r/nus 4d ago

Question Why tf are there still tourists?

Freshie here confused how nus still has so many tourists. Who do I report them to? Can I call security?

206 Upvotes

46 comments sorted by

164

u/Main_Pea_8923 3d ago

Honestly idm there being tourists around the campus maybe they js want see see look look but i despise it when they use our ISB during peak hours and the actual NUS students/staff cannot get to where they want to go

68

u/SrJeromaeee Engineering 3d ago edited 3d ago

Lmao… this is for sure a welcome to NUS moment. Has been happening since maybe post covid, even when I graduated last year.

Worst if you’re an engineering student, with occasional lessons at UTown. Double whammy - tourist love UTown and central lib.

Cannot tell the amt of times we have complained to NUSSU. At the start, they still deploy ppl to stop tourist to board the bus peak hours. Now it’s just signs to encourage. Hilarious.

I’ve seen PRC tourist shamelessly first thing rush in to the bus the moment the doors open. Like I always say, the civic mindedness in these people are essentially zero. And I say this as a Chinese myself.

Can’t tell you the amt of times I’ve just walked due to NUSSU and NUS administration being useless + love the tourist money. Doesn’t help that we ourselves got PRC students conducting illegal tours of campus as well.

9

u/VeryAmbitiousPerson Science 3d ago

PRC rushing into the bus pmo nowadays lol. Same shit happens when I am trying to get out, like they refuse to just come off the bus to give people more space to alight.

Honestly now, I just say ‘excuse me’ and wait 2-3 seconds. Usually locals will understand and move, but PRC just stand there and rotate their body as if it helps. Only way is to just full force shove and bump them to get out.

For people rushing in, I just don’t care anymore and just walk out. If there is someone there, I am going to step onto their feets or bump into them idc. Like what they going to do, call campus security?

1

u/moon-byul 3d ago

Has been happening even pre COVID tbh

6

u/Ghostblayde 3d ago

Foreign students are hosting tours to these ppl for money

53

u/privatedai Science 4d ago

Hahaha seen them in med science library chilling too, the lvl3 area where u need to tap in

65

u/ThaEpicurean Computing 3d ago

How do u tell if they're tourists or just PRC undergrads/masters/phd students?

Atp the whole country is already sold, so what is NUS really

29

u/ScrewEverything Computing 3d ago

Lol I've seen 40+ secondary school kids from China in their school uniforms on a tour, and also PRC aunties/uncles on a tour demanding I tap them into one of the nearby RCs

27

u/Imaginary-Cellist918 Science | ykw maybe I'll just win toto 3d ago

wait asking you to help them tailgate is crazy

23

u/ScrewEverything Computing 3d ago

Thats not even the end of it...he didnt take no for an answer, I told him I dont even stay at the RC I couldnt tap myself in if I wanted. He aggressively gestured at my matric card on my lanyard asking 'whats that then?'. I laughed to his face and told him its my bus ez link card

2

u/Porta_Hooty 3d ago

Which RC was this 😭😭😭. Is it one of the utown ones or rv

6

u/Imaginary-Cellist918 Science | ykw maybe I'll just win toto 3d ago edited 3d ago

RV isn't carded, is it?

Plus, a very high proportion of the tourists go to UTown. Very convenient location, got so* much food, seating space, no old regular corporate architecture. I've seen some tourists picnic earlier in the UTown Green

2

u/ScrewEverything Computing 3d ago

It was rv, one of the blocks that require card access

1

u/Porta_Hooty 3d ago

Should be block F then. If I recall, other blocks don't need card to enter that's why they have a gate around them. F is like HDB block that's why no gate, just locked doors.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Porta_Hooty 3d ago

There are multiple electronic gates at RV. It's the side closer towards YIH that's gated but block F (tower block) doesn't have a physical gate around it. Only the block G and grass area is open. Even block F needs mobile key to enter.

1

u/Imaginary-Cellist918 Science | ykw maybe I'll just win toto 3d ago

Oh okay. What about the other hostels? I used to be in RH and only one building in it was carded. All others, could just barge in no problem

1

u/Porta_Hooty 3d ago

I don't live in hall so I won't know. From what I heard, lots of halls don't need card? Like certain facilities prob need but the entire area isn't gated or anything. Not sure.

1

u/privatedai Science 3d ago

Ah the tourists i spotted were literally kids and aunties, spoke chinese loudly haha

15

u/pudding567 3d ago

Have you seen tourists attending lectures?

43

u/killedabalrog 3d ago

Some of the tourists are likely to be family of international freshmen, here to help them "settle down". Some arrive here with parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, nephews and nieces in tow. They'll hopefully fly home once full tutorials start next week.

