Well, I have made my say over the issue of lewd orientation. Some activities are simply bordering on the sexually suggestive.
Frankly, I am surprised that some students actually find the orientation games harmless. Are you kidding?
And joining in almost sexual activities are suppose to help them and socialise with their peers? How is that suppose to help in building team spirit and instilling a sense of belonging?
Maybe I am too conservative and prudish? And kids these days are too liberal and open minded?
After all, these days, how many are still virgins by the time they reached university age?
There is still the element of peer pressure. These are not full adults. They are young, undeveloped adults and they tend to conform to the usual norms.
I came across a blog where a female student narrated her experience with lewd orientation at her university.
She said that most of these orientation forfeits seemed to involve the more private parts of the body like the face, buttocks, mouth, chest etc.
On the very first day, she was made to do this forfeit where she had to pass this sweet to a guy mouth to mouth. And you know what, he was actually using this as an excuse and she could feel his tongue in her mouth, groping about. She felt humilated and awkward. She had never kissed a guy before and here, she was, with this guy, who was swirling his tongue in her mouth. All in the name of fun and sport. And getting to know other people.
She felt violated but she dared not say anything. She did not wanted to be labelled a spoilsport, a wet blanket. So she continued.
Another forfeit she had to do was that she had to lie on the ground with her back facing the sky while the guy did push ups above her body.
This time, it was even worse. As he did his pushups, she could felt his dick pressing on her buttocks with each pushup. She was extremely disgusted. She really wanted to walk out but she couldn't. She did not want people to talk bad about her. And then the worst thing happened. He collapsed on her!
She was horrified. She could feel his erected prick pressing on her back!
She who had never had intimate contact with any other guys, had some guy's erected dick on her back. It was so sick and it felt so wrong.
She felt so sexually violated and thus made up an excuse that she was sick and skipped the rest of the day's orientation activities.
That very night, she was that terrified and tramatised that she developed a high fever. She was sick for the rest of the week and skipped all her orientation.
She wanted to complain to the university. This was suppose to be orientation activities to help new students socialise and break the ice. But she felt she had enrolled in in some sort of hell camp for sex slaves.
But a female classmate told her to grow up and stop being a whiner. She was also accused of being uptight, childish and sensitive.
In the end, she did not take any actions but she developed this fear of the opposite sex. Especially if a guy is too physically close to her in proximity.
End of story.
Frankly, all these orientation activities are just an excuse for bullying by seniors on freshmen. Bullying disguised as initiation. What crap!
And who know who thought of all these sexually suggestive activities?
Horny male university undergrads! Just in case, you dun know, boys at this age are their most horny or rather most sexually curious peak. And they thought of all these almost sexual activities to fulfill their sick sexual fantasies.
And SDU endorses universities orientation activities. Well, no one complained! Until someone wrote in the the forum, triggering this expose.
If such lewd activities are so ice-breaking, how come SDU did not incorporate these into their social activities programs?
So are we developing these undergrads into sluts and players? Is this the way to go to promote having more babies?
When the time comes to say no and walk out, can you actually walk out? Even when there is extreme peer pressure, when people called you names like, wet blanket, uptight, sensitive, spoilsport, not sporting etc?
Many cannot.
----------------------------
The Sunday Times
31 Aug 2008
Orientation - just fun or plain lewd?
Students, academics, freshmen and others weigh in on the sexual slant
By Shuli Sudderuddin
When National University of Singapore (NUS) freshman Rachel Lee turned up at an orientation camp in campus last month, she got a rude shock.
During one of the games, she was made to do a forfeit where the 'girls had to lie down and the guys had to do push-ups over them', she said. Ms Lee, 19, declined to comply - she felt the act was lewd.
Another game she observed required participants to pass M&M chocolates to one another using their mouths.
'I left after the first day with five or six like-minded friends,' she said of the five-day camp organised by the NUS Students' Union.
'Lewd and improper' orientation activities were the subject of a letter by reader Soh Eng Phang, who wrote to the Straits Times Forum page recently complaining about this. In a phone interview elaborating on this, Ms Soh, who is in her 40s, said: 'They are totally uncalled for and give youth a very superficial idea about making friends and finding a partner.'
Orientation is held at the start of a school year in July and August to welcome freshmen. This year, the three universities here welcomed 14,700 freshmen.
