News

What is the Sempai Project? 

Officially approved and managed by the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) office, the SILS Sempai Project (Sempro) is a student-run organization aiming to support SILS students during their time at Waseda University. Dedicated to fostering a welcoming environment and building meaningful relationships within the SILS community, Sempro members manage a variety of events and projects, from the semestrial Welcome Party to a guidebook on life in Japan. 

Why was the Sempai Project created? 

For anyone enrolled in SILS, one of the prime reasons for having chosen the school is probably the diverse environment, in which students from different cultural backgrounds interact with each other. According to the demographics published in November 2023, there were 896 international students (including 1-year exchange students) in SILS, ranking first in the number of international students among Waseda University’s 36 undergraduate and graduate schools. They come from over 50 different countries and regions around the world, making up approximately 30% of SILS students. Besides diversity, freedom is another big feature of SILS – students can not only choose courses they are interested in but also participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities.  

When SILS students actually start their journey, however, things tend to become more overwhelming than they expected, especially for those who do not have acquaintances in Japan. From school life concerns like course registration to daily life trifles such as opening bank accounts, it seems vital to hear about their firsthand experience and get advice from “sempais” – the Japanese term for upper-division students. As many readers may know, Japan has a sempai-kouhai system, where sempais are higher in the social hierarchy – be it by age, grade, or experience – than kouhais and thus are expected to help the latter. In turn, the kouhais need to be respectful and grateful to the sempais. As a SILS student, being in one of the most international environments in Waseda, I often witness how the sempai-kouhai system at SILS undergoes change. Despite the inherent hierarchy within the system, students at SILS have more fluid and equal sempai-kouhai relationships: everyone in SILS has such different experiences, that anyone is a potential sempai in one field and kouhai in another; thus, upper-division students, who are usually deemed sempais, stay open to kouhais without expecting absolute respect – usually in the form of obedience – from them. Because of this, sempais and kouhais become friends easily. The SILS Sempai Project, as suggested by its name, plays an important role in integrating the sempai-kouhai system into SILS by creating an atmosphere that brings new students (kouhai) and sempai together to network.  

My experience with Sempro 

The first time I heard of Sempro was through the Welcome Party when I entered SILS one and a half years ago. Despite it being held online, a warm atmosphere reached me across the cold digital screen, especially when one of the members introduced her circle by playing the shamisen (a Japanese traditional musical instrument). After learning more about Sempro, I decided to join in the last semester with the expectation of getting more involved in the SILS community as well as improving my interpersonal collaboration skills. It turns out that I have gained more than what I was originally looking for. Having worked as the photographer for our in-person events, I was able to vividly capture the dynamic among our participants. It touched me the most how our participants enjoyed conversation with each other so much that they did not want to leave after the events. Moreover, the atmosphere within our internal members is always friendly. This is definitely a safe place for me where I can speak out when I feel comfortable to share. After all, it is the unique environments both between Sempro members and at its events that inspired me to join.  

People waiting for the venue to open in front of the Central Library before the Welcome Party starts

Our Main Events and Projects 

Welcome Party  

Held before every semester begins, the Welcome Party serves as a unique “entrance ceremony” for newly-enrolled students at SILS. This semester, on the afternoon of April 4th, a cloudy day, cherry blossoms in full bloom, the grand event was once again hosted at the Masaru Ibuka Auditorium, with over 300 participants. In order for our participants to make the most of the time, two separate segments were designed. In the first presentation session, all students were seated in the auditorium, listening to introductions of several circles as well as brief speeches by SILS faculty. Then we moved on to the next ice-breaker session where students were divided into 3 rooms. By playing ice-breaker games that tested their familiarity with Waseda University and their fellow students, our participants gradually became closer to each other. Although the games ended quickly, more fun was waiting ahead: outside the rooms were elaborately prepared booths with student club (circle) representatives ready to talk with anyone interested. Snacks and drinks were available on the tables, and of course, the hall was a perfect place to converse freely. In the end, we Sempro members had to close the venue for time’s sake, but many people still lingered outside of the venue even when the sky started to get dark.  

People listening to presentations at the Masaru Ibuka Auditorium

Course Consultation 

For students in a school that offers such a variety of courses like SILS, it is of great importance to get information beyond the syllabus – whether it be related to the teaching style, special assignment requirements, or just recommendations for a certain subject. Because of this, Sempro holds online course consultation sessions where sempais take the stage to answer queries from newly-enrolled students. The topics go beyond courses – any questions related to university life can be answered here! 

Campus Tour 

Although the Waseda campus is not so big, it can still be a bit confusing for freshmen to find places on the first day of school. Starting last semester, a new event – campus tour – is held a week before every new semester begins. Sempro guides lead participants around the campus. The sempais share useful information about the spots as well as personal experiences, so that students can be more prepared for the otherwise chaotic first week. 

Our group photos

Textbook in Transit 

Obtaining new textbooks for classes can be a dreary task. We organize Textbook in Transit every semester to help students save money and connect with each other. Through this program, students are able to donate and pick up used textbooks for free. Students who donate books are also able to leave a “Donor Card” in their books that includes their message and contact information, by which the book recipients can keep in touch with the donors. Furthermore, by encouraging students to recycle textbooks and in turn fostering the consciousness of carbon-neutrality, our program makes a contribution to Waseda University’s goal to achieve a net zero carbon campus by 2032. 

More? 

Targeting students who just started to live in Japan for the first time, our members have created SILS Sempai Project Student Guidebook that covers a range of topics. Even international students who do not study at SILS will find it helpful! Moreover, an on-going project that pairs sempais and kouhais together as buddies – the Buddy Program is currently admitting participants.  

A Message from the President 

If you are interested in becoming a part of Sempro or even proposing your own projects, we are recruiting new members year–round! All SILS students are welcome to join as volunteers or members, but note that students in their first semester (Year 1 Semester 1 students) will only be accepted as volunteers, who are not obligated to join meetings and need only to assist with the execution of events. Our members make up three teams: Operations, Public Relations, and Media, each assigned with different roles. To join us, you can check the recruitment email for 2024 sent at the beginning of this year, or you can also find it on our Instagram @sils.sempro, along with updates on our recent events. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us either through our Instagram account or through our email: [email protected]. We look forward to having you and expanding our community!  

Photo of our current members

*This article was written by the following Student Contributor:
Sun Yufei
School of International Liberal Studies