Activity Reports

The Student Support Station provides opportunities for students to get together socially by holding informal "cafés." Below you'll find information about past activities; look forward to similar ones in the coming year.

• Station Café #6 "Station Cafe "Merry Christmas with Origami!"

  Date & time: Friday, December 12

  Venue: Student Support Community Space

  Under instruction from members of the Origami for College Students in Kyoto, participants enjoyed origami and improving their skills and techniques.

  　

• Station Café #5 "Let's enjoy a Fantasy Group, a 'world without words'" 
  Date & time: Monday, November 14,1:30 ~ 4:00 p.m.
  Venue: Student Support Community Space

  They drew pictures in random colors in paint with glue on papers and named it Fontaine [fountain].

• Date & time: Monday, November 21,1:30 ~ 4:00 p.m.
  Venue: Student Support Community Space

  Participants made works of art using pieces cut from the work they made in the previous class, bring them back to life as collages.

• 4th Student Support Station Café was held on on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. Students enjoyed working together on joint construction projects with Kapla. Go here for more information.

Station Café #3 -- Gardening & Reaping what has been sown

Date & time: Wednesday, July 27, 2011,12:30 ~ 2:30 p.m.

Venue: Student Support Community Space

The Community Space was filled with the fragrance of fresh cut herbs on Wednesday as participants placed cuttings in water. Participants also planted succulent plants in pots. Oh, and the Tutankhamun beans that participants cooked, what did they taste like? Rather similar to green peas.
Join us next time.

1st Station Café -- Movies & coffee!

Date & Time: May 27, 2011, 1:30 ~ 3:30 p.m.

Venue: Student Support Community Space

Movie titles: Der Geringste Widerstand (The Point of Least Resistance) and Der Rechte Weg (The Right Way), Switzerland, 1981 and 1983

After viewing the two movies, attendees discussed the movies --"Why were they wearing costumes of a mouse and panda?", talked about things they'd been thinking about recently and things they were interested in with staff of the Support Station. "It was a great chance to meet others and talk," was one observation.

An introduction of Osaka University for high school students conducted by current university students. This was an 80th Anniversary event.

Date & time: Tuesday, May 3, 2011, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Venue: Assembly Hall, Osaka University Hall

As part of Osaka University's 80th anniversary event, an explanatory session, An Introduction of Osaka University for High School Students, was held. Faculty members from Support for Students with Disabilities together with students with challenges provided advice about student life and available support for students with challenges.

9th Station Café -- Stress Management Workshop

Date & time: Friday, December 3, 2010, from 1:30

Venue: Student Support Community Space

In this workshop, attendees learned and practiced psychological techniques for managing stress, the small worries that are a part of daily life. Activities such as "Taking a New Look at yourself" and "Goals for the Ideal You" were examined.

8th Station Café -- Planting of seedlings

Date & time: Wednesday, November 24, from 2:00

Venue: Roof garden of the Student Union Building  & CMC Plaza, Toyonaka Cybermedia Center

With members of the Toyonaka Greenery Leader Association, seedlings of hoary stock, chrysanthemum, viola, and sweet pea tutankhamun were planted. We look forward to seeing these flowers bloom after the cold of winter.

6th Station Café -- A party for tasting "edamame" [green soy beans]

Date & time: Thursday, November 18, from 4:20

Venue: Student Support Community Space

Edamame planted early in the summer produced beans. Students participated in the past gardening events cooked and enjoyed tasting the edamame in a party with members of the Toyonaka Greenery Leader Association.

Beginner's Sign Language Class

Support for Students with Disabilities has hold language classes since 2002-2003 academic year as part of enlightenment and education.

2011-2012 academic year

Special Sign Language Class

A special Sign Language Class was held under the theme of the life of persons with auditory impairment. The class was open to students who were not participating the regular sign language classes.

Beginner's Sign Language Class

Date: Thursday, April 21 - Thursday, July 14 (12 classes in all)

Twelve sign language classes were held in order to provide opportunities to know daily life of persons with auditory impairment and those who communicate with sign language through learning sign language for beginners.

Beginner's Sign Language Class (2010-2011 academic year)

Class dates: weekly every Monday, October 18, 2010 ~ January 31, 2011

Class time: 2:40 ~ 4:10 p.m.

Venue: Seminar Room, 2nd Floor, Student Commons, Research Building #1, Institute for Higher Education Research and Practice, Toyonaka Campus

Support for Students with Disabilities held 13 classes in which they instructed students in sign language.

