Education

  Star Education Fair

Sunday August 21, 2005

Orientation guidelines needed

I TOTALLY agree with the statement made by Worried Parent in his/her letter entitled “Nightmare of Orientation” (StarEducation, Aug 7) that orientation week in any university should involve freshmen in constructive activities.

This year, during my orientation at a private university, a significant number of seniors were going about conducting the orientation for medical freshmen as if juniors have virtually no rights. Whatever the seniors say, juniors must do, under the pain of some silly punishment.

When questioned on the objectives of the orientation, some responded that the aim was to teach the juniors – who are assumed to be pampered babies – to be humble and thus prepared for the physical and psychological rigours of life in the medical profession.

Yet others said that ragging was a long-held tradition during orientation and that juniors should just live through it and be proud that they “survived” it.

To inculcate the values needed by doctors, some activities that freshmen were subjected to included:

  •        girls pinching the nipples of boys while the boys shouted the Negaraku – all this to obtain the signature of a senior during signature drive;

  •        freshmen sitting on the ground while being systematically messed up with butter, flour, water, a concoction of cendol noodles (thrown from three floors up) and raw eggs – all under the guise of “ice-breaking”. This went on until almost midnight;

  •        freshmen laying on the ground during a “treasure-hunt” and having eggs broken inside their pants. Then they have to run around a stadium in the area. The prize for the winners of the hunt was the privilege of kissing a fresh bull’s heart; and

  •        guys dressing up as women from different countries and being paraded on stage. When the lights were turned off, a group of seniors ran up to the stage and tore the boys’ clothes off in a simulated rape.

    Are these activities befitting medical students into whose hands we will some day entrust the health and well-being of our families?

    Do the friends in Foo’s letter “Seniors not gangsters but friends” (StarEducation, Aug 14) do such things?

    Does subjecting oneself to such silly and insensible activities teach one independence?

    The Higher Education Ministry should issue proper guidelines to keep such activities in check to ensure that orientation week is truly beneficial for freshmen.

    ANONYMOUS Via e-mail

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