Alumni.

Did I ever mention before that I’m helping out with the NUS-HK Alumni in organizing something? Maybe I didn’t, but here goes. I am actually helping to organize this first Happy Hour for the NUS Alumni here in Hong Kong, and because it’s the first (or many many) time that we are organizing such an activity, I really would hope that people would turn up. So if you happen to be in Hong Kong around that period, do drop by!

Date: 10 January 2008 (Thursday)
Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Visit this page for more information. And if you are coming in, give me a call or drop me an email so that I can furnish you with more information!

Then perhaps now you may ask, why am I so keen in doing things for the alumni, and to a wider extent, to NUS, especially so when they screwed my last semester up for me and forced me to graduate with a Second Lower Honours? Well, I did moan about getting the second lower, and possibly moaning about never to want to have anything to do with NUS. But let’s face it, it’s a place that I spent 4 and a half precious years of my life in, and it is really difficult to detach myself from the place. Sure it wasn’t the best university to be in, but it was a place in which I feel I’ve grown and matured from. I find it only right to be proud of being from NUS, and I think there’s nothing wrong for me to be helping out in whatever way I could.

As I was trying to find some information about other overseas chapters of the NUS Alumni, I came across this old blog entry by Aaron Ng (renonwed for bashing NUS and the Student Union, apparently). In this blog Mr. Ng was blaming the lack of student involvement in University governance as the cause of NUS alumni not wanting to donate back to their alma mater. Given the numerous previously high-volume but mostly-inaccurate comments by him, I know I probably shouldn’t take him that seriously. But this is one post that I wasn’t impressed with. What makes Mr. Ng think that by having more “voice” in the university would make alumni wanting to donate back to the university? I wasn’t born when the “students in the 70s and 80s have more voice in the university” so I can’t prove to the accuracy of that, but would it really be because of the fact that the younger alumni are still having many financial concerns, that’s why they aren’t donating? Sure, some people may say that it doesn’t matter how much you donate to the University, it’s the thoughts that count. But for a graduate who is earning $2000 a month, trying to repay the tuition fee loan, and possibly having some other financial concerns here and there, donating money (to anyone really) is probably not on the high priority list.

What I’m appalled by the comments from Mr. Ng is that he’s using “little involvement in university governance” as a reason to think that graduates are not donating to NUS. And from what I’ve gathered from my time studying and working in universities, most often it’s the more senior graduates that have more special attachments to the university. The more recent ones probably aren’t that interested yet, especially in that 4 or 5 years after they graduate. But after a longer while in the working line, they will begin to remember more fondly of their times in university, and that’s when they will get more involved. I could be wrong here too, but I really don’t think involvement in university governance has anything to do with graduates not wanting to give back to the University.

Furthermore, from what I’ve been getting (or rather, not getting), I can see that the Alumni Relations Office is trying very hard to get in touch with the alumni, but to be honest, a newsletter every now and then is not exactly what you’d expect from the university. A lot of universities, especially those in the States, maintain highly regular contacts with their alumni through gatherings and newsletters. In my opinion, NUS is not doing enough yet to touch the alumni. I believe if more effort (and in particular, personal effort) is made, I see no reason why NUS graduates won’t want to give back to their alma mater.

Actually, if you ask me whether I love NUS or not, I probably will say “not to the extent that I’d devote my life to it”, but I’m grateful for the experience that I had in there. And I’m a believer that we should always be grateful for what is being provided unto us. Sure, every once in a while me and my friends will have a laugh about some of the things about NUS, complaining about the problems that we went through while we were there. But I would still gladly and proudly proclaim that I’m part of NUS, and it didn’t matter how much “voice” I actually had in the university governance.

So yup, if you are in Hong Kong around 10 January, join us for the Happy Hour! (Yup, that includes Mr. Ng too)