Writer: Chia Hui Min
Editor: Jonathan Chan
Note: KE Press would like to call upon KEVIIans who have photos of Flag Day (no matter how insignificant) to share the photos with KE Press to be included in the KE Yearbook. Please contact either Kok Pun, Angel or send an e-mail to keviihall@gmail.com
When the word ‘Flag’ is mentioned, most keviians would think of the arduous task of waking up in the wee hours of the morning, carrying tin cans and asking for donations all around this sunny island. Flag, however, is much more than that. In fact, being in a flag committee is hard work, what with the numerous phone calls made to companies and the countless rejections faced. The flag committee this year put in their utmost effort and eventually raised a grand total of $51,632.57 for charity! Not only that, KE7 managed to clinch the Gold Award for the second year running, with no small effort coming from the flag team. KE Press had an opportunity to interview flag head McVin Cheen, and vice-head Goh Wee Lee, and got a glimpse of what it is like to be part of the flag team.
What made you want to join the Flag committee?
MCVIN: I was part of Flag 07/08, and I really enjoyed myself then as the entire committee was very closely knitted. Flag 07/08 created history in KE7 by clinching our first ever Gold Award…The reason why I want to re-join the Flag Committee again this year is because I believe that we can achieve more than what we did last year, and also to bring the Gold Award back to KE7 for the second year running… I eventually took over*, with the help of a very capable Co Vice-Head, Goh Wee Lee… I really enjoyed myself in Flag 07/08 when we spent most of our time in the Hallmark Room, really getting to know each other better and also to share some gossips…The most important reason for me to re-join the Flag Committee this year is because of the meaning behind Flag Day… The society has given me so much, and I believe now is the time I return something back to the society, and at the same time contributing towards charity.
WEE LEE: I was kidnapped. (Joking!) I was attracted to the enormous potential of the Flag team after the team was formed and I thought to myself, I would like to give it a shot at leading the team to try and fight for the Chancellor shield.
*Chan Mun Joe was set to be the head of Flag. He eventually pulled out due to NOC, handing leadership over to McVin’s capable hands
What are some of the duties of a Flag head?
MCVIN: Duties of the Flag Head include overseeing the various departments and to offer them advice whenever required. Also, most of the time I had to be the bad guy trying to push the department heads to meet deadlines. Besides calling for weekly general meetings to receive updates from every department, I had to attend ROCKE meetings as well as NUSSU meetings. Of course, sometimes I had to resolve conflicts between members when there are conflicting ideas. I too had to take care of the morale of the Flag Committee members, encouraging them when they are down, treating them to bubble tea once in awhile, and bringing them out for supper! We love supper!
WEE LEE: We integrated the departments, as many of them did not work with each other before and sometimes miscommunication occurs. We also had to run from department to department as there were just not enough people to go around.
Not only that, we had to provide a liason with the office for administrative matters.
But the most important duty was: WORRY, WORRY AND MORE WORRIES.
Share with us some of the difficulties faced when trying to raise funds from sponsors.
MCVIN: We faced uncountable rejections from companies, and lack of manpower to do callings. We also encountered companies that demanded so much from us for just donating a small sum of money. There were also instances where the companies gave us so much hope and eventually pulled out at the very last minute, which was a huge blow to us. But nevertheless, I guess all of us have overcome the fear of being rejected!
WEE LEE: It was during the Si Chuan earthquake when we tried to raise funds. People wanted to donate to the cause rather than for the local beneficiaries .Also, we do not have a very big pool of alumni unlike Sheares or Kent Ridge. Moreover, many business and companies were facing their own financial problems at that period of time.
Do you think flag is important for hall? Why?
MCVIN: Definitely! As residents of King Edward VII Hall, not only must we excel in our academics, sports and culture, we also should contribute to the society. The amount raised by us speaks alot about the Hall, and we should always put in our best on Flag Day as it is such a meaningful event! Like what Mun Joe said to me in the past, when we do something for charity, we are actually contributing to the society.
