With much attention paid to the National University of Singapore the past several days, some members of the public are noticeably aghast by the antics of some of its students to the extent that harassment on the streets have allegedly begun.

A text message (pictured above) has been circulated telling NUS students they can choose not to wear their institution's shirt if they are not comfortable being identified as a student there:

However, this message might be a tad too timely.

This is so as Flag Day will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, where thousands of NUS students will be deployed island-wide to collect donations and making their presence felt in public in a big way.

Flag Day is the annual charity project by NUS students to raise donations from the general public that will be going to two dozen charities this year.

This is the succinct description of Flag Day according to the National University of Singapore Students' Union:

NUSSU Rag & Flag is an annual charity project featured prominently as part of the NUSSU freshmen orientation programme. Pioneered in 1959 as part of Welfare Week, the initiative has come a long way to be regarded as one of the University's most historic events in its annual calendar.

The first part of the project is Flag Day in which undergraduates from every NUS faculty are dispersed all over Singapore to collect donations from the general public. All donations received will go towards a total of 19 charities supported by the Community Chest.

During the second part, Rag (historically known as 'Receiving & Giving') Day, intricate floats and spectacular dance performances are put up by students for the NUS community and general public as an appreciation of their generous donations and support during Flag Day. A Rag & Flag carnival is also held alongside the Rag performances to provide an additional platform to raise funds and awareness of the various beneficiaries involved in NUSSU Rag & Flag.

Overall, NUSSU Rag & Flag seeks to continue the University's legacy of altruism and make significant contribution to the underprivileged in the wider society.

So, if you do see NUS students on the streets, the least you can do is just be normal.

But do feel free to make donations.

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