WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE – Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Professor Datuk Dr. Mohd Harun Abdullah expressed disappointment over a local newspaper, which printed inaccurate headline over the incident where a bus skidded inside the campus of UMS, yesterday.

He said, the newspaper printed on its front page today, “UMS bus lands on side: 34 hurt” did not reflect the real situation and could confuse readers, especially parents of those students involved.

“For the record, the bus involved in the incident was not UMS’ bus nor was it chartered from other companies.  It was an express bus from a private company that ferried 34 UMS students from 1Borneo Hyper mall to the residential colleges of in-campus students,” he said in a statement.

According to Harun, the contents of the news published in the said newspaper was correct, however the title was contrasting and this would invite negative perception of UMS by the public.

“A report should be accurate and authentic not only in its content but more so its title as a representation of the main story,” he added.

In the incident, the private bus skidded at the Mosque/Chancellery Junction; 23 students were sent to UMS Clinic, whilst 11 others were treated at Hospital Likas, before five of them were referred to at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for an x-ray to ascertain any internal injuries.

All 34 students were discharged on the same day and went back to their respective residential colleges. – (fl)

WEDNESDAY, 08 JUNE – Residential College E, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) recently held a dinner themed, “Aloha, Hakuna Matata” organised by the Art and Culture Exco of the Student Welfare Committee (JAKMAS) of the said college.

According to a statement issued by JAKMAS College E, the dinner show with a Hawaiian concept was more relaxing, and saw the attendance of 280 UMS students dressed in their own styles according to the concept set.

The statement added, the dinner was held to honour staff and students who had performed and conducted excellent services whilst being residents of the college.

The dinner was also seen as the right avenue towards providing space for students to relax and reduce their stress.

The staff and students  were presented with a variety of exciting performances from student clubs, Fellows and JAKMAS of the college.

The opening ceremony was officiated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs and Alumni, Associate Professor Dr. Ismail Ali. – SS (fl)

TUESDAY, 7 JUNE – A community service programme was held recently at Kampung Baru Jumpa, Tenom organised by 35 students under the credited co-curriculum Students and Community Interaction (INTERIM), Semester II, 2015/2016 Session.

The programme themed, “Changing Lives, Transforming Community”, involved 150 students of primary, secondary schools and the residents of the village.

Among the main activities was an English language clinic aimed at helping school students to communicate and master the English language better.

An activity related to the spirit of patriotism and unity were also held, including a mural painting activity, singing of patriotic songs and national day logo design competition aimed to inculcate a sense of affection and love for our country Malaysia among the village community.

Programme Director, Dayang Noraini said, besides fostering closer ties, the programme aimed to enhance the personality and hone basic soft skills of UMS students, which was crucial in the development of human capital for the nation.

Meanwhile, programme coach, Amer Azlan Abdul Jamal believed that this programme offered an opportunity for students to give back to the community, according to their areas of expertise learned at the university.

“For example, the English language activity which was planned and conducted by the students who major in TESL from the Faculty of Psychology and Education. The mural painting was conducted by students from the Creative Arts.  Our students come from various fields, and an asset and would be a waste if not tapped into for the benefit of the local community,” he said.

The highlight of the programme was the construction of a mini library including reading materials, which was funded by a communication company, Celcom Timur Sabah, Sabah State Library and several other local companies.

The library was officiated by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) representing Celcom Timur Sabah, Shaharul Niza Mohamad and the Village Chief of Kampung Baru Jumpa, Yamuk Acho.

Yamuk in representing the village expressed his gratitude and thanks to the UMS students for having chosen the village to conduct their community service programme.

“We are very fortunate to receive the delegation from UMS who have worked tirelessly to organise various activities and even build a mini library here because library plays a very important role in fostering the reading culture among young children, and very grateful to UMS for the contributions given,” he added. – (fl)

Source: Amer Azlan Abdul Jamal, FPEP

TUESDAY, 7 JUNE – Faculty of Business, Economics and Accounting (FPEP), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) recently organised an Eco-FPEP programme organised by the HE06 Green Team, a club under the Banking and Financial Management Management programme (HE06).

The programme themed, ‘Green Soul Green Mind’ aimed to promote green culture and raise the awareness of campus community on the importance of protecting the environment.

Touching on the programme, the Director of the EcoCampus Management Centre UMS, Associate Professor Dr. Justin Sentian said, such programme was very important in educating UMS community in particular students to embrace green living which greatly benefited the environment and their life as university student.

“Programmes such as this indirectly help UMS in its efforts to become the first EcoCampus university in Malaysia,” he added during the opening of the programme.

Various activities were held during the five-day programme, among them was the do-it-yourself (DIY) using recycled materials.

Students would be able to bring out their creativity in designing a product using recycled materials.

Various activities were also carried out, among them were the collection of papers and used goods, cleaning of the Outdoor Development Centre (ODEC) UMS and a seminar on green concept presented by a guest speaker. – (fl)

Source: Amer Azlan Abdul Jamal, FPEP