Activities in KR
People love Kent Ridge for many reasons – the friends, the activities, the distance to your classes – and many want to stay in this exciting residential hall.
It has probably crossed your mind, what does it take to secure a room in KR? As the Points Allocation Brief takes place later today, and Comms Fair taking place tomorrow, this article will serve as a first-hand and foundational guide to show you curious freshmen (and seniors) the many activities as well as the point system that KR adopts.
Sports
Athletes would want to actively participate in the sports that you prefer. The more sports you join, the higher your chance to secure your stay in KR the following year. Of course, the more adroit would naturally have an edge in this system.
The training team will be granted points depending on your attendance in trainings, so do try your best to come down for trainings and enjoy these moments with your teammates!
Making the final cut will grant more points, regardless if you are on the bench or in the starting team. The highest number of points will be granted to the captain and vice-captains, as you would expect
Cultural
The musically inclined will also find themselves fitting in comfortably in KR. Cultural groups like Dance, Choir, Acapella, Rockers, Inspire and Hall Production. Cultural groups award based on attendance for practices, the number of performances as well as other contributions to the group.
Leadership positions in these cultural groups will also award more points.
Committees
Perhaps the largest group amongst these three are the committees. Almost every Kent Ridgean will be in at least one committee at one point of their KR life. Committees have different levels of commitment and award different points. There are three tiers of committees, and they are separated by their commitment levels. The most “chill” committees require very few hours in the academic semester and likewise would award the lesser hall points (e.g. KR Heritage, Friends of KRV, etc). The slightly more demanding committees would also require more commitment and award proportionally more points (e.g. Safety Comm, SMU etc).
Some committees have particularly high commitment during the summer break and less during the school term. These committees are probably the ones that you would have seen more of if you are a freshman (e.g. Flag, FWOC, HPB, Rag).
Special Mentions
KRemix is a new hall CCA that involves equipping the Kent Ridgean with DJ-ing skills. While this CCA does not award points as of yet, the CCA is gaining traction following the success of some of the Kent Ridge DJs. DJ Bandung (Dylan), DJ Vii (Vanessa Ho) and DJ Sampai (Sam Tan) are amongst these up-and-coming local talents!
Perhaps one of KR’s most popular CCAs is the KR Steppers. The KR Steppers have very high commitment, with gigs throughout the academic year. Needless to say, Steppers are awarded with more points than any other CCA. KR Steppers are internationally known as well, they have travelled to foreign countries to partake in their cheerleading training and vice versa!
The Block Committee is also another committee that deserves a shout out. Working tirelessly for the block members throughout the year, the Block Comm strives to provide the best block experience for the Kent Ridgeans by organising block events and decorating the block life, amongst other administrative tasks. These people work very hard behind the scenes during many KR events, so do give them some appreciation during these events!
The JCRC are also imperative to the running of the Hall. They are considered the backbone of the hall and almost every issue runs through them and the SCRC before reaching an ultimatum. Their job scope encompasses too many responsibilities to be listed and even then, it is still not exhaustive. Getting into the JCRC requires votes from your hall mates and the journey as a JCRC is nothing short of tiring but fulfilling.
As an ending note, university is perhaps one of the last times you will get to try out something new. The KR community is very welcoming to members/teammates of all skill levels, do try to explore the sports/cultures that you have always been interested in!
