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| History of the USQMSA |
The constitution of the USQMSA was created in 1994 although there is no documentary evidence on who were involved in the initial founding
of the association. This lack of information can be blamed on inadequate documentation in the founding years. However, in 1995, the executive committee consisted of:
The activities pioneered during that time were - orientation of new students, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast trip, Sydney Winter tour that were jointly organized with the Toowoomba Council for International Students (TCIS), 'skirmish' with the Singapore Student Association - just to name a few. In the proceeding year, 1996, was also a year full of activities. However, ever since that year until 2000, the activities held by MSA declined dramatically. Perhaps the committees during those periods had neither the motivation nor time to organize such "extravagant" activities? The year 2000 was a good year for the Association. Things started to pick up again. We got involved with the Toowoomba Carnival of flowers, an Ice Breaking party was held to welcome new students and a flag raising ceremony was put in place in commemoration of our Malaysian National Day on August 31, 2000. However, the most significant contribution that this Association held was ironically linked with a tragic event. When the 5 Malaysian students were tragically killed in a car accident in March 2000, all the committee members headed by Syed Zahiruddin colaborated with the University in planning and executing the memorial for the 5 students. It was a very commendable effort that past team has put into. As for this year, we have made good progress in organizing activities. Despite the small committee size (five students altogether), we have managed to set up a mailing list, created a systematic filing system, got involved in the mentor program held during the International Orientation Week, set up a stall in the O'Week as well as organized a trip to Seaworld and Harbour Town in Gold Coast. The publishing of this website is another significant milestone for us. |
| Our Present Mission Statement |
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This Association was initially founded to provide assistance to Malaysian students who are studying on-campus in the
University of Southern Queensland. The USQMSA would colaborate with the University to help Malaysian students with
their housing, peer counselling, course advice as well as linking up senior students with the new arrivals. In addition to
providing assistance, this Association was formed to promote Malaysian culture to the local community via inter-cultural
nights, food sales and national day performances. Annual trips to local destinations are also organized annually in conjunction
with the International Orientation week to let both senior students and new arrivals to better know Australia.
Now, with the launching of this website, our mission statement has expanded to include off-campus students. We now aim to:
With this expanded approach, we aim to provide the best services to both on and off-campus Malaysian students so that our members can fully enjoy the unique USQ experience! |
| Vision for the Future |
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Our vision for the future will see this Association linking up with the various Malaysian student associations in other Australian
universities. We hope to be able to organize joint activities with the other Malaysian student organizations to promote our common
culture and heritage. By utilizing the Internet, this vision will become a reality in the near future.
We will also continue to maintain and improve our current services to our members. Promoting our friendliness and eagerness to provide assistance will ensure that future students continue to feel welcome and at home studying in USQ. Finally, we will strive to promote Malaysian culture as well as educate ourselves of both the international and local cultures. Through this, we hope to reduce discrimination and misunderstandings caused by cultural and racial differences. Thus, we hope to contribute - although in a small way - to living in peace and harmony within the global village. |
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