SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) is looking into an incident where its students allegedly took part in a game that involved stripping in the sea.
The incident, involving students from NUS' Kent Ridge Hall, is said to have taken place at Siloso beach on Sentosa on June 4, one day after the hall's orientation camp ended.
Students who were present told The Straits Times that the objective of the game was for teams to lay out the longest line of clothes on the beach. To do this, they waded into the water to take off their clothes.
A freshman, who declined to be named, said she felt uncomfortable and pressured to take off her shirt.
"At the start, some didn't seem comfortable to take off their clothes, especially the girls. We were told that if we didn't want to take off anything, we don't need to," she said.
"But because it's a game, people started getting competitive, and when your team is losing, you'll feel a bit of peer pressure to help the team win. The whole concept of the game didn't make sense to me."
She said that by the end of the game, that involved some 40 people, half of the male students were naked in the water. A handful of female students also took off their shirts, leaving them in their beachwear or underwear.
Others involved said at least one female student was topless.
In a statement to The Straits Times on Wednesday (June 20), an NUS spokesman said that the university took a "serious view of offensive and inappropriate behaviour" by any of its students.
It added: "The University does not condone any behaviour or activity that denigrates the dignity of individuals. We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the matter and strong disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible."
The university also noted that the activity took place during a private event.
Kent Ridge Hall's Camp Blue Blood that took place on campus from June 2 to 3 had no beach activity, and a resident fellow of the hall was always on site to oversee the students during the camp.
It said that initial checks with students involved indicated that the game was stopped when some students behaved inappropriately.
The hall's orientation camp involved around 96 incoming freshmen and 104 current residents of the hall, according to the camp's page on Sponslist, a platform linking organisers and sponsors. It was held in NUS. Those involved in the game met on Sentosa after the camp ended.
Not all those present thought the game was inappropriate, however.
A student who went for the outing but did not take part in the activity, said he did not think anything wrong of the game.
He said: "This beach activity was not part of the camp, it was the hall's own gathering. No one forced anyone to take off their clothes, it was completely on your own accord, so I didn't see anything wrong with it."
In terms of the law, criminal lawyer Rajan Supramaniam, managing director of Hilborne Law, warned that the game could have been seen as a criminal offence.
He said: "Even though it may just be in the sea, it is still considered as a public place. If any of the students did indeed remove all of their clothes, then it can be a criminal offence. But of course, someone needs to lodge a complaint for the police to take action. The police will assess the situation and take action on a case-by-case basis."
The incident comes amid increased scrutiny of university orientation activities.
In January last year, NUS introduced the Framework for Freshman Orientation to provide training in safety and respect for the well-being and privacy of other students. The framework is applicable 24 hours a day, so as to cover even the activities held outside the orientation camp's formal hours.
It also states that at least one safety officer from the camp's organising committee must be appointed, with the suggested ratio of one officer to 50 first-year students.
This comes after it was reported in 2016 that some orientation camps at NUS included re-enacting incestuous rape, and girls being humiliated into revealing whose bodily fluids they would like to drink.
After an investigation, NUS took action against 30 senior students - suspending some, making others do community service of up to 100 hours and slapping fines of up to $2,000
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...ource=Facebook&xtor=CS1-10#Echobox=1529508838
The incident, involving students from NUS' Kent Ridge Hall, is said to have taken place at Siloso beach on Sentosa on June 4, one day after the hall's orientation camp ended.
Students who were present told The Straits Times that the objective of the game was for teams to lay out the longest line of clothes on the beach. To do this, they waded into the water to take off their clothes.
A freshman, who declined to be named, said she felt uncomfortable and pressured to take off her shirt.
"At the start, some didn't seem comfortable to take off their clothes, especially the girls. We were told that if we didn't want to take off anything, we don't need to," she said.
"But because it's a game, people started getting competitive, and when your team is losing, you'll feel a bit of peer pressure to help the team win. The whole concept of the game didn't make sense to me."
She said that by the end of the game, that involved some 40 people, half of the male students were naked in the water. A handful of female students also took off their shirts, leaving them in their beachwear or underwear.
Others involved said at least one female student was topless.
In a statement to The Straits Times on Wednesday (June 20), an NUS spokesman said that the university took a "serious view of offensive and inappropriate behaviour" by any of its students.
It added: "The University does not condone any behaviour or activity that denigrates the dignity of individuals. We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the matter and strong disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible."
The university also noted that the activity took place during a private event.
Kent Ridge Hall's Camp Blue Blood that took place on campus from June 2 to 3 had no beach activity, and a resident fellow of the hall was always on site to oversee the students during the camp.
It said that initial checks with students involved indicated that the game was stopped when some students behaved inappropriately.
The hall's orientation camp involved around 96 incoming freshmen and 104 current residents of the hall, according to the camp's page on Sponslist, a platform linking organisers and sponsors. It was held in NUS. Those involved in the game met on Sentosa after the camp ended.
Not all those present thought the game was inappropriate, however.
A student who went for the outing but did not take part in the activity, said he did not think anything wrong of the game.
He said: "This beach activity was not part of the camp, it was the hall's own gathering. No one forced anyone to take off their clothes, it was completely on your own accord, so I didn't see anything wrong with it."
In terms of the law, criminal lawyer Rajan Supramaniam, managing director of Hilborne Law, warned that the game could have been seen as a criminal offence.
He said: "Even though it may just be in the sea, it is still considered as a public place. If any of the students did indeed remove all of their clothes, then it can be a criminal offence. But of course, someone needs to lodge a complaint for the police to take action. The police will assess the situation and take action on a case-by-case basis."
The incident comes amid increased scrutiny of university orientation activities.
In January last year, NUS introduced the Framework for Freshman Orientation to provide training in safety and respect for the well-being and privacy of other students. The framework is applicable 24 hours a day, so as to cover even the activities held outside the orientation camp's formal hours.
It also states that at least one safety officer from the camp's organising committee must be appointed, with the suggested ratio of one officer to 50 first-year students.
This comes after it was reported in 2016 that some orientation camps at NUS included re-enacting incestuous rape, and girls being humiliated into revealing whose bodily fluids they would like to drink.
After an investigation, NUS took action against 30 senior students - suspending some, making others do community service of up to 100 hours and slapping fines of up to $2,000
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...ource=Facebook&xtor=CS1-10#Echobox=1529508838
