CNYSP Freshmen Orientation Programme: Terra Nova

25 Jul, 2022 | Events, Feature

WRITTEN BY GOH KAIXUAN

EDITED BY CLARISSA JOANNA LIM

Four spaceships dock onto the mysterious planet, Astracus. They’ve each travelled lightyears to get here, on the grounds of exploration. These tribes all have a common goal – to survive and prosper in the newfound lands. Each tribe will have to explore different areas of the planet in hopes of collecting sufficient resources to build their civilisations, using their special abilities to overcome challenges they might face.

Are the other civilisations friends or foes? Will they remain peaceful or will war ensue? Which of the tribes will emerge the strongest, and claim Astracus as their own?

CNYSP’s Freshmen Orientation Programme (FOP) is the first event that the newly joined batch of CN Yang Scholars will join us. For the first time in 2 years, FOP 2022 will be held with few COVID-19 restrictions since COVID-19 Safe Management Measures have been lifted, allowing for a physical orientation just like the good old days. The 46-odd batch of Year 1s will soon meet their seniors, all of whom have not had a physical orientation in university either.

Day 1

The Y1s and the seniors all arrived buzzing with excitement.

As a start to the day, on behalf of the CN Yang Scholars Club (CNYSC) 15th Management Committee (15MC) Top 4, Goh Kaixuan (President) and Clarissa Joanna Lim (Vice-President) introduced the Peer Mentoring Programme (PMP) 2022. Members of the CNYSP community know that the PMP is an academic support system organised every year. Instructors are gathered to provide additional guidance for the CN Yang Y1 modules, and mentors from each major will guide the incoming Y1s on academic matters such as the courseload and academic rigour. At the end of the sharing session, each group (they are grouped according to their major) was given their own time with the respective Peer Mentors.

Thereafter, everyone was broken off into their various Orientation Groups (OGs) to begin their icebreakers, where the Group Leaders (GLs) and Seniors Attached (SAs) got to know their OG members through games like Guess Who?, Whacko and Never Have I Ever.

“Never have I ever… attended a physical orientation as a freshie!” ~ Year 2 Seniors

The OGs were then given the opportunity to design their very own flags in Symbols of Power, where they embellished their own tribe’s crests and build their group identity. Look at the masterpiece by Avari!

Flag design by Avari

Now, I present to you the 4 tribes (or OGs). 

Avari

Known for their resourcefulness and superior intellect, the Avaris harness their magic to engage in agricultural ventures. A peaceful race they are, until times of war, when their rye and wheat would turn into spears of gold, piercing through the toughest of armies. Do not be deceived by their pleasant demeanour, for it will be your downfall. Avari has mastery over the resource, Wheat. 

Kelgras

Primitive and unexposed to other civilisations. They lived on a planet where there was only a   dense tree canopy dominating the entire planet. Equipped with the ability to craft, climb, and chop, the  Kelgrai are as lethal as they are useful. They will take over the planet through skill or brute force. Be their friend, and you shall live. Be their foe, and you will grieve. Kelgras has purview over the resource, Wood. 

Leviathan

A symbol of power and creation. Thriving in water bodies, they are rarely seen by any and only make an appearance by lifting themselves from the sacred waters. To enhance their dominance, these solitary individuals have come together to form a stronger entity. Shielded by their sharp scales and strong bodies, the Leviathans are now out to conquer the new planet. Leviathan has power over the resource, Water. 

Theron

Known to be strong, destructive and savage. Having thrived on a planet that had only minerals, they will triumph on a planet where resources are ubiquitous. With the ability to build an entire empire from close to nothing, the Therons are ready to conquer and dominate the planet. They will return tougher, so clear the path, or you will be crushed. Theron has domination over the resource, Mineral. 

With that, all 4 tribes were ready to start their conquest of Astracus. After a lunch break, that is.

After lunch, the 4 tribes worked hard to gain their own resources in the Mini Games. 

They passed messages down along a human chain in Lost in Translation.  

“I thought a thought, but the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought; if the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have the thought I thought.”

They even guessed the most common answers to questions like “Name some animals that you can encounter in NTU” in Space Crew Feud. Some of the answers might surprise you… 

Subsequently, in Building Prototypes, the tribes built miniature towers to withstand ping pong balls. Could this be in preparation for something to come?

