UTAR Turns 20 Series

Poster of the event

2022 marks the year UTAR celebrates its 20^th year since its establishment. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the UTAR Turns 20 Series was organised by the Department of Student Affairs (DSA) in collaboration with UTAR Clubs and Societies from 18 June to 25 June 2022 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus.  Under the UTAR Turns 20 Series, various activities were held which included Medical Week 3.0, Colour Run, UTAR Carnival and Charity Night.

The first event conducted under the UTAR Turns 20 Series was Medical Week 3.0 which was held on 4 June 2022, under the theme Public Health We Care, Community We Serve. It was organised by the Bachelor of Science Biochemistry and Bachelor of Science Dietics under the UTAR Faculty of Science (FSC) and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBSS), Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Bachelor of Physiotherapy under the UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), in collaboration with DSA. The ceremony featured speeches from UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat, FMHS Deputy Dean Assoc Prof Dr Leong Pooi Pooi and Medical Week Chairperson Audrey Kok Ee Lin.

In his speech, Prof Ewe said, “It is my great pleasure and honour to be invited as a guest to the UTAR Medical Week 3.0. Firstly, I would like to congratulate UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Faculty of Science for organising this event. Medical Week 3.0 holds such significance in helping people understand the importance of taking care of their physical and mental health. It is also important in educating participants on how to take care of themselves and identify the different types of diseases besides providing health screening services and consultation to the community.” Meanwhile, Dr Leong presented her insightful speech, stating, “Medical Week 3.0 is an annual flagship programme, organised by the FMHS and FSc students. This event is extra special because it is held in conjunction with the celebration of UTAR’s 20^th anniversary. The main purpose of Medical Week 3.0 is to promote a healthy lifestyle and interaction between UTAR and the community.” Finally, Audrey Kok said, “I am pleased to see all of you joining and showing your support towards our event. Medical Week 3.0 aims to promote public health awareness to ensure a healthier community, and promote the newly built UTAR Hospital. With our theme ‘Your Health Matters’ we believe that all our disciplines can work closely to provide holistic services to the public.”

Prof Ewe delivering his speech

Dr Leong thanking the participants for attending Medical Week 3.0

Audrey Kok showing her appreciation to the committee and attendees

Numerous online talks and forums, focusing on health and well-being, were conducted throughout the Medical Week. Each talk was given by a different speaker. The event included four forums, namely Heart Attack and Stroke from Different Perspectives, Is your Lung Healthy?, Pregnancy 101, and How Well Do You Know Your Period?. It also included six insightful talks, namely Uses of Supplements in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Dietetics, Among Our Red Cells, A Physiotherapy Guide of Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Digital Food for Thought: Screen Time Addiction, The Role of Nutritionist and Dieticians Management Trainee in Community Pharmacy, and Probiotic and Gut Health.

Medicine and healthcare services were also offered from 18 to 19 June 2022 at KA Block of Sungai Long Campus. The event focused on helping the public by providing a wide range of services such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western Medicine and Physiotherapy. Among the myriad of services provided under Western Medicine were eye and ear tests, breast examination, blood glucose measurements, general consultation, etc. On the other hand, the Physiotherapy services offered posture and balance assessments, geriatric tests, soft tissue manipulation and muscle length testing & stretching exercises, while acupuncture, TCM physical examination and TCM skin tests were provided under the Traditional Chinese Medicine service. During the event, tote bags were also sold to raise funds for the construction of the UTAR Hospital.

 

 

Another event which was organised under UTAR Turns 20 is the UTAR Colour Run, which took place on 19 June 2022. The run was jointly organised with Medical Week 3.0. For more information about the Colour Run, read here.

Participants enjoying themselves

The third event conducted to celebrate UTAR’s 20^th anniversary was the UTAR Turns 20 Series: Carnival which took place from 21 to 24 June 2022 at UTAR Multipurpose Hall of Sungai Long Campus. Throughout the four days, there were exhibitions, booths and recruitment drives from UTAR clubs and societies, all on display. There were also performances by UTAR clubs, such as the Music Club, Dance Club, Wushu Club and the Chinese Orchestra Unit. The booths from the clubs and societies featured games and refreshments, whilst some were also recruiting new students to join them. Moreover, there were a number of booths from external companies, such as The Star, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and many others.  

 

As part of the carnival, the Counselling Wellness Week 2022 also took place from 28 May to 24 June 2022, which was orchestrated by the UTAR Counseling & Guidance Unit (CGU). The goal of the Counseling Wellness Week was to create and raise awareness among UTAR students and staff about the importance of psychological well-being and physical health. Throughout the few weeks, various webinars and games were conducted on Microsoft Teams, such as “Life as an ABA Therapist”, “Mental Health Awareness Talk”, “How to Cope with Emotional Blackmail”, “Colourful Life 2.0, and “Sexual Orientation Talk”. Not to mention, there were also booths specifically from the Counselling Wellness Week which were on display. The booths featured games for the visitors to play.

Insightful webinars during the Counselling Wellness Week

The last event under UTAR Turns 20 was the Band-Age Charity Music Concert, which took place on 25 June 2022 at UTAR Multipurpose Hall of Sungai Long Campus. It was organised by the UTAR Music Club. The concert’s main aim was to celebrate UTAR’s 20^th anniversary and allow students to enjoy themselves amidst the stress of their semester. For more information on the Band-Age Charity Music Concert, read here.

The Band-age event took place without a hitch

Overall, the UTAR Turns 20 Series was an overwhelming success, as each event managed to garner a lot of participants. The events also represented a grand celebration of UTAR’s 20^th anniversary. All students and staff wish UTAR a happy 20^th anniversary.