Sexual Indecency In Local Singapore University Orientation Camps: How Much Is Too Much?
Nicholas Chew
June 28, 2016
University Freshmen Orientation Camps (FOC) are quite unique to Singapore, where every June – early August of each year you would see incoming freshmen and their Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs) running around campus in shirts, shorts and slippers.
But beyond creating a school culture unique to each host faculty or course, FOCs have always been the subject of controversies regarding the moralistically dubious interactions.
I refer to the controversy between camp participants of the opposite genders and the activities they are required to perform.
I have been involved in FOC’s for three years in a row now, both as a freshie as well as a senior.
In year 1, I witnessed how a a fellow male freshie grew increasingly uncomfortable with the sexual nature of the games. Upon bravely voicing out his discomfort, he was told to suck it up and he promptly packed up his bags and left camp in response.
Common activities include having the guy do push-ups over a girl, having guys and girls pass MnM’s to each other with their mouths, or licking whipped cream off each other’s bare skin.
The issue of sexual indecency in Singapore’s university orientation camps has been under constant public scrutiny from as early as 2008, with the a more extreme cases making it to the news. This highlights the existence of risque activities that refuse to die out over the years.
The Problem
A large majority of the FOC participants enjoy these activities and feel that camp would not be the same without games that flirt with sexual tension. These are the eventual student leaders for subsequent camps, creating a tradition of sexually charged activities.
There is no question here whether the camp activities are too raunchy or not. They are. To many, they are gross, invasive, and not that necessary in order to have a good time.
Nicholas Chew
June 28, 2016
University Freshmen Orientation Camps (FOC) are quite unique to Singapore, where every June – early August of each year you would see incoming freshmen and their Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs) running around campus in shirts, shorts and slippers.
But beyond creating a school culture unique to each host faculty or course, FOCs have always been the subject of controversies regarding the moralistically dubious interactions.
I refer to the controversy between camp participants of the opposite genders and the activities they are required to perform.
I have been involved in FOC’s for three years in a row now, both as a freshie as well as a senior.
In year 1, I witnessed how a a fellow male freshie grew increasingly uncomfortable with the sexual nature of the games. Upon bravely voicing out his discomfort, he was told to suck it up and he promptly packed up his bags and left camp in response.
Common activities include having the guy do push-ups over a girl, having guys and girls pass MnM’s to each other with their mouths, or licking whipped cream off each other’s bare skin.
The issue of sexual indecency in Singapore’s university orientation camps has been under constant public scrutiny from as early as 2008, with the a more extreme cases making it to the news. This highlights the existence of risque activities that refuse to die out over the years.
The Problem
A large majority of the FOC participants enjoy these activities and feel that camp would not be the same without games that flirt with sexual tension. These are the eventual student leaders for subsequent camps, creating a tradition of sexually charged activities.
There is no question here whether the camp activities are too raunchy or not. They are. To many, they are gross, invasive, and not that necessary in order to have a good time.