Tower built by Kelgras in Building Prototypes

In the pre-Station Games briefing, all tribe members were introduced to the map of Astracus and the Telegram bot designed to keep track of it all. The AstracusBot was designed by our very own scholars, Junius and Ho Chi, for the implementation of the game mechanics of Settlers of Catan for this orientation! 

Map of Astracus designed by the Publicity Subcommittee

During the Station Games, the tribes were pitted against one another and stood a chance to earn other resources other than their own. With the multitude of resources, they purchased roads, houses, and villages to expand their own tribe on the vast map of Astracus itself. 

In Cave Escapades, the tribes found themselves stuck in an escape room where they must solve a series of puzzles to free themselves. Mind-boggling puzzles saw the tribes splitting up in halves to tackle them. Will they find the treasure and escape before the 35-minute time limit is up?

Leviathan working their hardest to solve the puzzles in Cave Escapades

As they traversed Astracus, they stumbled across numerous explosives in Landmine and had to make their way out safely. 

Coming face-to-face for the very first time, the sub-tribes competed in Trivia to demonstrate and gain knowledge of the planet that they had just landed on. Some of the face-offs got…really heated.

Day 2

With the civilisations growing, they will need more resources to build new cities and villages. 

Now that they knew of each other’s existences and crossed paths, the tribes regrouped and strategised. They continued to gain resources in their Mini Games. 

They worked on their teamwork in Don’t Forget the Lyrics Space Rover Karaoke and Have You Lost Your Marbles?…

Avari playing Have You Lost Your Marbles?

…and guessing prices in The Price Is Right Creating Currencies. Did you know that the Hive costs $45 million to build?

Gaining more of their resources, the tribes were confident in traversing the rest of Astracus to discover its resources in Exploration of the Mysterious Planet. In their expedition, they will come to understand the inner workings of the planet. 

In Yunnan Garden, tribes were in a race against time, finding clues to solve the key into a huge keyboard in QWERTY.

Built in the 1950s, Yunnan garden has been recently renovated and is now a 9-hectare heritage precinct. There is also a Chinese Heritage Centre, and 1,000 new trees of over 80 different species, making this garden a nature enthusiast’s wonderland!

Theron playing QWERTY

Cushion the Fall saw tribes creating prototype parachutes out of newspaper to expand their aviary.

Back in Survival of the Fittest, the tribes had to undergo an Olympian circuit in a test of their strength and teamwork. 

Theron completing the circuit in Survival of the Fittest

Don’t Trigger the Traps, held in the PSP Lounge, had the tribes avoiding red “lasers” to achieve their final goal.

PSP Lounge is a place for NTU’s PSP scholars to relax. There are four Premier Scholars Programmes in NTU: University Scholars Programme (NTU-USP), Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP), CN Yang Scholars Programme (CNYSP), and NTU-NIE Teaching Scholars Programme (TSP). Upon tapping your matric card, the password to the lounge is your birthday, in DD-MM-YY format.

Leviathan challenging Don’t Trigger the Traps

Day 3

War is coming and the tribes spent a last-minute effort in the Mini Games to earn more resources. Held in CresPion Function Hall, tribes partook in Warming Up for War where they practised moves as an OG. Look at Avari go! 

Avari practising moves in Warming Up for War

In Existential Crisis, they had to guess the characters they were given, ranging from Historical Figures to Animals.

Kelgras guessing the identity of their members in Existential Crisis

Tribes also tested their group-thinking abilities during Telepathy. It seems that they do not share a hive mind after all… 

In Research Rush, the tribes formed different shapes blindfolded. 

Leviathan forming shapes blindfolded in Research Rush

To transport items in Starting a Logistics Chain, members had to pass items using only a specified body part such as the elbows, knees or feet.

The time has come for an all-out competition war in the Mass Games. The stakes have been raised, with each fight requiring collateral of houses or villages to be placed. 

I hope you are not afraid of balloons because, in Step Up or Step Out!, members have to pop the other tribes’ balloons by stepping on them. There were true moments of chaos and desperation to pop the other tribe’s balloons as they did not want to lose their house.

Theron (silver) vs Avari (yellow) in Step Up or Step Out!

Battleship! was a battle involving trust where members had to shoot volleys of newspaper balls while back facing the opponents. Many shots were taken.

