He noted that it was the expectation of the university that its students would imbibe the virtues of self-discipline and care, good mode of dressing, general comportment and fidelity to their studies and work before they entered into the world of work.

Prof. Ampiah was speaking at the matriculation ceremony to formally welcome regular students admitted to the university for the 2019/2020 academic year last Saturday.

A total of 7,401 applicants made up of 203 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), 551 Master’s and 6,647 undergraduate students were admitted to pursue various programmes.

The number comprised 4,103 males and 3,298 females representing 55.4 per cent and 44.6 per cent respectively.

Experiences

The Vice-Chancellor said UCC provided an environment that exposed students to an entertaining and a wide-range of learning experiences.

“Our lecturers, scholars and researchers are here not only to help you obtain that prestigious and enviable UCC degree, but also to help expand your understanding of the society and the world at large,” he noted.

He advised the students that “here, your freedom ends where another person’s freedom begins, so you must not only protect your rights, privileges and freedom, but you must also ensure that you do not trample on the rights, privileges and freedom of others”.

Prof. Ampiah indicated that the university had rules and regulations which governed students’ activities.

He emphasised that the rules and regulations were not meant to punish students, but to bring order and harmony in the university and make their stay on campus enjoyable.

Anti-social

Prof. Ampiah noted that UCC would continue to maintain zero tolerance for anti-social behaviours such as occultism, examination malpractice, hooliganism, and such other vices.

“The university has enjoyed relative peace over the years, and you are, therefore, advised to keep to the matriculation oath and stay away from activities that will constitute a threat to the peace of this noble institution of learning, as any manifestation of such ills shall be dealt with in accordance with the university’s rules and regulations,” he warned.

Prof. Ampiah advised the students to place high premium on their academic work by taking their quizzes seriously, completing assignments on time, forming effective study groups and participating actively in classroom activities.

“All these contribute to your overall mark and if done well, the main end-of-semester examinations will be less strenuous and the urge to engage in examination malpractice will not be there,” he stressed.

The vice-chancellor entreated the students to be security conscious and adhere to traffic regulations on campus, adding that “these measures have been put in place to ensure that you are safe on campus”.

The Registrar of the university, Mr Kofi Nyan, administered the matriculation oath to the students.