Leo? Lion? Leon?

More than half of the 100 students quizzed by the Nanyang Chronicle were clueless about the identities of some of the university’s most notable figures.

By Fiona Lam, Chief Sub-editor
Infographic: Isaac Tan

It was a case of mistaken identity.

Despite much fanfare to mark its launch, 77 out of 100 students couldn’t identify NTU mascot Lyon in an informal online quiz conducted by the Nanyang Chronicle.

One even identified it as “NTU Singa”.

From mascots to presidents, students were stumped when asked to name eight prominent figures of the university. In fact, the results showed that only 12 students passed this test.

Students were only provided designations, without any visual aids. A disclaimer against searching online for the answers was also stated.

The test was done to see how well-informed students were of key figures of the school. The Nanyang Chronicle recognises the poll results may not be representative of what the rest of the NTU population may know. Even so, the most common score of the quiz was zero. And no one answered all eight questions correctly.

Chia Bingxi, 22, was one of the students who could not identify anyone on the list. He said it was because he didn’t see the need to find out more, and would rather focus on his studies and social life instead of university politics.

“Playing my role as a student well is far more important than knowing who those people are by name and title,” said the second-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

But Koh Shumin, 23, who also scored zilch, attributed it to the lack of personal contact between students and the notable figures.

“We seldom get to interact with them face-to-face,” said the final-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Students feel detached from those people because we don’t see them around school,” she added.

This disconnection is also faced by students who have come in constant contact with the faculty.

Jean Tan, 22, the President of the Art, Design & Media (ADM) club scored the highest. She was the only one with seven correct answers.

The third-year student attributed her score to her position as a student leader. “At times, I am required to meet the relevant parties as it is part of my job,” she explained.

But she said that the average NTU student would likely be concerned with only the important people in his school, CCA, and hall instead of the NTU senior management, so it’s impossible for students to keep up. “Anything beyond that takes an effort to remember, unless it is heavily publicised,” she said.

Among the eight personalities, NTU President Prof Bertil Andersson was the most well-known, followed by Lyon, the NTU mascot.

Of the 77 who couldn’t name Lyon, most knew he was a lion at least. Some suggested answers given for his name were “Leo”, “Leon” and simply “Lion”.

Director of the Career & Attachment Office (CAO), Mr Loh Pui Wah, was the least well-known, and many respondents also said they didn’t know the NTU Council existed.

As for what could make students more aware of NTU’s key figures, Cheryl Lee, 21, suggested the appointment-holders have more interaction at the ground level.

“Perhaps the NTU spirit will be stronger if they are able to interact more with students, be it via dialogues, emails, or forums,” said the second-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, who scored five in the survey.

“They can also pop by and show their faces at more school events, such as the recent school Halloween celebrations.”