Leviathan protecting themselves from shots in Battleship!

Bomb Foosball. GOAL!! 

Kelgras vs Theron in Bomb Foosball

The final showdown is in Last One Standing, where members scour CresPion to find Gachapon Balls scattered. Some may hold the key to world dominance. 

A group of supernatural god-like beings appear, scattering the 4 civilisations into their various sub OGs. “We’re the native inhabitants of Astracus and we have a test. Come out the strongest, and we will eliminate the other civilisations.”

Members will have nametags on their backs and will be eliminated if they are captured on camera with their nametags. 

At the same time, it seems that a super-secret powerup was present and brewing in Seminar Room 1, what will they find there? 

KOI bubble tea sponsored by CNYSC

It’s bubble tea from KOI! CN Yang truly is welfare. 

Prize Presentation

We have come to the end of the orientation, could you guess who won? 

Its Avari! Their quick intellect in buying all the power-up cards have led them to victory! 

One of Avari’s submitted photos for Bingo and the Photo Hunt

The other 3 tribes are not too bad themselves, all scoring the same points. Guess they were more alike than they thought. 

One of Kelgras’ submitted photos for Bingo and the Photo Hunt

One of Leviathan’s submitted photos for Bingo and the Photo Hunt

One of Theron’s submitted photos for Bingo and the Photo Hunt

Tying the event off, we had Inspire. Members would get an A4 paper pasted on their backs and could go around writing words of encouragement and thanks for the past 3 days of FOP, tying the day up on a sweet note. 

Finally, we had the annual photo-taking, to welcome the freshmen into our community. 😊

Final phototaking after the event

Afterword

FOP 2022 could not have been possible without the amazing work of the seniors involved. Despite not having any physical orientation during their freshmen years, the seniors come together and put an insane amount of effort into the planning and execution. Here’s to the GLs and SAs who gave it their all and made the freshmen feel at home, to the Welgies who moved the logs and ensured the games were smooth flowing, the Proggies who game-mastered and coordinated the games, the Publicity members who provided media support and the Safety team who made sure everyone was safe. 

CNYSP Physical Convocation Dinner: Encore

17 Jul, 2022 | Events, Feature

BY KOH SHAO MING

In keeping with the theme, the announcement that this physical Convocation Dinner was going to happen came as a literal Encore to our virtual ones. Even though most CNYSP events were muted in our senior years, the planning committee managed to pull together one last hurrah to send us off in true CNYSP fashion.

Velouté of Roasted Carrot and Coconut

Earl Grey Raspberry Mousse with Crumble, Vanilla Cream Sauce

The food was head and shoulders above the usual catering we got for previous CNYSP events, truly befitting the amazing setting atop Mount Faber hill. There was chatter and laughter as we caught up with each other’s lives, and a mad rush for the photo booth that kept them busy till closure.

Batch of 2021

Batch of 2020

In addition to the good food and better company, there were also exciting games with prizes to be won, which provided great entertainment while we had our meals. We got to reminisce on iconic moments on our academic journey, such as Dr Ho’s Physics lectures, in ‘Writing the Script’, and challenged other tables in a virtual recreation of Squid Game.

The highlight of the evening was the performance by our fellow participants Reuben and Jing Xuan, who performed ‘温柔 (Tenderness)’ by 五月天 (Mayday) and Stephanie Sun, and ‘Rewrite the Stars’ by Zac Efron and Zendaya.

Perfomance by Reuben (left) and Jing Xuan (right)

We are grateful that Professor Fan Hongjin, Director of CNYSP, and Professor Tan Choon Hong, former Director of CNYSP, agreed to grace our event, with a motivational speech to inspire us on our journeys beyond NTU. It was also great to see very-much beloved CNYSP Office Staff, who had supported us throughout our time in NTU.

From top to bottom: Prof Tan, Prof Fan, Minee, Jean, Royston

Our time together ended with one last group photo together, as our final curtain call on our time as CN Yang Scholars. Though CNYSP pushed us to our academic limits, and the pandemic soured our overseas opportunities towards the end of our tenure in NTU, it also gave us this opportunity to be a part of this amazing community of like-minded individuals. I hope that my fellow participants enjoyed the night as much as I did, as one last Encore before we move on with our lives.

May we all meet again sometime in future.