The*Asterisk

My last article, comparing IU against IICS, received a lot of criticism – both knowledgeable criticism and pure lunacy. This next article, however, probably won’t be as controversial, as I’d like to look at the advantages and disadvantages of both schools as related to sports, space, and general socializing.

The urbanized IICS campus has many benefits- it is close to malls, sporting goods stores, fine dining, an aura of more liberal-minded people, and a more social group of people (relatively more social, that is). But the one thing it doesn’t have, as compared to the rural IU, is tons of space, sports all over the place, and clubs that are very active and very social.

While IICS does have some space for some sports, it is nothing compared to IU. Nilai’s campus offers several basketball courts, a tennis court (which is also used as a multi-purpose court), a football field, futsal courts, squash courts, badminton courts, a gym, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and a sports hall used for various sports (most notably table tennis). Sports flourish the school and is a haven for those who are sports obsessed.

IU is also known for having both major and minor events frequently, as often once or twice a week depending on what the different clubs have prepared. Major events like Orientation Night (Social Board), Charity Night (Leo Club), INTI Idol (STACT Club), Pasar Malam Night (ISS Club), and Sports Fiesta are just a few of the much anticipated events that happen at IU. While IICS does have events going on, they are nowhere as well marketed, nor do they attract the crowds that IU clubs manage to pull off.http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6997550754423713600

In the battle between the two schools, this round goes to IU for its space, its sports, and the active clubs. The score is now IU 1 – 1 IICS.


By Seth Borges
seth_borges@live.com

The Asterisk received reports this week of student abuse of INTI facility. In the space of just two days images of toilet rolls being abused were sent to us.

Bad behaviour.

First, students threw toilet rolls about at the male toilet at Academic Block A, Level 2. And then, we received images of a burnt toilet roll in the urinal at Student Centre, Level LG (next to the Hair Salon).

The images can be viewed The Asterisk's brand new Flickr page, here.

Ms. Lillian Tai of the Student Affairs Office (SAO) informed me that it costs more than RM5,500 a month to provide toilet paper for all of the toilets in the Academic Block and Student Centre.

Perhaps some of the newer INTI students should be taken back a few years to a time when we weren't provided with toilet rolls in our restrooms. Times were tough, bums were wet. I don't want those days back!

INTI's job is to provide us an education, everything else is just a perk. Unfortunately, some students' caveman-like behaviour may lead to us losing one of those perks.

If this were to happen, who can we blame other than ourselves?

The Crooked Asterisk is a column written by editor-in-chief Sandheep Nair. The views of Sandheep are strictly his own and do not reflect the views of The Asterisk or the general INTI population.

Associate Vice-President of Administrative Affairs of INTI International University, Mr. Danny Lee has confirmed that from June 2011 onwards the field at INTI will no longer be available for use.

The decision was made as there are plans for the field to be turned into "service apartment and retail outlets", 15th INTIMA confirmed via their official website.

The field, nicknamed INTI's second swimming pool due to the frequency of waterlogged pitches, is unfortunately not owned by INTI.

Depending on construction costs and INTI's financial performance, a field may be laid next to the Learning Resource Centre (LRC).

Regardless of the construction however, effective June 2011 INTI will rent out the field owned by the Nilai Town Council and provide transportation to the facility.

The issue of the field has been raised many a time by students during Students' Forum. The management had previously responded that there were plans afoot to develop the field at the aforementioned land next to LRC.

Unfortunately, the management did not react fast enough to avoid what will be a tough few months for the famous frisbee and soccer teams at INTI IU.

This story is a follow up to The Asterisk’s previous story about the engineering students’ fee schedule.

The engineering students previously faced some issues regarding the fee structure for their January 2011 semester.

The Asterisk can proudly reveal that the Finance Office have now divided the fees and fixed the previous mistake. The new fee schedule accounts for a three semester calendar year based on a four year engineering degree program.

The Asterisk commends Finance Office for the quick response in the matter. The one week response shows that for all the complaints, the INTI departments do have the potential to respond quickly.

This situation did in fact prove that “where there is a will there is a way.”

Students interested in finding out the new fee schedule are gladly invited to the finance office to get further enlightenments.

Students interested in finding out the new breakdown of fees are invited to visit the Finance Office.

