As time passes

By Christian Edu Villegas
(Vol. XXVII No. 5, Editorial Cartoon)

As time passes

Time, indeed flies fast and we almost did not notice that even the midterm examination is already fast approaching. Classes have now become intense, except for those that are handled by irresponsible instructors. Projects, paper works, presentations, reports, examinations, etcetera, are now loaded to most students’ shoulders. Indeed, we can already feel that from the exhausting enrollment we had, we already have gone a little farther.

Along with the fast-paced days is the revival of the urgent cries of students about the perennial problems that this university has – perennial problems which, unfortunately, remain unattended up to this very day. These problems burden the students since they have to deal with them everyday.

One of the perennial problems is the unroofed pathways. With the onset of the rainy season, treading the pathways under the pouring rain is absolutely a burden. If we will recall, among the recommendations of the accreditors in the past accreditations was for the administration to provide covered pathways for the students. These days, with the unpredictable weather, the need for action on this recommendation has become more imperative. More rain means more burden for the students, and of course, more victims of flu.

Another problem is the lack of comfort rooms (CRs) that really mean ‘rooms for comfort’. This has been a problem of the university since time immemorial. Concerted efforts from the past Student Government (SG) administrations up to the present have been poured, yet, it is only alleviated for a short time, and then later on, it still remains a problem. This time, hiring personnel to maintain the cleanliness of the CRs is not good enough since no matter how hard they try to clean it, the CRs remain disgustingly stinking and are obviously, not rooms for comfort. True, we put the blame on students for not doing their part in the proper use of CRs, but perhaps it is time to consider that students do not care about the CRs because after all, it is not worth caring for. If we are going to look closer on the CRs that this university has, the problem is not with the maintenance as well as with the users – the problem is with the type and kind of CRs that we have.

The lack of a roofed place for Physical Education (PE) classes is also another problem. With the unpredictable weather these days, this is another burden. In the past years, it has been a long promise of most SG candidates who seek for top position in the SG – to find means to provide roofed class areas for the PE students but, unfortunately, no one made it to fruition. PE students remain almost toasted under the scorching heat of the sun and their classes are cancelled when the rain pours. Or if not, after a heavy rain, they would often settle on the slippery wet floor of the open courts which is prone to accidents.

These are only some of the perennial burdens that the Norsunians have. There are still a lot of problems out there and a lot more will come this school year. How to solve even the three mentioned burdens is next to impossible. We were taught in the past years to do more with less since NORSU, as a state university, gets very limited budget from the national government, thus, it is too ambitious for us to say that these can be solved right away.

On the other hand, we should not think that being in a state university, this problem will remain a burden to the students. Now is the time to slowly but surely address these problems, or put them among the priorities of the administration since these concern the students. This way, the students’ burden will be lessened. Someone in power should take the cudgels for these!
Could the Federation of University Parents and Teachers Association come to the rescue? Or the SG? Maybe it is now time to prove to everyone that SG’s remarkable project is not only about beauty pageants. Now is the time to focus on something that really answers the concerns of the majority of the students.

May this urgent call not fall on deaf ears.

On thievery

By Ren Angelo Elevera

(Vol. XXVII No. 4, Editorial Cartoon)

On thievery

This is not the first time that cases of thievery take place inside the very parameters of the university. In fact, issues of thievery inside the campus had already appeared to be more of an ordinary issue to us that every time we hear of one, it does not alarm us anymore. Just recently, an array of reported cases of thievery and lost items once again surfaced – and most of it happened at the university library.

This time, it is lame to place the blame on the security officers who are in-charge of everyone’s safety inside the campus. As we observed, since blue guards came into this campus and since the Office of the Security Matters was finally defined, there has been very tight security that sometimes, we even thought that the implementations of security rules are too much and exaggerated. As we have all experienced, bags are checked, IDs are checked, and visitors are checked – meaning, we are safe from malicious intruders from the outside because no one can easily get in.

Sadly, thievery cases are repeatedly happening despite the efforts of the security department in implementing tighter security. Why? The very reason is because we allow it to happen again and again. Thievery happens because of recklessness and less cautiousness from most of us.