Students enjoyed practicing sign language and finger alphabet in a game, question style. They were all beginners so they worked hard to convey and understand. Whenever they had questions, they did research about hand/finger positions together. Helping each other, they deepened their understanding of and ability in sign language.

Beginner's Sign Language Class

Station Café #5 -- "Blooming on campus" with the Eco-rangers

CMC [Cybermedia Center] Plaza, Toyonaka Cybermedia Center

Support for Students with Disabilities held a "café" event in cooperation with members of the Toyonaka Greenery Leader Association on July 22, 2010. Attendees replanted seedlings of periwinkle and coleus together with the Eco-rangers.
If you're in the area, please stop by and view the plants' growth.

The CMC Student Plaza was built at the north side of the Cybermedia Center's Toyonaka Education and Research Building in January 2003. This past summer, along with improvements of the new building, the water tank, a fixture even before the building was constructed, became part of the CMC Plaza. In the 5th "café," the top of the tank was made into a flower garden! Wooden tables and benches as well as trees and flowers now beautify the plaza.
To view additional pictures of the renewed CMC Plaza, click here.

Station Café #4-2 -- "Replanting seedlings"

• Under the tutelage of members of the Toyonaka Greenery Leader Association, attendees replanted seedlings of periwinkle planted on May 27.
  
  

Station Café #4 -- "Planting seedlings"

• Students replanted these seedlings of zinnias, periwinkle, nasturtium, and edamame.
  
  

Station Café #3 x 2 -- "Find yourself through a fantasy group"! Go here for more information.

• Monday, July 5
  
  

• Monday, June 28
  
  

1st Station Study Meeting

• Date & time: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 3:00 p.m.
  
• Venue: Student Support Community Space
  
• Lecturer: NAKAMURA Yumi, Kansai Children Culture Association

• Following the lecture on stay-at-home students by Ms. Nakamura, attendees exchanged opinions. Study meetings will be held periodically.

Station Café #2 -- Planting seeds -- Early Summer Gardening

In cooperation with volunteers of the Toyonaka Greenery Leader Association, attendees planted seeds of zinnias, periwinkle, nasturtium, and edamame. Under the tutelage of members of the association, attendees enjoyed a cross-generational exchange while working in the soil.

Station Café #1 -- Movie

Enjoy the Café -- Watch a movie, make friends!

• Movie title: Turtles Can Fly

The movie was followed by a coffee break. Attendees exchanged impressions of the movie -- "I imagined a Gamera-like creature from the title.", "The movie concerned the situation in Iraq in relation to the Iraqi invasion by the United States, something which we can't learn much about from TV coverage. I felt a big gap between what I imagined the movie would be about and the actual content of the movie."

Behind-the-Scenes SUPPORT

Meetings of university Front Staff

3rd Front Staff meeting

2nd Front Staff meeting

Date & time: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m.
Venue: Meeting Room #1, 1st floor, Convention Center
The 2nd meeting of and lecture for graduate and undergraduate school front staff was held.
Date & time: Wednesday, January 26, 2011,11:00 a.m.
Venue: Meeting Room #1, 1st floor, Convention Center
Lecturers: INOUE Yoichi, Professor, Health Center, Director, Student Counseling Office; ISHIKANE Naomi, Associate Professor
Title: Mental Health at Osaka University

1st Front Staff meeting
Date & time: Thursday, June 23, 2010,11:00 a.m.
Venue: Meeting Room #3, 2nd floor, Convention Center

The range of student support has expanded from concerns over student involvement in cults and support for students with challenges to providing emotional, social, and academic to the typical student. In fact, several schools feel the need to coordinate responses to problems faced by or caused by "typical" students. Under such circumstances, in cooperation with Student Counseling Office at the Health Center, the front staff of the various schools need to share information. Thus, the first front staff meeting since the Student Support Station was established was held in order to coordinate nipping possible problems in the bud.

Lecture

A lecture was held in cooperation with the JICA Training Program for Young Leaders of English-speaking Countries in Africa & the Support System for Persons with Disabilities Course

Date & time: Friday, July 16, 2010
Venue: Seminar Room #2, Student Commons
Title: Support for Students with Disabilities: The Case of Osaka University
Lecturer: MATSUBARA Takashi, Associate Professor, Student Support Unit, Support for Students with Disabilities

Twenty-three persons from 11 countries in Africa, involved in supporting people with challenges at governmental organizations or private care facilities visited Osaka University. The lecture by Mr. Matsubara was followed by active discussion.

Activity Report 2010 is available for download and viewing.