By Naheeda Suddoo
dragon_241291@hotmail.com

By Yugaataran Muniandy
yuga07_1902@yahoo.com

INTI IU’s Accommodation Office has been all over our headlines regarding the new fences installed by the management of INTI IU. Students have been so hung up regarding the fences that many have failed to take not of another important issue.

The Asterisk received reports from students of overcrowding in the hostel blocks so INTIans’ favourite paper paid a visit to AO in order to get a response.


Senior officer at AO, Ms Susan Low Pei Ling said that the INTI Hostels can accommodate up to 3660 students at any one given time. During the March and May intakes however, the number of students who need to be accommodated on-campus exceeds the limit.

AO overcame this problem by placing the extra students in Desa Palma, the residential apartments outside of our campus.

Currently, AO has placed students in around 10 apartments in Desa Palma. The rates for these rooms are similar to the amount a student pays for the on-campus accommodations.

Susan also stressed that they do not give preferential treatment to either local or international students when it comes to hostel room bookings. AO’s policy is that rooms are given on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

This coming May will be an important date in my personal calendar. It would mark my third year as an INTI Nilai student.

Since joining the institution in May 2008, I have witnessed my dear college being taken over by the largest for-profit education service in the United States. I have also witnessed countless graduations, scholarship presentations and academic award ceremonies.

I am also one of the lucky students still in INTI IU who was here during the governance of the 12th INTIMA, one of INTIMA's most successful terms. The term of Calvin Chung and co will be remembered for a term of student support.

As I sat in the INTIMA Council Room on Feb 9, I thought of what the past terms have tried to achieve.

The 12th term, lauded as one of the best terms, probably didn't have the best club scene however.

The 13th did miracles for the clubs but didn't cover themselves in glory as the representatives of students as a whole.

The 14th tried to strike a balance, but in a term where Laureate began the 'new INTI makeover', the term wasn't able to meet expectations on both fronts.

Yet as I sat there, watching Kenny Ng lead the council meeting in the absence of Sree Shaarmen, I wondered if INTIMA had finally found the balance it needs.

This INTIMA term will probably be judged on how they deal with the fence issue (their first real issue). I however am looking forward to what Vice President of Activities Kenny Ng can do to heal the ailing club scene in INTI.

Kenny Ng (centre)

As he stood in front of the council, confident of his new regulations, I believed that this is the man, the lost piece of the puzzle that the great 12th term lacked.

His stern regulations have resulted in a more organised club scene while his history with STACT club and his achievements with it also means that he is well respected and supported by the council. That's the balance.

He supports his regulations well, giving fair reasons for their implementation but he has not passed the litmus test just yet. The Leadership Training Camp (LTC) ended with mixed reviews and as we approach March, we have not seen a memorable innovative event yet.

King Kenny has six months to turn all that potential he has into fruition. If he gets that right, the 15th term will be remembered for more than just exciting exhibition weeks.

The Crooked Asterisk is a column written by editor-in-chief Sandheep Nair. The views of Sandheep are strictly his own and do not reflect the views of The Asterisk or the general INTI population.

The Asterisk is back and better than ever this week.

We have decided to cover the issue on everyone's mind; the fences.

The Asterisk writers have been hard at work in getting you the information you need to stay well informed on this issue.

If you would like to read up on the issue, here are the articles:

- Students' Side: Wall of Anger
- Management Side: Wall of Miscommunication
- "No need for petition" - Dr. Sia

The Asterisk will continue to update you on the latest developments while our columnists will also weigh in on their opinions regarding this story!

Watch this space.

By Sandheep Nair
sandheep90@msn.com

Dr. Sia Ah Hiok, Associate Vice President of Student Services and Alumni Division has questioned INTIMA’s reasoning to petition for the removal of the fences that have been installed in the rear blocks of our campus.

(Standing, right) INTIMA President Sree Shaarmen

INTIMA started gathering feedback from the students regarding the issue of the newly installed fences since before Chinese New Year. The student government, now in its second semester, is hoping to gain support for their campaign to take down the fences.

“If students are not in favour of the fences, INTIMA will start a petition and hopes to receive 2,000 signatures to show our dissatisfaction,” said Sree Shaarmen, President of the 15th INTIMA.

Dr. Sia though believes that the student government is a representation of the students and need not petitions to further their initiatives.