In the library for example, where most of the recent thievery happened, despite the sign in the baggage shelf that says “Please leave your backpacks, bags, attache case, and big envelopes but DO NOT LEAVE your wallets, cellphones, calculators and other valuables”, a lot of students still carelessly leave valuables in their bags, thus, become easy prey for thieves. Also, the fact that nobody is attending to the baggage shelf, prudence dictates that everyone should not leave any important belonging because obviously, it is not safe.

Many are duped, because many are careless. Because a lot of students remain not cautious, thievery continues.

Let everyone be reminded that being extra careful and being cautious are the best weapons against thievery especially that the culprits were, apparently, students of NORSU too - since outsiders cannot easily get inside the campus because of tight security. Past experiences teach us the painful lesson that the culprit could be that person sitting next to us.

On the other hand, it is high time now for authorities to do something beyond the mere “do not leave your important belongings here” warning. Someone should be assigned to man the baggages of the students for obvious reasons.

Organizing the system of the baggage counter and extra diligence are surefire formula for winning the fight against burglary in the library, in particular, and in the campus, in general.

Of plans and promises

By Christian Edu Villegas
(Vol. XXVII No. 3, Editorial Cartoon)

Of plans and promises
It has often been said that promises are easier said than done.

This is especially true in politics where we often experience being showered with promises by our political leaders. Unfortunately for us, broken promises are not only limited to the national political circles.

Overflowing plans and broken promises had become a part of our political culture, that even when we are unsatisfied with our leaders we keep quiet and pretend that everything is all right. But is it right?

As the new school year starts, new student leaders will also take the helm of the student government. New leaders mean a whole new year of prospective developments for the student body and the university, a whole new set of leaders laying out their plans for the students—or at least, that is what they say.

While a lot of the promises made by the past SG officers remain unfulfilled, the student body is looking forward to see what the present set of officers have to offer. After all, they did promise a lot when they ran for office.

Aside from fulfilling the many promises that they have made during their campaigns, it is also important to remind the present set of SG officers of the many issues that they need to address now that they are finally in office. It is high time that the student government realize that leadership is not only about providing enjoyable programs and putting up lounges and other projects.

The Student Government is a representative of the student body. The SG officers should serve as the liaison between the students and the administration. The SG should, therefore, fight for the students and not act as puppets of the administration.

For one, the SG should at least come up with a clear and final dress code policy to avoid the continuing confusion in the proper dress code of the university. It is somehow commendable how the past officers tried to come up with a clear dress code but as its present implementation is again being questioned, then the SG should do something about it.

Also, the SG should learn to start fighting for students’ rights as a lot of it are already being violated. Programs that could help the students in matters such as sexual harassments and abuses should be given attention also.

Though it is still too early to judge the kind of leaders that we have, still we are hoping that they will be a lot better than the past student leaders that the university had.

Our present student leaders have countless plans, many of which focus only on beautification and cleanliness, and like our national political leaders; they too showered us with promises during their campaigns. It is still too early to know which among the many promises will be fulfilled but it wouldn’t be too much to expect that the present SG would finally make a difference. Will they? That remains to be seen.

Big ventures, bigger responsibilities

By Ren Angelo Elevera

(Vol. XXVII No. 2, Editorial Cartoon)

Big ventures, bigger responsibilities

Five significant years have passed since the birth of Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) – five significant years of continual progress and development. Within that span of time, the institution, which once started from lowly wooden classrooms, has served as a learning ground for exercising academic freedom, fairness, and equality of opportunity. Now that it has reached the pinnacle of its dreams, it keeps on striving to gradually enter the door to the higher level of global competence.

Just recently, NORSU determinedly made several ambitious ventures. Two new courses, which are the Doctor in Dental Medicine (DDM) and Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering (BSEM), were opened at the start of the semester. There was also the official opening of the NORSU-Mabinay Campus at Barangay Namangka, Poblacion, Mabinay, as one of its satellite campuses. Indeed, these are big undertakings for NORSU – undertakings which mean a start of something that has to be looked after, cultured, and improved as time passes.

These ventures obviously imply improvement for a university that sprouted from humble beginnings. Offering DDM and BSEM this semester only means that NORSU has progressed a lot in the past five years because it can now provide wider choice of better courses for its students. Besides, DDM and BSEM are two of the in-demand courses nowadays.

On the other hand, opening NORSU-Mabinay Campus is one testament that NORSU answered the needs of the community for an accessible higher education. With the development, the NORSU family was not only expanded, but also, it gives a sigh of relief to the parents and guardians of the poor but deserving students in the Municipality of Mabinay and other neighboring towns. Their sons and daughters can now avail of higher education without going to far places and without spending more.

