Freshmen Orientation Camp 2018
August 1, 2018
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia Freshmen Orientation Camp 2018 took place on the 9th of July and ended on the 11th of July. The camp was held at Focus Adventure Camp on Sentosa. The purpose of the camp was to allow the freshmen to develop a sense of unity amongst the student body. In addition, it builds a bridge for the freshmen to their seniors allowing the freshmen to seek guidance from their seniors academically. The camp also introduces the importance of the Student Government Association (SGA) of ERAU Asia. The freshmen were assigned into five different groups; (1) Green, (2) Red, (3) Blue, (4) Purple, and (5) Yellow.
The first day of the camp started with the arrival of the freshmen along with the volunteers – which consist of seniors. Upon arrival, they had their lunch followed by ice-breaker games for the freshmen to introduce themselves and get acquainted. The Amazing Race took place immediately after. The Amazing Race consists of numerous stations which are as follows; (1) “What’s in the box”, (2) “Shang Man”, (3) “Don’t miss the Limbo”, (4) “The Architect”, (5) “Frisbee Tic-Tac-Toe”, (6) “Flour and Ping-Ping”, (7) “Pass the Sponge”, and (8) “Human Wheelbarrow Relay”. The games stations were spread along the vast beaches of Sentosa; Tanjong, Siloso, and Palawan Beach. The freshmen, along with the Group Leaders (GLs), must travel across the beaches to find the stations and score points along their journey. In addition, the pressure of finishing first created a sense of urgency amongst the groups. The games were designed to enable the students to work together in different types of circumstances and forge strong bonds between members.
Shortly after the conclusion of the amazing race was dinner, followed by the groups’ preparations for the Talent Night which will be held on the next evening. The theme of this year’s Talen Night was “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. During the time of the preparation, the freshmen and their group leader will have to brainstorm ideas to craft out a creative and unique skit for Talent Night.
On the second day, the camp was divided into two groups. The first group participated in the Hourglass Tower Challenge – an approximately 26-meters high hourglass-shaped tower which contains numerous high elements obstacles in which participants must work and trust each other to complete. When the participants reached the top of the tower, they were given a choice to do a base jump down or to walk the stairs down. Simultaneously, the other group participated in Raft Building, the purpose of the activity was to create team spirit. The participants were then tasked to race each other. Following the two activities was lunch. Once lunch was over, the two groups then swap activities, the first group that did the Hourglass Tower Challenge was assigned to Raft Building and vice versa.
During the evening were the Campfire/Talent Night and the arrival of the faculty who took on the role of judges for the skits during the talent show. The wet weather shifted the activities of the Talent Night indoors. During the Talent Night, the freshmen participated in various games such as; (1) “Don’t forget the lyrics”, (2) “Charades”, (3) Trivia, and (4) Telephone Line. In addition, each team showcased their skits which entertained the entire audience.
Come the last day, was the prize presentation for individuals and teams who performed outstandingly, and the lucky draw event which consists of attractive prizes such as the Bose Soundlink Color II Bluetooth Speakers and Scoot Vouchers. Thus, marked the official closing of the camp. The camp forged new friendships and fortified bonds with existing students.
