University Welcomes Students With Live Musical Performance

16th February, 2012

The Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture & Pacific Studies (OCACPS) welcomed new students of the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE) with live musical performances by the Pasifika Voices during the third day of Orientation this week.

The new approach of using the creative arts to make the orientation process more effective was led by the Head of Performing Arts at the University of the South Pacific (USP), Mr Igelese Ete.

The inspiring songs and performances by the Pasifika Voices team from the OCACPS kept the large number of students present entertained and interested at the FALE orientation session.

“The idea was to really inspire the students to come and join USP in the creative arts,” stated Mr Ete.

“A lot of our Pacific students dance and sing and sometimes they think they can only do that at home and think that they cannot study it like a formal discipline and this is one way to show them they can get serious with creative arts,” he explained.

Mr Ete added that OCACPS used music and dance to ‘inspire’ the students at the orientation session and get them comfortable at the University, make them feel at ease, and ‘break barriers’ so it all comes down to making a difference and inspiring them.

The session was opened by the Acting Dean of FALE, Dr Bruce Yeates who welcomed the new students to the University.

In his presentation, Dr Yeates introduced the students to the attributes of a graduate, the university learning outcomes and programme specific outcomes, and the credit points system which will occur in the degree restructure at USP.

Dr Yeates highlighted that students need to be aware of all the changes happening at the University, which are the endings of old structures, but stressed that those changes are also the beginnings of something new and exciting.

He noted that many students have ended something in their lives, whether it was completing high school or a job, and beginning studies at USP means a new start, and shared a quote by TS Eliot, “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

“So when we are making an end we are also making a beginning. This is something which is important for students to understand - that they are making a beginning even though they have ended something. Throughout their career this is what they are going to do and this is part of their life long journey of education,” Dr Yeates said.

He further added that the transitions that are going on at USP and with the reform in the curriculum that is happening, the students are going to see the dynamic change through the years.

ENDS

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