“INTIMA as a body is there to represent all of INTI’s students. I do not understand why they would need 2,000 signatures when they themselves would be enough,” she said.

By Thomas Liew
thomaslsy92@gmail.com

The student's are not the only ones upset by the fence issue.

An interview with a student helper from Accommodation Office (AO) has helped unveil another side of the story of this controversial event. According to them, the move to put up the fence was quite a sudden move which they were not informed of. They said their duty was not to make a decision of what to do but more rather, to carry out the orders from the higher authorities of INTI.

Clustering of students based on gender will be enforced whereby female students will occupy the blocks in the rear of the fence while the male students will occupy the forward halls of residence.

However, as a result of miscommunication, the students were left in the dark but as Accommodation Office was quite clear in being only the employee who carries out orders quoting that it was “unfair to just blame them only.”

(Above) Dr Sia

“It is important that the students think objectively and rationally and to use critical judgment,” says Dr. Sia, Associate Vice President of Student Services, citing that the students move to spread rumours and rash conclusions based on speculations is quite unnecessary.

The issue of erecting the fence was further complicated by the fact that the decision to raise it up, bypassed the key figures of the management. As such, it can be said that INTI’s senior management was not informed by this.

The management is currently looking into the matter and has urged students to put aside their speculative and emotional mindsets and address this problem together, rationally and objectively.

By Thomas Liew
thomaslsy92@gmail.com 

Has anyone noticed INTI International University’s latest trend?

That’s right; the roads which encircle INTI’s halls of residence are now sprouting fences. The question everyone has been asking? WHY?

Many students have been ranting and raving about the erection of the fences being an uncertain future and a highly probable obstruction to their campus life. With no prior information of the fence until after the erection of the fence, it is no surprise why rumours have been spreading like wildfire.

The infamous fence

Students have been extending numerous blames and demands for clarification on this matter. Comments and views on this issue flood the inbox of INTIMA as well as the INTIMA Online Forum and website. INTI has yet to release an official statement despite construction already beginning on the site.

“I just paid for my room and I like it very much so there is no way AO is going to move me out,” says Ameerudin, a second semester Physiotherapy student who currently resides in Block P.

Another student, Symone Lee mentioned that it will definitely diminish the conducive learning environment INTI has and that students will find it rather difficult to commute around without trudging on restricted areas.

“I am shocked that INTI is willing to do this to us. Our parents have paid thousands of Ringgit and this is what they do to us. Unbelievable!! INTIMA should do something about it” says a student who only wanted to be known as Tung.

In a recent council meeting, the student government had mentioned that they will do their best to ensure that the fence is taken down. INTIMA President Sree Shaarmen stated that the fence “will definitely obstruct the campus life and this would eventually lead to it being diminished.”

According to him, it is like the formation of colonies within INTI itself. Clearly, the students of INTI are extremely dissatisfied with the fence and the lack of clarification about it.

Reader David Goh raised his disapproval of INTI's awarding of postgraduate scholarships to American students over Asian students in his comment here.

David's suggestion of biased behaviour has prompted a response from Associate Vice President of Student Services and Alumni Division, Dr. Sia Ah Hiok.

Dr. Sia contacted The Asterisk to clear the air regarding this issue and set the record straight.

"Thank you (to David) for writing to us on your concerns over the selection of candidates for the Clinton Riley Initiative Award.

(Right) Dr. Sia awarding an undergraduate scholarship to a student at Youth Empowerment Camp 2010

Photograph by Di Sheng Chow

The Asterisk will be bringing you new original stories next week, despite the holidays, as we strive towards bringing freedom of speech to our campus.

We will also have an exclusive interview with the Associate Vice President of Student Services and Alumni Division, Dr. Sia Ah Hiok, on the newly installed fences which have caused uproar among the students.

Among the issues that will be addressed are:

• How the installation came about
• Reaction from the student population
• What INTIMA can do

Be sure to bookmark this address and return next week for this exclusive story.

The Fourth Estate (the publishers of The Asterisk) would like to take this opportunity to wish our readers a Happy Chinese New Year and enjoy the week-long holiday ahead!