Most camps are run by students and attendance at most activities is optional.
In the past, the trend was to subject freshmen to humiliating treatment such as having one's head dunked in a toilet bowl or having to do chores at their seniors' bidding.
Over the years, however, orientation has taken on a more sexual slant.
Unlike Ms Lee, however, many other freshmen accept such games as a time-honoured ritual and do not find them objectionable.
Ms Yvonne Ho, 19, a freshman at the NUS faculty of arts and social sciences, attended a camp run by Sheares Hall hostel earlier this month. Forfeits included touching the chests of males.
'I don't see a reason to get agitated. This is in fun and we laugh about it. There's nothing sexual,' she said.
Students from NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) said their orientation camps often included risque games and forfeits. At the Singapore Management University (SMU), students said games and forfeits were milder.
Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society, said the young today are more confident.
'They are bolder and some set up situations to break social barriers, especially since those between ages 18 and 21 are beginning to seek partners,' she noted.
Said Mr Sam Kuna, family therapist and executive director of volunteer welfare organisation Teen Challenge: 'Normal games and old-fashioned ragging just don't cut it anymore.'
But sexually-charged activities can backfire if they are too extreme, he said. 'At least 70 per cent of students are conservative and these games could make someone more inhibited.'
Universities said they put a firm foot down on any demeaning activities.
Associate Professor Low Aik Meng, dean of students at SMU, said: 'SMU does not feel that ragging will help our students achieve the objectives of building collegiality, team spirit and a sense of belonging.'
A spokesman for NTU said the university will take action against students who overstep the boundaries of decency.
Over at NUS, a spokesman said that if the university receives complaints, it will investigate and counsel or discipline students.
However, some students and organisers feel that activities involving physical contact are no big deal.
NTU Cultural Activities Club camp programmer Choi Wen Ting, 22, said: 'These games are only small elements and can boost the spirit of the camp. University students are sensible enough to speak up if they are uncomfortable.'
This sentiment is shared by Ms Nadya Huang, 20, who sits on the executive committee of the NUS Students' Arts and Social Sciences Club.
'It's just for fun and we're all adults. I've never seen people do anything against their will.'
Frankly, I am surprised that some students actually find the orientation games harmless. Are you kidding?
And joining in almost sexual activities are suppose to help them and socialise with their peers? How is that suppose to help in building team spirit and instilling a sense of belonging?
Maybe I am too conservative and prudish? And kids these days are too liberal and open minded?
After all, these days, how many are still virgins by the time they reached university age?
There is still the element of peer pressure. These are not full adults. They are young, undeveloped adults and they tend to conform to the usual norms.
I came across a blog where a female student narrated her experience with lewd orientation at her university.
She said that most of these orientation forfeits seemed to involve the more private parts of the body like the face, buttocks, mouth, chest etc.
On the very first day, she was made to do this forfeit where she had to pass this sweet to a guy mouth to mouth. And you know what, he was actually using this as an excuse and she could feel his tongue in her mouth, groping about. She felt humilated and awkward. She had never kissed a guy before and here, she was, with this guy, who was swirling his tongue in her mouth. All in the name of fun and sport. And getting to know other people.
She felt violated but she dared not say anything. She did not wanted to be labelled a spoilsport, a wet blanket. So she continued.
Another forfeit she had to do was that she had to lie on the ground with her back facing the sky while the guy did push ups above her body.
This time, it was even worse. As he did his pushups, she could felt his dick pressing on her buttocks with each pushup. She was extremely disgusted. She really wanted to walk out but she couldn't. She did not want people to talk bad about her. And then the worst thing happened. He collapsed on her!
She was horrified. She could feel his erected prick pressing on her back!
She who had never had intimate contact with any other guys, had some guy's erected dick on her back. It was so sick and it felt so wrong.
She felt so sexually violated and thus made up an excuse that she was sick and skipped the rest of the day's orientation activities.
That very night, she was that terrified and tramatised that she developed a high fever. She was sick for the rest of the week and skipped all her orientation.
She wanted to complain to the university. This was suppose to be orientation activities to help new students socialise and break the ice. But she felt she had enrolled in in some sort of hell camp for sex slaves.
But a female classmate told her to grow up and stop being a whiner. She was also accused of being uptight, childish and sensitive.
