By Melissa Teo and Jordan Zhu
Relieving students temporarily from examination woes, the bi-annual U-Study event, also known as the largest welfare event in NTU, saw a large turnout of 5000 students. Held on October 30, 2019, at Canopy K at North Spine, The NTU Student Union (NTUSU) team gave out Exam Welfare Packs (EWPs), which contained stationeries, drinks and snacks to tide students through the upcoming stressful weeks.
Some students expressed their delight at this year’s variety in the EWP. For Koh Jia Yi, 21, a first-year Nanyang Business School student, the soya milk and flavoured yoghurt water drink was the highlight.
“I like the drinks. It rehydrates me when I’m studying, which helps me stay focused,” said Koh.
In conjunction with the welfare pack distribution, booths were set up for some on-site giveaways. With Marigold yoghurt drinks, Redbull, nachos and ice cream, there was a wealth of free goodies up for grabs.
The first 1500 students were entitled to a free cup of LiHO milk tea, which was quickly snapped up by students in under an hour.
Sponsored by the Career Attachment Office (CAO), Jomo Coffee was also a hot favourite among students, with a long queue at its stand.
Min Young Na, a first-year School of Physical and Mathematics Sciences (SPMS) student, waited 40 minutes in line for her daily caffeine fix. This will be her first cup of coffee today, said the 19-year-old, who drinks at least two cups of coffee a day.
Live music and multiple lucky draws contributed to the lively and vibrant atmosphere during the event. Contests with lucrative prizes were running concurrently alongside the welfare pack distributions too.
One lucky winner was Kenny Lo, a student from Material Science Engineering (MSE). He walked away with a staycation for four at the Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa worth over $800, which was generously sponsored by local radio stations, 98.0FM and 88.3FM.
The 18-year-old did not expect to win the contest as he was initially lagging behind on the scoreboard. However, in a surprising turn of events, he won the final round and took home the grand prize. Lo, who came to Singapore alone to study, intends to gift this staycation to his parents and relatives back in Indonesia who have never visited Singapore before.
The students who came in second and third place were both given a set of JBL Under Armour True Wireless Flash in-ear headphones worth $249.
Shorter Queuing Times
Except for the first hour, which was the most crowded period for the event, queue time was kept within 10 minutes for most students. The queue system was improved from the previous semester’s – the Welfare Initiatives Committee and Information and Research Committee had set up more matriculation card scanning stations and their members were well-trained and efficient with the process.
As students approached the station, they were immediately greeted, offered drinks, and quickly reminded to present their matriculation cards. At the station, whilst the Ussociates were scanning the cards, several others were ready, by the side, with welfare packs in their hands. With the cooperation from the student body, and efficiency from the Ussociates, the EWP collection process was pleasant and quick indeed.
Reducing Wastage
The item exchange corner, held in collaboration with Food Band Singapore Ltd. and Earthlink NTU, provided a platform for students to exchange their unwanted items for other things they prefer. For instance, students were welcome to drop off unwanted snacks in their EWP, in exchange for the ones available at the welfare corner. Flyers and pamphlets could be disposed as well, for recycling.
Yew Keong, 22, a member of the Welfare Services Club, said that the exchange corner was set up mainly to reduce wastage. This also fosters the NTU spirit of students supporting one another; not just through the exchange of food and items, but also through exchanging well-wishes and showing support for one another.
U-Study is not just about receiving freebies. It is a moment to take five from a busy school schedule and impending deadlines, and mingle with our schoolmates, to bond and to share.
“U-Study is one of our key events where the vibrancy of the student body really shines through. It was pleasant to see different NTU students come together in this event, in turn fostering a dynamic community of not just giving and receiving, but also one where students support other students,” said Bryan Michael Chiew, President of NTUSU.
A huge thank you to the team for organising this event. NTUSU would also like to wish all of you the best for the upcoming finals!
Read More: SOS: How To Make Friends Without Attending Orientation Programmes?
For more event pictures, head over to our Facebook album!
Images credit: NTUSU Corporate Communications
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