Blog 3: Potential Research Project Topic

Description:
Students who have their lunch in Science canteen during lunch hours (around one to two p.m.) often face the problem of overcrowding and the lack of seats. Not only are there insufficient seats, overcrowding also results in long queues in certain stalls. Students or NUS staff members who have limited time for lunch often have to settle for stalls with shorter queues or even buy packed lunch.

I have observed that there are several groups of people who are non-NUS staff coming to Science canteen for their lunch. They are probably staff from NUH who have their own canteen too. They usually come in big groups (four and above) and tend to spend time chatting after finishing their lunch. The seats are thus occupied even after they have finished their lunch while students or NUS staff are scavenging for seats. Students should have the privilege of using canteen facilities since the food is cheaper than that outside of university canteens.

I believe that preventing non-NUS staff from using canteen facilities will solve the problem of overcrowding during lunch peak hours.

Problem Statement:
The objective of this study is to analyze if preventing non-NUS staff from using canteen facilities will solve the problem of overcrowding during lunch peak hours.

Reader (party who is in position to act on my proposal):
Office of Estate and Development, OED

Purpose Statement:
The objective of this report is to inform OED of the crowding of Science canteen by non-NUS staff during lunch peak hours and the inconvenience it has brought to NUS staff and students.
Another objective is to convince OED that preventing non-NUS staff from using canteen facilities will solve the problem of overcrowding during lunch peak hours.

An attitudinal survey will be done to investigate if students do identify the problem of overcrowding during lunch hours. The analysis will determine if non-NUS staff are exploiting canteen facilities and if there is a need to prevent non-NUS staff from using them. Solutions to the problem will also be collated from the survey.

One of the ways to solve the problem is to designate areas for NUS students and staff (there are designated areas for NUS staff already), which are accessible only to staff and students during the peak hours. Since a lot of work has to be done if the proposal is approved, the survey serves as a population analysis of the seriousness of the problem and the urgency to solve the problem.

Blog 2: Interpersonal conflict

A is a fourth year student doing her final year research project which lasts the entire year.
B is a Ph.D student who is also A’s mentor and guides A in her research and final report.
C is a lecturer who is both A and B’s supervisor for their final year project (FYP) and Ph.D studies respectively.

A is supposed to go directly to B when she has anything in doubt and goes to C only when B is not around.
Both B and C will be grading her performance in the laboratory and the grades make up forty percent of her final grade.

Main problem:
B uses hurtful and sarcastic words when guiding A in her experiments and A finds it stressful working with B.

B is temperamental who can be very nice yet turns nasty suddenly, thus A is very stressed since she has got to guess B’s mood when she approaches B.
B always uses hurtful and sarcastic phrases such as “you are very slow” (she nags with that phrase all day long) and “You dare to use this technique? Only experts like the lecturer can use it successfully. Even I dare not use it.”.
B complains that she is very busy, sends A for a break and then takes a break herself. B then tells C that, “A has lessons” or “A is having her lunch”, when C finds A missing.
A is worried that if C sees her around when she was supposed to be “having lessons”, C will think that she is lying and leaves a bad impression in C.
A finds it a toil working with B but does not dare to complain to C since both B and C will be grading her.

What would you do if you were A?

The figure on the right is taken from the blog of a mediator as a profession, ttp://newresolutionmediation.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html, abstracted from an article by Christopher W. Moore.

It summerises the different types of conflicts that we may face in our lives. Did you have any similar experiences?