Fostering friendships between the Yale-NUS and NUS College communities

EcoPlanet’s Declutter Drive pop-up booth at the UTown Plaza. Image by Alan Seah for Yale-NUS College.

Yale-NUS College students have always been active in organising events and activities which showcase the vibrancy of talents on campus while creating opportunities to engage with the wider community at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and beyond.

NUS College, Singapore’s first honours college which seeks to combine the best features of Yale-NUS and the University Scholars Programme (USP), began operations at the start of Academic Year 2022/2023. Since then, students from Yale-NUS and NUS College have come together to organise a wide variety of ground-up activities to bring both student bodies closer, while also celebrating the distinct cultures of the two communities.

The Yale-NUS Student Government organised a Community Circle for Yale-NUS and NUS College students on 13 Feburary. The event aimed to create an informal safe space where participants could identify common ground and collaboratively brainstorm to generate new ideas which could benefit both communities.

Among the participants was Thaddeus Ang (NUS College, Class of 2026), a new deferred matriculant who was initially admitted to Yale-NUS College, but became a member of NUS College after his mandatory National Service. This unique position of being in-between two student communities motivated him to participate in the event to better understand each other’s concerns.

During his first year in NUS College, Thaddeus observed some difficulties integrating the two communities. “Members of both communities rarely get chances to formally interact with one another, even though we take the same lift every day.”

After participating in the event, Thaddeus believed that the dialogue was a vital first step towards more effective communication and integration. “There were a lot of interesting proposals, such as shared floors and sky-garden neighbourhoods mixing Yale-NUS and NUS College students to facilitate greater organic interaction,” said Thaddeus.

“[The event] has got the ball rolling, but to keep it rolling we need to develop proper channels of interaction beyond a one-off interaction. Increasing interaction between the two colleges is something very important to us [new NUS College students].”

As the body of elected student representatives on campus, the Yale-NUS Student Government serves as the main channel for student advocacy and liaison with the school administration, and has been playing a pivotal role in building these bridges (link to article: https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/story/9th-yale-nus-student-government-restructures-to-represent-diverse-student-interests/). In addition, student organisations have also been a key cornerstone in sustaining various collaborations, bringing students together through shared interests and causes.

Two of these organisations are the Society of Yale-NUS College Dancers (sYNCd) and the University Scholars Programme’s dance group VIBE!. The two student groups enjoy a close working relationship dating back to their first joint video production in 2021. This collaboration has continued with sYNCd’s combined showcase featuring both Yale-NUS and NUS College dancers.

Dancers from sYNCd practising for their joint showcase. Image provided by Jeremy Xiao.

Members of sYNCd described the importance of shared experiences and bonds fostered through the dance groups’ combined practices. Jarel Ang (Class of 2024) shared, “I think it’s quite important because Yale-NUS and NUS College students would not have the chance to interact in an academic setting, so it’s all the more important for all these extra-curricular activities to have a good diversity [of students from both colleges] so that we are able to use these spaces to interact.”

Kai Xuan Tan (Class of 2025), current President of sYNCd, explained how these interactions helped develop deeper friendships. Kai Xuan explained that for Yale-NUS students, interaction with NUS College students through the medium of dance puts names and faces to an otherwise homogenous entity. “[We] get to know [NUS College students] as people rather than NUS College as an entity. [Eventually, we] don’t just see two separate communities, Yale-NUS and NUS College, but rather as people who you meet twice a week and know personally.”

Such collaborations are also vital in preserving the unique qualities of these student organisations, continuing their legacy for future batches. For Koe Chua (Class of 2024), preserving sYNCd’s distinct culture is key.

“What we have in sYNCd is very special, you don’t know it until you experience it for yourself. sYNCd feels like a safe and comforting space, something I can’t find easily elsewhere. These joint productions and trainings are really important in allowing NUS College first-years to be able to experience what is so special about the club, and hopefully take it forward for future batches.”

Finally, students motivated by shared causes have also come together to form new organisations. EcoPlanet, a student group which advocates for environmental sustainability, is a new umbrella organisation combining the names of both colleges’ environmental groups: Yale-NUS’ idECO and NUS College’s USPlanet.

Over the past two semesters, EcoPlanet has already organised several initiatives across both communities including recycling drives and awareness events. Their most recent event was the Declutter Drive, where EcoPlanet members organised a collection of pre-owned clothing from the student bodies for a clothes swap event.

“[Declutter Drive] is our first official big event collaborating between Yale-NUS and NUS College,” shared Emi Loh (NUS College, Class of 2025). “It’s been very nice working with the Yale-NUS team. Everybody is interested to do something for sustainability as a common cause. Regardless of which college you’re from, it opens up more opportunities for students from both sides to get involved and collaborate.”

“Slowly, we’ve learnt that there are quite a lot of similarities between the two colleges, and that there are opportunities to collaborate,” said Emi. “Hopefully in the next two or three years, we can work together on more events, and through these opportunities get to know each other’s communities better. It’s definitely something to look forward to.”

Looking ahead, these avenues of collaboration and interaction will continue to build bridges and a new shared legacy between both communities, preserving the College’s unique values and culture for future students.