By Sandheep Nair
sandheep90@msn.com

By Chris Yong
Chris-yongmh@hotmail.com


Being at the top of the student hierarchy is not easy, especially when the student population didn’t get to elect them. I’m sure back when the 15th INTIMA executive committee was announced, we all ran similar thoughts in our head – Who are these people? What are their qualifications? How would they fare as the new student government? And then before you know it, everyone wants a piece of them – criticisms, doubts, rants – even before the team assumes their places in the office.

Being the typical Malaysian I am, I jumped onto the bandwagon as well; the new INTIMA team became a staple conversation topic in my “teh tarik sessions” for a few weeks. Then – also another typical Malaysian trait – I conveniently forgot about them, shifting my focus to things at hand that are more important.

But having worked closely with the INTIMA EXCO over the past few months, I can’t help but to feel that some earlier notions I had about them, good or bad, were premature and unjustified. In the following I shall talk about my opinion of the 15th INTIMA EXCO– a mid-term review – the good and the bad.

The good:

• Team Cohesion – Surprisingly, the INTIMA exco is a very cohesive team for a ragtag group of students. It’s not something that can be achieved easily, just take a look at any club committee out there, especially a big committee formed from people who do not share common previous experiences, it’s difficult to find a tight-knit group working as well and having great fun at the same time as the 15th INTIMA EXCO.

• Attitude – Generally, the 15th INTIMA EXCO are a very approachable bunch. Their friendliness can actually make you forget that you are talking to a student government member; it feels more like dealing with a friend you’ve known for years. They are very helpful to other students and clubs alike, providing assistance if need be. I’ve never felt a tinge of arrogance from them, only camaraderie.

• Media – I do feel like they have a better internet presence compared to the last term. The utilization of Facebook had allowed them to reach a larger audience, although I still think they are not using the Facebook mail function enough. The launch of their new independent forum (http://intimaforum.co.cc/) was also a good move, the overall layout of the forum was neatly designed and the forum is definitely superior to its counterpart at INTIonline; I would suggest INTIMA to stop using the public forum at INTIonline and move all student discussions to the new forum so that it’s easier for both parties.

The bad:

• Sense of Authority – The 15th INTIMA still does not command the respect from all the clubs. Having tried to display authority with a series of new stringent regulations, it served only to cause a sense of oppression among the affiliate clubs. A good government does not force people to obey rules, they try to have rational conversation, and make compromise for a mutually agreed decision. INTIMA EXCOs needs to have better justifications for the regulations they pass, because there are a couple of them that, frankly speaking, made little sense.

• Professionalism – This is a problem plaguing the office since their installment. Being at the top of the student hierarchy, we expect them to have a personal display on par with their position. If you are a member of the student government, you better start acting like one. Sometimes, one feels there is a lack of maturity in the way the INTIMA EXCOs display themselves – behavior, tone of speaking, handling matters. I do not mean that this is a perennial problem, but it happens enough to be noticeable by the INTI community.

• Identity Crisis – INTIMA has a dilemma, and they don’t know it. They are stuck between being the awesome friend and the elite student government. A government is supposed to be exclusive and unbiased; a government is not supposed to be swayed by someone into making a biased decision because that someone is a dear friend. I’m not suggesting that INTIMA is biased, but it’s hard not to imagine when their friends give them visit at the office so often. An office is called an office for a reason; it is a place where work is meant to be done. I’m not restricting the EXCO members from interacting with their friends – by all means, please do – but take it out of the office; it doesn’t do well for INTIMA’s credibility when friendship and official work gets tangled together.

The 15th INTIMA EXCO, while faring quite well so far, still has some room for improvements. That being said, INTIMA EXCO should really try a different approach in gaining more respect from the affiliate clubs, because whatever it is that they are doing right now, it’s not going too well. Also, if INTIMA is doing anything significant to contribute to the student population at all, the students have not seen it.

The ongoing issue with the fences at the hostel blocks will be a good litmus test for INTIMA’s credibility as the student representative, all eyes will be on them as we fight for our student rights. The outcome of this issue will greatly determine how we judge the 15th INTIMA EXCO, whether they are really a revolutionary student government or not.

Chris Yong is The Asterisk’s resident political writer. His thoughts and views are of his own volition and do not reflects the views of the general INTI population.

INTIMA has welcomed its newest affiliate to the circle of socialisation, the INTI Punjabi Society (IPS). The new affiliate is reported to be under “the umbrella of the Indian Cultural Society” according to Asterisk sources in INTIMA.

