A Message to new students

I, Takafumi Sakai, am honored to introduce myself as the new president of Saitama
University. As President, I would like to send a message to all of our new students.

First of all, congratulations on your admission to Saitama University. I am sure you havevarious aspirations and anxieties as you begin your new life. We, the faculty members andstaff, sincerely welcome you to the university and are committed to supporting you in yourfuture studies.

I was willing to tell you at the entrance ceremony about the significance of studying atuniversity. However, as a result of the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19), we have had to give up holding this year's ceremony. Although, the entrance
ceremony serves not only as the entrance to university life, but also a time of fresh resolve
for new students, after careful consideration of the national infectious disease control policy
and the spread of the infection, we have decided to cancel the ceremony in order to protect
the health and safety of our new students and the university community. It is with deep regret
to decide the cancellation of this important ceremony when thinking about the feelings of
new students and their families, we hope you would understand this decision as positive
action to end this pandemic.

For the above reasons, classes have been postponed for two weeks and will start on April 27.
All lectures will be conducted via remote learning, and preparations are underway. The
orientation given before the start of classes will also be conducted using video streams.
Please set up your internet environment in order to view them. In addition, medical
examinations, tests, and various information sessions for new students will be postponed orcanceled. Details will be announced on the university website, so please make sure to check.

You may feel unsettled or anxious in a new environment without an understanding of how
the university works. In order to ensure that you have a smooth start to your university life,
our faculty members will contact new students directly by phone. If you have any concerns
or questions, please ask them anything. The Q& A Chatbot is also available.

We would like to make a request to you. One of the characteristics of the novel coronavirus
disease is that there are many of the infected people show few symptoms. I particularly wantto emphasize that this asymptomatic infection is more prevalent among healthy young people.
Because they show almost no symptoms, they are prone to go out thoughtlessly, and this is
one of the reasons behind the spread of the infection. Now, we are at a critical moment
whether we can avoid a mass outbreak or not. If mass outbreak occurs, the healthcare system
will collapse, and many people will die who could have been saved under normal

circumstances. In addition, there have also been many reports recently of infected young
people becoming seriously ill. I strongly urge all new students to take this situation seriously
and act in a sensible manner, making it your first priority to avoid becoming infected or
infecting other people. This includes not going to places where large groups of people gather
and not moving around for any unnecessary reasons.

Now, as a new student, you may be surprised that unlike high school, studying at university
requires a great deal of initiative. At high school, students follow the goals and contents of
their respective subjects as set down in the curriculum guidelines. On the other hand,
university studies are designed to students discover problems on their own, use theircreativity to solve problems, pursue the truth, and develop their attitudes and abilities. This
also leads to disciplining oneself and thinking about one's own way of life. However, in orderto reach that point, you must first acquire the knowledge and wisdom that others have built
up before you. There is a favorite motto of mine that I often used to tell the students about inmy laboratory. It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius and can be translated as“learning without thinking is a waste, thinking without learning is useless.” This refers to theimportance of learning and thinking for oneself. Without both of these things, you will not beable to put your knowledge to use, or you will become stuck in your own way of thinking. Inorder to learn, it is necessary for learning to have an open mind and humility, as well as
solitary time to think. I hope you will keep in mind the importance of thinking while learningand thinking while learning as you begin your studies at university. A list of books
recommended by faculty members for Saitama University students to read has been postedon the website. With the postponement of the start of classes, I encourage you to use the freetime you have now to read and reflect on those books following our interests.

I am sure that you will experience a lot during the life that you are about to embark on. Each
moment will nurture your zest for life and make your life colorful. I sincerely hope that you
have an enjoyable and enriching time as a student.

The coronavirus disease that is now running rampant will be brought under control throughhuman wisdom and cooperation, as infectious diseases prevalent in the past. Although thisinconvenience will continue for some time, I believe that you can keep your hope and start
your university life. We, the university’s faculty member and staff, will do our best tosupport you.

April 3, 2020
Takafumi Sakai, Ph.D.
President, Saitama University