WEE LEE: I believe it is important for Hall. It is a once a year event and it is one of the few events where you can see the whole hall working together.
How did you encourage the seniors to join flag? How would you convince people that waking up at 4am is reasonable for flag?
MCVIN: We send out emails to the seniors to appeal for their help for Flag Day. When they are impressed by the amount we raised during the preflagging phase, they will naturally come back to help out to raise as much money as possible. Also, after staying for more than a year in KE7, I believe most of the seniors feel for the Hall, and will definitely come back to contribute to the Hall!
As we have to catch the morning crowd, which will be a morale booster for us to continue flagging for the rest of the day, we’ll have to wake up early so that we can be ready to catch the morning crowd. And it’s never early when it comes to doing our part for charity right? :p Although we did not really convince everyone to wake up at 4am, but I guess everyone understood the need to wake up early, and I sincerely thank all of those who woke up on time for Flag Day! J
WEE LEE: We went around hall “forcing” people to join flag, basically on the reason that it is only a 1 day event and it is only once a year. Plus we might just have a shot at the Chancellor shield. 4am is very early, but for me, it is the only day out of 365 that I have to wake up this early. People also know that the early bird catches the worm.
What are some of the best methods to get people on the streets to donate money into the donation tins on flag day?
MCVIN: Be very sincere in asking for donations! Show them our sincerity and be proactive! Sometimes when people see us standing from the early morning all the way till the night, they will be so touched that they will donate twice.
WEE LEE: According to my experience, you would need to “thicken” your skin for the day. A smile on your face does the trick. Dressing nicely also helps!
Are you satisfied with this year’s amount of money collection?
MCVIN: Although we didn’t perform as well as last year, we managed to clinch the Gold Award for the second year running! Although we had a smaller number of flaggers this year compared to the last, and was also challenged with strong competition from the other faculties and Halls of Residence, we still managed to achieve what we aimed to. For that, I’m really happy with our Hall’s performance this year.
WEE LEE: I am quite happy that we have got a gold award. However, we could have done better if the economic conditions were not so bad.
What improvements would you suggest for the next Flag committee?
MCVIN: We definitely need more people who are willing to commit. Therefore, we really need to convince the residents that the Flag Committee is indeed a very fun committee to be in! I’ve been in the Committee for 2 years, and honestly speaking, I can see that everyone who joined the Committee enjoyed themselves to the fullest! Also, if we want to achieve more, we really need to start very early, and recruit the right people. Starting early and with the right people are the keys to success! And also, make full use of the archived files! Although they have become dusty after being left on the shelf for years, they offer great insights to what we have to do.
WEE LEE: I would suggest thinking of more projects to take up and collaborating with external agencies to get more donations.
Any words of appreciation for your flag committee?
MCVIN: Of course! I would like everyone to know about these individuals who have walked alongside with me to make Flag 08/09 a success. They are my department heads! The Operations department, led by Hia Fabian. The Fundraising department, led by Chew Yue Zhi. The Projects department, led by Foo Wan Qing. The Publicity department, led by Low Yu Lung Alvin. And not forgetting the secretary, Chia Hong Ju, who makes such wonderful minutes for our meetings! I would also like to thank the committee members under the various departments for their contributions towards the success of Flag 08/09. And last but not least, the residents who woke up at 4am on Flag Day and flagged for 13 hours! Thank you all for making KE7 Flag 08/09 a success!
WEE LEE: Ah, this is what I wanted to say. Over the past few months of Flag, I have seen them give all their best. Putting in all the effort they had, we went through disappointment when we could not get sponsorships or donations and happiness when we secured a deal. I have seen some of them grown tremendously over the few months. Each of them learnt something new and benefited from the rigorous activities that we were engaged in. I would like to thank them for giving their best and this was all I needed from them.
Last but not least, describe your flag experience in 3 words!
MCVIN: Bittersweet, meaningful, enjoyable. J
WEE LEE: Fruitful, eye-opener, rewarding.
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