by Le Khuc Hoang Uyen, Undergraduate, CNM | 11 September 2020
Guest Students @ NUS was no simple project. When it was announced that Prince George’s Park Residences (PGPR) would be converted to a Community Recovery Facility (CRF) in May as part of the national effort to combat COVID-19, the NUS community held our breath in expectations of what could possibly happen to our campus.
Yet, as the plan progressed, although the CRF was operated by NUS Office of Housing Services and a partner managing agent appointed by the Government, our student community, led by Dr Tan Lai Yong and Vice Dean of Students A/P Ho Han Kiat, did not hesitate for a moment and quickly jumped in to make the stay of patients as comfortable as possible.
CRFs are meant for patients who remain well at the end of their 14th day of illness and who do not require further medical care. Far from being just a facility, the place became a site of extended hospitality and for these patients a on-campus NUS experience.
“We hope to provide our ‘guest students’ – the patients – with the NUS brand of hospitality at this CRF,” said Mr Koh Yan Leng, Associate Vice President (Campus Life).
“While the primary function of the CRF is to prepare them for their last mile on their journey to full recovery, we would like to ensure that their stay experience is great and also inject some fun and spirit of what NUS is all about as an Institute of Higher Learning,” Mr Koh added.
As the operations wrapped up on 5 July 2020, the final cohort of 31 guest students were sent off. Of course, memories remained, for both the guest students and our very own NUS members who have contributed enthusiastically under which student organisations came together, contributed their own talents, knowledge and skills to inform, educate and entertain our guests.
Student-volunteers from 11 groups led a total of 37 online programmes in e-lessons, contests, entertainment as well as exercise workouts.
We talked to some of our student-volunteers who teamed up with us in the Guest Students @ NUS project.
Acknowledgement:
- College of Alice & Peter Tan
- Eusoff Hall
- King Edward VII Hall
- Kent Ridge Hall
- NUS Indian Cultural Society
- NUS Students’ Community Service Club Project WAO
- NUS Tamil Language Society
- Seeds of Good Programme (SOGP)
- TeamNUS
- Temasek Hall
- Tembusu College
