Hopefully

By Christian Edu Villegas

(Vol. XXVI No. 11, Editorial Cartoon)

Hopefully

It’s been more than a month now since every one of us in this planet welcomed the year 2009, the Year of the Earth Ox, with high hopes and positive expectations. It’s been already a while since we started the journey in making new pages to compile another chapter of the history. It’s been sometime since we closed that chapter filled with hues and colors – the year 2008.

Looking back, for Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), the year 2008 had been a healthy chapter of its history. The university had been through a lot of transformations. New teachers and faculty members had been added to the university’s teaching and working force; the dress code policy was implemented; the construction of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences building started; the university gate of Main Campus I was restructured; the blue guards took in-charge of the university’s security; the university started adapting the e-System – these were only some of the remarkable improvements embraced by the Norsunian community last year.

Along with these transformations are achievements that added significant pages to the history of NORSU. The year 2008 was a year of accomplishments for Norsunians, especially in topping national licensure examinations. It’s a year of adding laurels to the university and extending the long list of Norsunian achievers in the history.

To recall, on the May 2008 Civil Engineering Licensure Examination, Engr. Bernard Duran Jr. was named as the 5th top passer. Two months after Duran joined the list of topnotchers, another two Norsunians proved that the products of the university are of high calibers. The names of Engr. John Michael Villagonzalo and Engr. Christian George Pal-ing were placed on the 2nd and 5th spots, respectively, in the August 2008 Master Plumber Examination.

On September 2008, Catherine Capilla, a graduate of Bachelor of Elementary Education major in Special Education, ranked 10th in the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Capilla, who ranked first in the region and top ten nationwide, is the first Norsunian in history who was included in the top ten LET passers. The triumphs continued. On October 2008, two Norsunians made it to the top ten of the Mechanical Engineering Licensure Examination. Engr. Winston Gomez landed in the second top spot of the exam while Engr. Jephunneh Paalisbo was the 7th top passer.

These accomplishments, which were the highlights of 2008, are pages of the history that each Norsunian should be proud of. Despite the fact that there is an evident lack of facilities and equipment in the university, it is very inspiring to know that Norsunians excel as one of the bests and the finest in the nation.

That chapter had ended and here goes the university and the whole NORSU family paving pages of another chapter to NORSU’s history. As we look back to last year and continue journeying, it is not bad to hope for this year to have an increase in the record of achievers. It is not bad to cross our fingers that this year, like last year, would be another chapter of remarkable achievements for Norsunians – of showing what really a true-blue Norsunian can be.

More than that, it is not bad to hope that somehow, some longings of the students for equipment and facilities would finally be realized. It is not bad to pray that hopefully, the students’ concerns would be the main priority this year because if Norsunians did more with less, they could do more with adequate facilities and equipment.

Have a happy journey to 2009 everyone!

Sa paglipas ng panahon...

By Ren Angelo Elevera
(Vol. XXVI No. 9, Editorial Cartoon)

Sa paglipas ng panahon...

Ang wika ay kaluluwa ng isang bansa. Bawat bansang malaya ay may kanya-kanyang wika. Ang Pilipinas, na itunuturing na isa sa mga ito, ay may sarili ring wika. Ito ay ang Wikang Filipino. Iilang buwan na rin ang nakalipas nang ipagdiwang ng Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) ang Buwan ng Wika. Sa halip na buwanang pagdiriwang, ito ay idinaos sa loob ng isang araw na lamang noong ika-20 ng Agosto sa pamamagitan ng mga patimpalak gaya ng comical skit at katutubong sayaw. Naging matagumpay man ang paggunita ng unibersidad sa Buwan ng Wika, hindi pa rin natin maitatanggi na ang pagdiriwang ngayon ay payak na lamang kung ihahambing noong mga nakaraang taon. Naging kasiya-siya man ang ginawang selebrasyon, hindi naman ito naging sapat upang lubusang tumatak sa isipan ng lahat ang nais ipahiwatig ng pagdiriwang. Noong mga nagdaang taon, hindi maipagkakailang mas masaya at mas pinaghandaan ang pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika dito sa NORSU. Iilan sa mga pinaghandaang palatuntunan na itinampok noon ay ang paligsahan sa pagkukwento, madulang sayaw, talumpati, sabayang pagbigkas, at katutubong sayaw. Noon ay mayroon ding mga dulang may iisang yugto, at may ginawang pagpili ng Lakan at Lakambini ng Wika. Mayroon pa ngang tabo sa banay at mga paligsahan sa katutubong laro na noo’y nilahukan ng mga mag-aaral. Mapapansing habang lumilipas ang panahon ay unti-unting nawawalan ng tingkad ang dating makulay na selebrasyon. Bakit unti-unting nagiging tahimik ang dati’y siksik na siksik sa saya na pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika? Bakit mula sa mahabang hanay ng mga palatuntunan noon, dalawa o tatlong programa na lamang ang natira? Hindi naman natin masisisi ang Departamento ng Filipino dahil makatarungan naman ang kanilang mga dahilan kung bakit naging simple na lamang ang pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika ngayong taon. Ang kawalan ng badyet, ay isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan. Ang mas magarang selebrasyon ay mangangahulugang mas malaki ang perang magagamit, na mangangahulugan ding mas mabigat para sa bulsa ng mga estudyanteng kumukuha ng asignaturang Filipino ang gagawing paggunita. Pangalawa, maaantala ang klase kung gagawing mas matagal ang selebrasyon. Tama nga naman– naging praktikal lamang ang departamento na isipin ang kapakanan ng mga estudyante. Ngunit sa kabilang banda, hindi natin maiiwasang magtanong: Paano naman natin bubuhayin ang unti-unti nang namamatay na larawan ng wika at kulturang Pilipino kung hindi naman natin magawang ipadama sa mas nakakaraming estudyante ang tunay na diwa ng selebrasyon? Paano mararamdaman ng mga mag-aaral ang nais ipahiwatig ng pagdiriwang kung hindi nga nila halos mapansin? Mayroon ngang nanood sa payak na pagdiriwang ngunit hindi pa rin maitatangging mas marami ang nagsawalang bahala dito. Hindi ba maaaring pagsabayin ang pagtitipid at ang isang matingkad na pagdiriwang? Wala na bang paraan upang maibalik ang dating nakaka-agaw pansin na pagdiriwang na hindi magiging mabigat sa bulsa ng mga estudyante at hindi nakakaantala sa kanilang mga klase? Sa panahon ngayon, hindi na nga ba praktikal ang magdaos ng isang magarbo at makulay na Buwan ng Wika? Sana ay maari pa. Sana ay may paraan pa. Bakit? Dahil ang isang maingay, matingkad at makabuluhang pagdiriwang ang siyang pupukaw sa damdamin ng mga mag-aaral– damdaming dapat pahalagahan ang tunay na kabuluhan ng kultura at wikang Filipino.

