NUSSU elects first female president

NUSSU elects first female president

By Steven Lim, Campus Observer
12 September 2006

The NUS Students’ Union has elected its first female president.

Tay E Teng, fourth-year Business School undergraduate, was elected as President of the NUSSU 28th executive committee.

The sole nominee for the position of President during a council meeting held on Sep. 8, she received an overall vote of confidence.

Tay will succeed Danny Quek, the outgoing 27th president, with running mate Donald Koh, a third-year Industrial Design undergraduate.

Like Tay, Koh was the sole nominee for the position of Vice-President.

Endorsing Tay’s capability, Quek said, “She is able and has the heart. The gender should not matter.”

“I had wanted her to be President. She has established very good contacts with the administration,” said Tan Ee Yong, the outgoing Honorary Financial Secretary.

Agreeing, Lionel Wong, the incoming Honorary General Secretary, said, “I think she has a wealth of experience to bring with her. It doesn’t matter at all if she is male or female.”

Tay is the outgoing vice-president and was a previous council representative of Business Club. She was also one of the founding members of “Hooked!”, an online magazine.

During the 30-minute presentation, she articulated her vision for the new committee and stressed the need to not lose sight of the union’s vision.

“The overarching principle of the Union is to serve students and uphold their welfare. Ultimately, the aim is towards a united and relevant union which truly represents student interests,” she said.

As part of her plans to serve students better, she aims to raise awareness and establish a stronger union presence amongst students.

“To better engage students, I hope to get more feedback from students, through dialogue sessions, focus groups or surveys. We will brand ourselves better,” she added.

Her desire to improve NUSSU’s branding stems in part from a perceived lack of recognition from the student body.

“The outgoing committee had done a lot, such as the restoration of the mid-term break. But a lot of students take it for granted. They don’t know the difficulties involved,” Tay said.

The mid-semester break was reduced from 7 to 5 days in 2004.

In addition, she intends for the new committee to improve on its external branding by leveraging on existing projects such as Funkamania. Other new initiatives include the Tok Kok Campaign and Cuisine Fiesta.

While acknowledging the novelty of her position as the first female NUSSU President, she does not feel that her gender should not be an issue at all.

“Gender does not make a difference. It’s all about your willingness to serve. I hope to make a difference,” she said.

Link>>http://campusobserver.org/2006/September/12/nussupres/nussupres.htm