The decision to allow this club to run is seen as an aberration on the part of INTIMA and the Students Affairs Office (SAO). IPS has just created an opportunity for students to take advantage of what appears to be a new loophole in the system to create clubs of differing heritage.

Will we be seeing Hakka or Hokkien cultural clubs fall under the umbrella of Chinese Cultural Society in the future? Should we expect to see a Javanese subdivision of the Malay Cultural Society sometime soon?

Only time will tell if INTIMA and SAO regret their decision.

By Sandheep Nair
sandheep90@msn.com

By Naheeda Suddoo
dragon_241291@hotmail.com

Part of the responsibility of being a student, we need to be well aware of our tuition fee structures. It is to my surprise that many of the engineering students have failed to notice a glaring error in this semester’s fees.

A fee schedule is given to every enrolled engineering student, with it mentioning the assessment fee, the resource fee and the tuition fee. Slight fee changes are expected throughout a 4-year degree program such as a raise in resource fee.

However, in the most recent fee schedule, the fees were changed to reflect a two semester system; longer semesters naturally mean higher fees. The semesters were proposed as such: January until July, and July until December.

According to the current Head of Program, the two semester system had been discussed and the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FOEAT) were not in favour of the system. Despite this, INTI printed a fee schedule implementing this system.

Then a problem arose concerning those who enrolled in the UK degree transfer program. A two-semester system would cause them miss their transfer to UK for the September semester. It was a big a problem for INTI to neglect, so engineering returned to its three-semester system.

Come enrolment day, many students failed to notice that they were in fact paying fees based on the two-semester system. Faculty members and finance office staff were left equally baffled by the mistake.

Unfortunately, the students are the ones paying the price for INTI’s mistake. The Asterisk will follow up with FOEAT on this matter.

By Seth Borges
seth_borges@live.com

A rather common topic of conversation amongst INTI students is comparing INTI’s two main campuses: INTI International University (IIU) against INTI International College Subang (IICS).

I recently transferred to the IICS campus, and have found that the more compact, urbanized school has some traits that are definitely better as opposed to the much larger, more rural campus in Nilai. One of them being the way students dress.

Everyone knows about the “No Flip Flop” campaign going around all the INTI campuses in Malaysia, but the students in Subang Jaya take it a step further on their own: They dress appropriately for both classes and daily wear.

Around Nilai, students tend to not put in effort on how they dress for the most part. You do see the occasionally well-dressed student, but not too often.

Students make it a point, in fact, to make sure they have the whole flip-flop, “chilling at the beach” look going on. Around Subang Jaya, however, it’s a whole different story.

Wherever you are on campus, most students dress up as if they are at a mall or even borderline “clubbing”, and somehow manage to pull it off in an appropriate manner. The most impressive of all, there doesn’t seem to be anyone forcing the students to dress nicely.

If there’s anything that INTI Nilai students could learn from them, it’s that it does matter how you look no matter where you are. Let’s face it, people do judge books by their covers.

Seth Borges is a columnist for The Asterisk. The former IIU student has been writing the column “Behind Enemy Lines” ever since he transferred to IICS in 2011.

By Sandheep Nair
sandheep90@msn.com

When I first joined INTI in 2008, I joined the Editorial Board hoping to bring a new brand of journalism to this university. I rose through the ranks at the club and was soon editor of one of INTI’s oldest clubs. Before the days of INTI Vybes, IMPAC or even Adventure Club, Editorial Board (under the stewardship of the English Language Society) was writing stories for the INTI population.

I went on to other ventures after my tenure as Editor but my love of journalism never eroded. The long life of Editorial Board recently came to an end, the club slowly faded away into the depths of history when the newly elected 15th INTIMA announced that the club was officially declared inactive. In other words, the club I had grown to love is now dead.

Upon returning from my internship, I started a student based newspaper focused on online material to cater to the students. With help from a small but helpful interim committee, we created the Fourth Estate.
Now the fourth estate is a literary term for the press, a societal or political force. That is what this paper promises to deliver. We will strive to provide students of INTI all the information you need on what’s happening in and around INTI.

We are always on the lookout for more writers and if you would like to contribute, we’d love to have you.