Dear Editor,

First, i like to congratulate “the Ridge” on its outreach to the student population as well as its coverage of issues that are close to heart to the student population such as the CORS saga as well as the “Internal Sardine Boxes”, ha. May i suggest a couple more issues for “the Ridge” to take up as well as feedback for the NUSSU as referred to in previous issue October 05/06:

1. The duplication of work between the Revised Hall Admission Points System (RHAPS) and the CCA card at the Office of Student Affairs. Currently, graduating students need to go the OSA with a duly signed student CCA card to get record of the student activities that they have been participating in NUS. My question is that if they already recognised the RHAPS and allow it for Residence application(hence recognising that the students actually did participate in those activities) , why do they still need students to fill up a CCA card?

There is the duplication of efforts and for the CCA cards, students may not get responsible heads of committees who duly sign their cards. It is time to combine the 2 system.

2.Currently students who do their printing in school has to got to “start” and connect “NUSSNET”. It may be that i am just lazy but i am sure with that they (whoever is in charge – the CBLC, or computer centre staff who comes up with our IVLE) can do something to get around that so students do not need to “NUSNET” all the time?

3.We also find that the computers in the computer clusters such as those in the computer centre and the engineering computer clusters are left switched on overnight. Is there a need for such a waste of energy? I have heard that switching the computer on and off actually shortens your computer lifespan, hence a coverage can be done on this issue to check with the computer centre staff whether if this is is the reason that they leave the computers on? Yet again, we can compliment the CBLC here for they switch off the computers once the areas are closed for the day. In fact, 15 minutes before the closing time, there will be a pop-up to remind the users. Surely if CBLC is able to that, i am sure the computer experts at the computer centre are able to adjust the settings such that the computers switch off automatically at the end of the day?

4.A coverage to educate the school population on the use of the recycling bins in school? Recently, OED has placed many more recycling bins throughout the school and SAVE has actually put up posters reminding people about the bins at the various bus stops. However i guess one problem that we are facing regarding the bins are that people are throwing all kinds of wrong things inside the bins that are just going to hamper the collection effort. People has to learn that they cannot recycle tissue paper and only plastics with the triangle at the bottom of the container can be recycled and not those thin flimsy plastic that we get from ordering fruit juices from the canteen.
5.Another suggestion for NUSSU is that they want to consider more food vending machines such as those sandwich machines that you find at the Forum or instant cup noodles around the school. By 7.30pm, you can no longer find food in the school canteens and only in certain places in school like Munchie Monkey and MacDonald's. To make it convenient for the school population that study late and does not want to wander far just to satisfy their hunger, there should be more of such vending machines.

6.I have also noticed that “the Ridge” does a coverage of articles on various CCAs or student events in school. May i suggest that “the Ridge” may want to consider doing a coverage on the International Coastal Cleanup that takes place every September. It involves over 100 staff and student each time and they are all doing it just for the love of the environment - there is no community service hours points or lunch thrown in with the effort.

Undoubtedly, a lot of the issues that i have raised has a “green” inclination. This is of course i hope “ the Ridge” will make use of its wide readership to address the issues that are important to all of us – our environment.

Thank you very much for your time.