In the end, she did not take any actions but she developed this fear of the opposite sex. Especially if a guy is too physically close to her in proximity.
End of story.
Frankly, all these orientation activities are just an excuse for bullying by seniors on freshmen. Bullying disguised as initiation. What crap!
And who know who thought of all these sexually suggestive activities?
Horny male university undergrads! Just in case, you dun know, boys at this age are their most horny or rather most sexually curious peak. And they thought of all these almost sexual activities to fulfill their sick sexual fantasies.
And SDU endorses universities orientation activities. Well, no one complained! Until someone wrote in the the forum, triggering this expose.
If such lewd activities are so ice-breaking, how come SDU did not incorporate these into their social activities programs?
So are we developing these undergrads into sluts and players? Is this the way to go to promote having more babies?
When the time comes to say no and walk out, can you actually walk out? Even when there is extreme peer pressure, when people called you names like, wet blanket, uptight, sensitive, spoilsport, not sporting etc?
Many cannot.
----------------------------
The Sunday Times
31 Aug 2008
Orientation - just fun or plain lewd?
Students, academics, freshmen and others weigh in on the sexual slant
By Shuli Sudderuddin
When National University of Singapore (NUS) freshman Rachel Lee turned up at an orientation camp in campus last month, she got a rude shock.
During one of the games, she was made to do a forfeit where the 'girls had to lie down and the guys had to do push-ups over them', she said. Ms Lee, 19, declined to comply - she felt the act was lewd.
Another game she observed required participants to pass M&M chocolates to one another using their mouths.
'I left after the first day with five or six like-minded friends,' she said of the five-day camp organised by the NUS Students' Union.
'Lewd and improper' orientation activities were the subject of a letter by reader Soh Eng Phang, who wrote to the Straits Times Forum page recently complaining about this. In a phone interview elaborating on this, Ms Soh, who is in her 40s, said: 'They are totally uncalled for and give youth a very superficial idea about making friends and finding a partner.'
Orientation is held at the start of a school year in July and August to welcome freshmen. This year, the three universities here welcomed 14,700 freshmen.
Most camps are run by students and attendance at most activities is optional.
In the past, the trend was to subject freshmen to humiliating treatment such as having one's head dunked in a toilet bowl or having to do chores at their seniors' bidding.
Over the years, however, orientation has taken on a more sexual slant.
Unlike Ms Lee, however, many other freshmen accept such games as a time-honoured ritual and do not find them objectionable.
Ms Yvonne Ho, 19, a freshman at the NUS faculty of arts and social sciences, attended a camp run by Sheares Hall hostel earlier this month. Forfeits included touching the chests of males.
'I don't see a reason to get agitated. This is in fun and we laugh about it. There's nothing sexual,' she said.
Students from NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) said their orientation camps often included risque games and forfeits. At the Singapore Management University (SMU), students said games and forfeits were milder.
Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society, said the young today are more confident.
'They are bolder and some set up situations to break social barriers, especially since those between ages 18 and 21 are beginning to seek partners,' she noted.
Said Mr Sam Kuna, family therapist and executive director of volunteer welfare organisation Teen Challenge: 'Normal games and old-fashioned ragging just don't cut it anymore.'
But sexually-charged activities can backfire if they are too extreme, he said. 'At least 70 per cent of students are conservative and these games could make someone more inhibited.'
Universities said they put a firm foot down on any demeaning activities.
Associate Professor Low Aik Meng, dean of students at SMU, said: 'SMU does not feel that ragging will help our students achieve the objectives of building collegiality, team spirit and a sense of belonging.'
A spokesman for NTU said the university will take action against students who overstep the boundaries of decency.
Over at NUS, a spokesman said that if the university receives complaints, it will investigate and counsel or discipline students.
However, some students and organisers feel that activities involving physical contact are no big deal.
NTU Cultural Activities Club camp programmer Choi Wen Ting, 22, said: 'These games are only small elements and can boost the spirit of the camp. University students are sensible enough to speak up if they are uncomfortable.'
This sentiment is shared by Ms Nadya Huang, 20, who sits on the executive committee of the NUS Students' Arts and Social Sciences Club.
'It's just for fun and we're all adults. I've never seen people do anything against their will.'
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment