To mark the year of the Dog with a spectacular line-up of Chinese New Year (CNY) performances, UTAR’s Division of Community and International Networking (DCInternet) organised a CNY gathering for a group of inbound exchange students as well as UTAR international students on 3 February 2018 at Kampar Campus. The event was supported by UTAR’s Department of Student Affairs (DSA), Department of International Student Services (DISS) and Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC).
All wishing a happy Chinese New Year
The one-day CNY gathering was an annual affair for Kampar Campus and it was attended by more than 100 visitors, including exchange students from Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) of Japan, Jiangsu Normal University of China, Inje University of Korea, Oriental Institute of Technology of Taiwan and National Quemoy University of Taiwan along with other international and local students.
From left: Dr Sha and Prof Choong marking the start of the gathering
An energetic lion dance performance by UTAR Wushu Club
The CNY gathering saw the innovative integration of Chinese cultural elements into the setting of the event. Marking the start of the event was an energetic lion dance performance, followed by exhilarating dance and vocal performances by Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese students.
Present at the event were UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, Dean of School of Chinese Language and Literature of Jiangsu Normal University Dr Sha XianYi, Director of DCInternet Prof Dr Cheng Ming Yu, Deputy Director of DCInternet Dr Chen I Chi, UTAR staff and students.
From left: Prof Cheng, Prof Choong, Dr Sha and Dr Chen at the gathering
During the opening ceremony, Prof Choong lauded the organising committee’s effort for making the gathering a success. He added, “This is indeed a great platform for exchange and international students to learn different cultures and traditions of Malaysia. I hope this gathering will spread positive vibrations among the students and I wish everyone best of luck and a happy Chinese New Year.”
Exciting performances and games held for exchange students
Apart from the intriguing performances, the students also took part in the auspicious “Prosperity Toast” or commonly known as Low Yee Sang in Chinese. With the aim to foster togetherness and expose the exchange students to Chinese traditions and customs, the organising committee also structured a series of interactive games and a treasure hunt activity related to Chinese cultures and traditions.
Prior to the CNY gathering, DCInternet had organised a special orientation programme for the inbound exchange students from three universities, namely AGU, Inje University and Kookmin University on 12 January 2018 at its Kampar Campus.
The new batch of exchange students
Present at the special orientation programme were Prof Choong, AGU Prof Sayaka Hashimoto, AGU Study Abroad Assistant Mika Miyake, UTAR staff and students.
Prof Choong welcoming the exchange students
The one-day special orientation programme was designed to help the exchange students settle in and get to know each other, the University and the city of Kampar. It was organised jointly by DCInternet in collaboration with the University’s administrative offices. The orientation programme gave valuable information on studying and living in UTAR Kampar Campus.
Students touring the campus
Students were introduced to UTAR’s services and study-related practices such as exam rules, UTAR online platforms for students and safety matter. In addition to that, the students were also briefed by different departments, namely DSA, DISS, Library, DSSC, Software Development and Multimedia Services Centre and the respective Faculty of General Offices.
During the orientation programme, Prof Choong in his speech said, “I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our partner university AGU, for their support and collaboration. The student exchange programme is surely more exciting when we have our partnering universities participating, as well as the participation from other respected universities. To date, UTAR has partnered with more than 160 institutions, both local and foreign combined, and various activities have been conducted with them.”
He added, “Under our collaboration with AGU, UTAR has sent three students in September 2015 and September 2016 respectively for the exchange programme. Last year, UTAR welcomed 58 AGU students, which saw them not only enjoying the classroom lessons prepared, but also to be able to visit the Gaharu Tea Valley and the Kampar Tin Mining Museum during their leisure time. I hope this year’s exchange students will have the same quality learning experience.”
He advised, “As you learn new things around you, take the opportunity to broaden your horizon and experience life in another country. As you communicate with your fellow peers and learn about the new diverse cultures of Malaysia, you will not only learn new languages, but you will also be able to improve and expand your language skills. At the same time, the new environment will also encourage the exchange of ideas, opinions and knowledge from people of different backgrounds.”
The UTAR Student Exchange Programme can be divided into two areas, namely Inbound Student Exchange Programme and Outbound Student Exchange Programme. UTAR Inbound Student Exchange Programme allows the international students to study a short-term study programme from one trimester or up to one academic year of undergraduate or postgraduate courses in Malaysia. Meanwhile, UTAR Outbound Student Exchange Programme is a short-term study programme offered to UTAR students to pursue an academic exchange or training/internship in local/overseas partner institution and to gain a global learning experience.
The inbound student exchange programme will take place until 14 May 2018.
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