Alexander Yang is a second year NUS South East Asian Studies Major student. Asked what it means to be a CSR ‘activist’ on campus, he jokingly said: “It means a constant marvelling at how CSR is picking up such speed and clout elsewhere around the world but yet is so completely unheard of in NUS.

Juris talks to the President of the NUS CSR Student Movement.

Q: How is knowledge of CSR important to the student?

CSR comprises a set of values that will have great impact on the student once he or she enters the workforce. These values imply things such as a humane work schedule, a working environment free of hazards, and the on-going development of their talents in substantial ways, among other things.

However, as with most values, CSR does run into problems in practice and it is knowledge of these problems that students should ideally understand and contribute their thoughts on.

Like any ideal still in its infancy, we who take it up now face a lot of questions and challenges and wonder constantly if it is all worth it. However, the trends are certainly encouraging. A lot of countries and major companies are picking it up and it’s only a matter of time before it arrives here and arrives big.

Q: What programme does NUS CSR have in the pipeline this academic year?
Some highlights: We are putting together a conference/seminar on CSR to be held in around January in 2008. We hope to bring in corporations, NGOs and government agencies to get their perspectives on CSR and its development in Singapore.

Also in the works is a trip to an exotic resort overseas to learn about its environmental
and social efforts. Another project involves helping a local small enterprise develop and execute a socially responsible business plan.

For more information on the CSR Student Movement: http://csr.blogsome.com/ , or email nus.csrsm@gmail.com.