Last Tuesday, Nov. 3, the editorial board of The Octant gathered and welcomed the following members into The Octant family. This publication is now as much theirs as it is ours. We are very pleased and proud to announce the following new staff writers of The Octant: Annie Wang ’19 Elaine Li ’19 Justin Ong […]
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Motivations for Yale-NUS Founding Discussed at Inaugural Symposium story Elaine Li, Contributing Reporter It was a convergence of interests between Yale University and the National University of Singapore (NUS) that led to the birth of Yale-NUS College, Yale President Emeritus Richard Levin and NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan explained. They were speaking at the Inaugural Symposium on […]
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Some concerned over use of spaces by NUS students story Vasudha Kataruka, Contributing Reporter After two years living in Residential College 4 (RC4) Yale-NUS College students finally have their own spaces in the new campus. But a recent space crunch at the library and other facilities has highlighted the ambiguity of whether students of the […]
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story Helena Auerswald, Contributing Reporter The pride, identity, and support were promised; the discomfort, frustration, and separation that came with it were not. Following two years of living in a combined residential space, Yale-NUS College students have now settled into their respective residential colleges (RCs) and are beginning to build unique communities. But to some, […]
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story Koh Wei Jie, Guest Columnist I will be voting for the first time in the upcoming Singapore General Elections on Sep. 11, but my best option may be to void my vote. After Nomination Day, I may find myself in the awkward position of having to choose between the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and […]
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Governing Board Interview Series story Regina Marie Lee, Managing Editor In an exclusive interview with The Octant, Governing Board member Roland Betts revealed that a fourth residential college will be built. At present, there are three residential colleges on campus—Saga, Elm and Cendana. In March, Mr. Betts shared his views on how to measure the success […]
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The school’s administration is undergoing a drastic change. Why has this come about? story Scott Currie reporting Yonatan Gazit Within the span of seven months, all four of Yale-NUS College’s deans announced their plans to leave the school. In comparison, few faculty have left. How Yale-NUS deals with these significant personnel changes will play an important part […]
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story Raeden Richardson and Kaushik Swaminathan Dear Class of 2019, There are upperclassmen who will graduate from Yale-NUS College with a degree but no education. Some have childishly avoided threatening ideas and have no mental resolve to encounter morally confronting situations. As you, the Class of 2019, begin life at this college you should not sit […]
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story Dave Chappell and Xie Yihao Since its inception, Yale-NUS College has been unable to compete in most inter-varsity sports tournaments. Students and athletes have often revisited the question: what are we playing for? Three years, eleven sports teams, and 524 students later, very little has changed. Many students have questioned their exclusion from inter-varsity tournaments […]
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story Lai Ying Tong For almost a month since moving in, Yale-NUS College students have had access to free printing in the library, free air-conditioning in dorms, and free washers and dryers in laundry rooms. The lack of payment systems for these utilities, caused by a delay in implementation, may have led to increased usage. […]
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story Spandana Bhattacharya After two years of the Common Curriculum, students of the Class of 2017 may have the ability to retroactively convert a letter grade, subject to faculty vote. The motion to allow students of Class of 2017 to retroactively convert any one letter grade to S/U for a Common Curriculum (CC) class taken in […]
Read moreAd Honorem: Do you think Latin makes everything sound fancier? If so, then this announcement is right up your alley. Specific faculty committees are actively discussing honors for the upcoming classes to address differences across majors. The policies on honors will be unveiled in early 2016, according to President Lewis. All we know for now […]
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story Regina Marie Lee After attending three food-tasting sessions with dining vendors competing to serve Yale-NUS College, Kwok Yingchen ’18 was not feeling optimistic. The student representative on the Dining Advisory Committee (DAC) had felt the food was either “pretty unhealthy” or of such high quality that it could not be sustained daily. Then they […]
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story Xie Yihao Despite delays, Yale-NUS College’s brand new Fitness Centre will open as soon as card access issues are resolved. Operating hours are daily from 6 am to midnight. It will feature equipment that is not found in the Stephen Riady Centre (SRC) gym, offering more opportunities for sports teams to practice, said Dean’s Fellow […]
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story Lai Ying Tong An environmentally conscious packing list, a mobile app, and a move-in flea market were just a few of the measures implemented in this year’s Orientation to improve the environmental sustainability of the two-week event. These measures were suggested by I’dECO, a Yale-NUS College student-organized sustainability movement, and implemented by the Orientation Committee […]
Read moreNew Beginnings: Volume IV of The Octant marks the beginning of the first school year with an actual campus … finally! Look out for the Margaritaria indica on campus, which is a tree … not a cocktail. Also, bask in the glory of the Dengue pool, uh we mean, the Eco Pond and try not […]
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column Adrian Stymne Welcome back to a fundamentally changed school! Our student body is now roughly 60% larger and our campus has multiplied in size. As the school grows, cohesion will become more difficult. The human need for smaller communities within a larger setting is something our school is very aware of, with DF groups and […]
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story Yonatan Gazit Yale-NUS College only started moving into its campus in May, five months behind the original schedule. This move-in occurred though parts of the campus remained under construction, such as Cendana Residential College, which was only completed three days before the move-in day for Class of 2019 in July. The delays in construction have […]
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