SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore Students' Union (NUSSU) plans to organise and carry out night patrols on campus to further improve safety measures and deter Peeping Toms.
They would be conducted during the freshmen orientation camp period that will start in June and end on the first week of August.
The move is in the light of four reported cases of voyeurism on university campuses in the past three weeks, following the much-talked-about Monica Baey-Nicholas Lim issue.
NUSSU president Benjamin Loo told The Straits Times on Tuesday evening (May 14): "After the recent spate of voyeurism cases and the NUS orientation camp debacle in 2016, there might be an increase in the possibility of sexual misconduct cases."
He added: "Naturally, what we student leaders need to do is ensure the safety of the students."
The union plans to deploy one man and one woman member of its executive committee (exco) to every multi-purpose room, residential college and residence hall where freshmen and orientation leaders will live during the orientation period.
With a campus security guard in tow, they will patrol the corridors and toilets at certain times in the night.
Before the students head to bed, the exco members will visit their rooms to ensure they are not engaged in unfavourable activities such as smoking, drinking or having two or more students in a single room.
"If we find students breaking the rules, we will report them to the NUS Office of Campus Security. The union is not in a position to take charge of disciplinary measures. We hope the student patrol will act as a deterrent to any unwanted behaviour," said Mr Loo.
He added: "Through this initiative, we are not saying the university's stepped-up security measures are inadequate. We are hoping to do this as an additional measure to ensure the safety of the students."
Between 5,000 and 6,000 freshmen are expected to take part in about 70 residential orientation camps, from hall camps to faculty camps. The camps will last up to four days.
The idea of a union-led patrol team was suggested by Mr Loo to the university's Office of Student Affairs on May 8.
On May 15, he and some union members will meet officials of the Office of Student Affairs and Office of Housing Services to further discuss and finalise the plan. The union needs the permission of both offices to do the night patrols, said Mr Loo.
NUS Dean of Students, Associate Professor Peter Pang, said the university welcomes the ground-up initiative and added: "We will work closely with NUSSU to finalise the details."
NUSSU also plans to have a 24-hour hotline for first-year undergraduates to call if they are in distress or need help.
When asked if the union patrol might draw backlash from freshmen and orientation leaders, Mr Loo said: " We need to communicate well with the student leaders and let them know the union is with them and not against them, for the safety of all students.
"We don't want the freshmen to think we have bad intentions or want to stop their camp."
Students enrolling in August welcomed the planned move.
Said 18-year-old Stephanie Cheng, who is doing arts and social science: "It's good as I know new students will be worried following the recent problems with voyeurism.
"But the patrolling may limit the activities in orientation camps as groups have to be more conservative."
Nanyang Technological University student Lim Shi Yin, 20, hopes her university would implement a similar plan.
"With the increase in manpower patrolling the school, more areas can be covered and greater awareness will be created about campus security among the students," said the first-year business undergraduate.
Some, however, feel the effectiveness of such measures is limited.
NUS student Lune Loh, 22, said: "Patrolling only acts as a deterrent. Educating students about consent would help to clamp down on this culture of misogyny, which is at the heart of the problem."
For NTU student Nandika Lodh, 20, campus patrol does not guarantee complete safety at the orientation camps.
The second-year biological sciences student said: "Extreme incidents can be prevented, but we still cannot stop traditional activities that may be slightly risque from happening."
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nus-students-union-plans-to-have-night-patrols-on-campus
They would be conducted during the freshmen orientation camp period that will start in June and end on the first week of August.
The move is in the light of four reported cases of voyeurism on university campuses in the past three weeks, following the much-talked-about Monica Baey-Nicholas Lim issue.
NUSSU president Benjamin Loo told The Straits Times on Tuesday evening (May 14): "After the recent spate of voyeurism cases and the NUS orientation camp debacle in 2016, there might be an increase in the possibility of sexual misconduct cases."
He added: "Naturally, what we student leaders need to do is ensure the safety of the students."
The union plans to deploy one man and one woman member of its executive committee (exco) to every multi-purpose room, residential college and residence hall where freshmen and orientation leaders will live during the orientation period.
With a campus security guard in tow, they will patrol the corridors and toilets at certain times in the night.
Before the students head to bed, the exco members will visit their rooms to ensure they are not engaged in unfavourable activities such as smoking, drinking or having two or more students in a single room.
"If we find students breaking the rules, we will report them to the NUS Office of Campus Security. The union is not in a position to take charge of disciplinary measures. We hope the student patrol will act as a deterrent to any unwanted behaviour," said Mr Loo.
He added: "Through this initiative, we are not saying the university's stepped-up security measures are inadequate. We are hoping to do this as an additional measure to ensure the safety of the students."
Between 5,000 and 6,000 freshmen are expected to take part in about 70 residential orientation camps, from hall camps to faculty camps. The camps will last up to four days.
The idea of a union-led patrol team was suggested by Mr Loo to the university's Office of Student Affairs on May 8.
On May 15, he and some union members will meet officials of the Office of Student Affairs and Office of Housing Services to further discuss and finalise the plan. The union needs the permission of both offices to do the night patrols, said Mr Loo.
NUS Dean of Students, Associate Professor Peter Pang, said the university welcomes the ground-up initiative and added: "We will work closely with NUSSU to finalise the details."
NUSSU also plans to have a 24-hour hotline for first-year undergraduates to call if they are in distress or need help.
When asked if the union patrol might draw backlash from freshmen and orientation leaders, Mr Loo said: " We need to communicate well with the student leaders and let them know the union is with them and not against them, for the safety of all students.
"We don't want the freshmen to think we have bad intentions or want to stop their camp."
Students enrolling in August welcomed the planned move.
Said 18-year-old Stephanie Cheng, who is doing arts and social science: "It's good as I know new students will be worried following the recent problems with voyeurism.
"But the patrolling may limit the activities in orientation camps as groups have to be more conservative."
Nanyang Technological University student Lim Shi Yin, 20, hopes her university would implement a similar plan.
"With the increase in manpower patrolling the school, more areas can be covered and greater awareness will be created about campus security among the students," said the first-year business undergraduate.
Some, however, feel the effectiveness of such measures is limited.
NUS student Lune Loh, 22, said: "Patrolling only acts as a deterrent. Educating students about consent would help to clamp down on this culture of misogyny, which is at the heart of the problem."
For NTU student Nandika Lodh, 20, campus patrol does not guarantee complete safety at the orientation camps.
The second-year biological sciences student said: "Extreme incidents can be prevented, but we still cannot stop traditional activities that may be slightly risque from happening."
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nus-students-union-plans-to-have-night-patrols-on-campus