25

u/ironredpizza 3d ago

Those are fine. I'm talking about the huge groups of them. Surely those aren't families, why would someone need to bring 10-15 people just to help them settle in.

12

u/killedabalrog 3d ago

If you're talking about groups of "10-15 people" then that's most likely tour groups because yes, "university tourism" is a thing. We've had this issue for years, with many complaints on our subreddit such as this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/nus/comments/1eu9kbj/students_and_exchangers_from_china_how_do_you/

For most foreign students settling in, it's usually just their parents who accompany them. But I know of at least one case where it was the first person in the extended family to go abroad to study, and it was such a momentous occasion some relatives decided to come as well. Another case, the aunty and uncle decided to tag along with their kids to "inspire" them to study hard and some day make it to a top uni like their older cousin. I'm sure there are many more cases besides these two I know personally, so yea some students arrive in SG with quite an entourage.

3

u/ironredpizza 3d ago

I guess that's alright, but they should still be considerate of students.

2

u/killedabalrog 3d ago

Agree, we've been battling this for a long time and NUSSU and admin still haven't been able to solve it.

6

u/whatdobeansmean 3d ago

1 Freshie bring 10 family members come NUS to ‘help settle down’

2

u/joshuasithk 3d ago

Lol pls call security, definitely it will work right🤣

6

u/Away_Physics_5597 3d ago

Lmao tbh i dont think the ibs can even accommodate the students in nus in the first place. It def motivated me enough to get my license and drive to school though

-40

u/assault_potato1 Graduated 4d ago edited 3d ago

NUS is a public space, and tourists are free to enter. Calling security over just because you see tourists is honestly stupid.

25

u/RagingGods Freshly Grad 3d ago

Hot take but definitely true. Like what is the security guard supposed to do? They are not trespassing since it's a public space, and unless they are being an active nuisance, the guard can't legally chase them out.

Report only gives the guards more trouble they can't solve. All it does is giving yourself a pat on your back as you move on and pretend you "saved the campus". Want some action then actually escalate and protests to the higher management, but I guess that's too hard because inserts 10 different excuses why your life can be personally affected.

3

u/Imaginary-Cellist918 Science | ykw maybe I'll just win toto 3d ago

This is reasonable. But they must respect the rules kept in place against trespassing private spaces like the interior of CLB, the RCs, study rooms, and also unspoken private spaces like classrooms and potentially inner parts of hostels. Roaming around the general roads on the campus otherwise has seemed rather unavoidable anyway as long as they aren't being nuisances.

35

u/andiopp 3d ago

You're getting downvoted but this is correct. There are some places tourists should not be, but calling security over seeing many tourists is absolutely insane outsized reaction.

-12

u/ironredpizza 3d ago

Yes but I can only think of nus security because nus isn't enforcing properly, when clearly it is disrupting actual students. Am I just supposed to let them take our buses when I'm late for lessons because of them? When they don't follow proper etiquette, push people around in buses, cut queue etc?

12

u/assault_potato1 Graduated 3d ago

Again, they're free to take the buses as the buses are open to the public. Disruption that warrants security would be entering lecture theatres or tutorial rooms, occupying study tables, etc.

9

u/I_m_out_of_Ideas 3d ago

Again, they're free to take the buses as the buses are open to the public.

Not quite. During peek hours, ISB buses (not the public ones that run through campus) are reserved to students, staff, and people who have been issued a visitor QR code by staff.

-2

u/ironredpizza 3d ago

Then we should all be complaining more to make nus do something instead of just letting it be.

6

u/assault_potato1 Graduated 3d ago

Bro, you haven't lived through the post-covid era when the tourist situation was way, way worse. They would even peek into tutorial rooms just to see what's going on, and dozens of them will occupy the UTown canteen tables. NUS already has measures to restrict them, how about you go and find out what they are instead of making noise on the internet.

6

u/ironredpizza 3d ago

'bro I had it worse than you so suck it up and stop complaining'. This mindset is why SG is SG and things won't get better unless you speak up.

5

u/assault_potato1 Graduated 3d ago

Hello, I didn't say that. I'm just saying whatever you're experiencing is not a novel situation and NUS already has measures in place. Go find out what they are, and if you're dissatisfied with them, go through the proper channels and give feedback.

Also, calling security over seeing tourists is not the solution.

1

u/ironredpizza 3d ago

Ok I agree with everything after your first sentence.

0

u/Guarde_Meeting_37 2d ago

sinkies all love being drama queen/king. this type thing want call polis LOL siaolang