Preparedness

By Christian Edu Villegas
(Vol. XXVI No. 8, Editorial Cartoon)

Preparedness
In the next few months, Negros Oriental State University(NORSU) will finally be producing new sets of pioneering graduates.

The courses, which were born four years ago–BS Accountancy, BS Business Administration, BS Nursing, and BS Pharmacy, will finally show to the world the Norsunian version of these offshoots.

It maybe is too early to talk about graduation. But as early as now, the present situation of these pioneering students should be diagnosed so at least, if something is left undone, it can be ironed out in the little time left. In a random interview done by The NORSUnian with the pioneering students to find out whether they are ready or not to face the life outside the pylons of NORSU, not all of them nodded with confidence that they are ready to face the real world of their course.

The interviews showed that some Norsunians are not yet ready to tread out of the pylons of NORSU because they lack trainings and hands-on exposures in most of their courses. Some are not yet prepared to adhere to the incoming changes when they go out of the university. This is because, according to the respondents, they are just fed with theories and not actual demonstrations which could have helped them better than just plain classroom meetings and discussions. Others, on the other hand, are not yet ready to practice what they have learned because these are still insufficient to cover the real scope of the job that they will be doing in the outside world.

Despite the sad reality that not every Norsunian is prepared enough to graduate, some still believe that it depends on their ability to use the most of what they have learned in school. Others say that the teachers and their discussions plus the curricula that they are following are enough to equip them with knowledge for their chosen fields. Students are well-motivated to strive hard and help themselves succeed in the outside world.

These motivations are good because at least, students become enthusiastic to strive hard and be successful outside NORSU. But, it could have been better if students are exposed to the things that will help them survive their courses with full confidence of making it to the world- rather than just feeding them with pure speculations. And though the university offers good quality education, it still lacks equipment and facilities to support the students’ learnings. This has been a problem since time immemorial and it will continue to be one if nobody will pay attention to it. This problem with the lack of facilities and hands-on materials for every department in NORSU is turning into one of the major reasons why students say that they are not yet prepared to do the work outside.

There may be courses here which are given full attention with regard to the facilities they need for their departments, lucky are students who took up these courses. But, how about those who belong to the least-attended departments? How are they going to get ready for the challenges that the real world will bombard them if they are not even given attention adequate for their learning?

This problem should have been answered a long time ago because it will only worsen as the years pass by. The lack of support for “important, appropriate and usable” classroom facilities and equipment should have been one of the university’s main focus because it would help the students more effectively than supplying with a lot of projects that are, oftentimes, for our “eyes’ only.

This is also the reason why Norsunians are not that confident to face the world. Because students are fed only with theories and books (which are barely enough), and a number of facilities (which could only be used during accreditations and need a lot of request letters before usage), it is no longer questionable why students who are graduating this year are not prepared.

Education is supposed to be a right that should be given justification, not a privilege of lack and insufficiency. Thus, to have the best education that will prepare the students to share their knowledge outside NORSU would be the best thing that the university could give. This is becoming a hope against hope- that sooner, before the students step out of the university, they could proudly say that they are completely ready.

If this happens, maybe ALL and not just SOME of the Norsunians will be geared up to face the world outside. If it does not, then, it goes without saying that no student will ever be fully ready to step out of this university.