In a circular issued on Friday (16 Aug), the National University of Singapore (NUS) announced additional measures to tackle campus overcrowding stemming from an influx of tourists.
Over the past week, there have been several complaints of overcrowded situations on the school campus.
Students claimed they were unable to secure tables at food courts, get to class on time using campus buses, and study peacefully in the libraries.
In an earlier email sent on 14 Aug, the university noted that NUS is a public university “occupying an open, porous and inclusive campus”.
That said, there would be measures to alleviate disruption from visitors.
NUS said the Pop-up Visitor Centre initiative — a two-month programme running from 5 August to 30 September 2024 — will play a key role.
Source: Xiaohongshu
A group of 40 students, trained as NUS Student Ambassadors, will lead guided tours around University Town (UTown) in routes to reduce disruption to students.
Additionally, these NUS Student Ambassadors will also be approaching smaller groups or independent tours to educate them on visitor guidelines and etiquette.
Source: Xiaohongshu
Furthermore, these students will also seek information about these independent tours from guides in order to help NUS evaluate additional measures.
In the past two weeks, the student ambassadors have guided over 25 tour groups and around 500 tourists, according to the email.
On 16 Aug, NUS highlighted additional measures in another circular.
Based on surveillance and feedback from students, the university will station security at bus stops and food courts to restrict entry at peak hours.
Source: Xiaohongshu
From 19 to 30 August on weekdays, security will allow only NUS students, staff, and authorised visitors to:
NUS asked students and staff to be prepared to show their pass to security.
These additional measures came after a statement released by the NUS Student Union (NUSSU) regarding the tourist issue.
In the statement, the union stated that the influx of tourists “has significantly disrupted student life and well-being”.
It noted that complaints from the student body started around mid-January and resurfaced in July.
To further address the “discontent” of the student population, NUSSU is calling for a town hall with relevant offices of the university.
These include the Provost Office, University of Campus Infrastructure, NUS Campus Tours, NUS Libraries, as well as concerned students.
The union’s statement also put forth several suggestions such as gating all NUS Libraries and controlling access to dining areas and buses during peak hours.
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Featured image adapted from NUS and Xiaohongshu.
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