have to compare it with the practical situation, instead of some airy-fairy theoractical ideal which is unattainable. As I've mentioned before, nothing looks good when compared to the ideal.
PS. I dunno where to insert this. If someone sees something wrong in something, he/she will complain and moan about it, that's human nature. However, it becomes rather laughable when one moans about it and not solve it when one is in power.
PPS. I leave my views out in the open, and I'm ready to take comments on them. If I'm right, tell me. If I'm wrong, correct me and we'll have a healthy and vigourous debate. I hate it when people disagree, yet don't dare to argue, and hide back into the comforts of self-assurance. For any comments, please use the 'comments' section! The tagboard is a bit too short for any healthy debate =)
lowtide blogged @
8:50 am