On the other side of the coin, while looking at the ambitious ventures of the university, questions flood. Is NORSU ready to offer DDM and BSEM especially that those courses require additional facilities and equipment? If we are going to look around, it cannot be denied that some old courses in this university are left unattended while the students seemingly wait for eternity on their wanted facilities, equipment, and even instructors. Some courses in this university are yet to be improved, and now, here it is again, offering two courses that have to start from zero. It is very possible that these new courses will just fall to the row of academic programs in this university that lack equipment, facilities, and instructors.

The same thing goes for the opening of NORSU-Mabinay Campus. One cannot help but ask if the campus is already geared up in terms of instructions, facilities and equipment before its opening. Is it a relevant move? Is the university prepared? What quality of education could it offer? It was reported that the campus has a population of 271 students with only two rooms. Shouldn’t adequate rooms be built first before opening the campus?

These big ventures currently taken by NORSU definitely mean big improvements. On the other hand, it also means big risks and bigger responsibilities. By offering these new courses and opening a new campus, is NORSU making the wrong move? Now that NORSU has taken the step and has already started the program, there is no turning back.

We can only cross our fingers and hope that these ventures would not be an addition to the piling academic programs that lack facilities, instructors and equipment. There is nothing we can do but hope and pray that NORSU will be able to handle these higher steps as time passes.

Everything starts from scratch, from nothing and NORSU started from humble beginnings. Let us continue hoping that the newest programs of the university would rise from scratch to something that we can all be proud of. Do not stop to cross your fingers yet, we still have a long way to go.

Higher!

By Christian Edu Villegas
(Vol. XXVII No. 1, Editorial Cartoon)

Higher!

With the issues hounding the country today such as the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus, Hayden Kho Jr. and Katrina Halili et. al. sex scandal, Constituent Assembly, and many more, it is good to see that everything is still doing good in this side of the Philippine archipelago. After the postponement of the opening of classes as declared by the Commission on Higher Education due to the A(H1N1) virus threat, we are finally back to school ready to make another milestone in our students’ lives.

Like us, our Alma Mater, Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) is now also ready for another academic year. This school year marks the sixth academic year of NORSU in its flight as a young and flourishing university.

Looking back, the past five academic years of the university have been a period of transformation. That is indubitable. From its humble beginnings as a new university, it has risen to what it is now. It can be observed that the university had never drifted but keeps soaring higher. Its colorful history, seasoned with the splatters of success, failures, changes, lessons, struggles, and progress, could give justice to its present stature.

Doors for changes and development have been opened in the past. Significant improvements of the university in terms of upgrading its standards, instructions, facilities, equipment, and other educational tools have taken a large place. Norsunians continually reap honors and kept proving what this university can produce. All of these significant things have taken place along with NORSU’s flight as a university.

We don’t have to go far to see proofs of these transformations. Just last year, although rocked with many issues, NORSU was able to improve a lot. The Office of Security Matters was put up along with the installations of blue guards, making the university’s security tighter. There was the adoption of the E-system in the grading process of the university. More equipment and facilities were also acquired. NORSU provided Engine Room Facilities and Mock Bridge for College of Maritime Education students and a mini-hospital for College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (CNAHS) students. The university gate was also restructured and the construction of the first phase of CNAHS building was started.

On achievements, Norsunians were never left behind. Engr. Bernard Duran Jr. ranked 5th in the Civil Engineering Licensure Examination; Engr. Winston Gomez and Engr. Jephunneh Paalisbo placed 2nd and 7th, respectively in the nationwide October 2008 Mechanical Engineering Licensure Examination; and Catherine Capilla, a graduate of Bachelor of Elementary Education major in Special Education, made it to the top ten of the nationwide Licensure Examination for Teachers – a first in NORSU’s history!

These were only some of the transformations and achievements in the past.

From the good things that every Norsunian is savoring now, we can indeed say that NORSU has lived up to the expectations of the people in providing quality education for the poor but deserving students. None of these good things, however, were achieved in an instant or in a blink of an eye. Of course, it took a lot of painful lessons and arduous toils before they were accomplished. It had to rise from some failures and bittersweet pains before success was finally achieved. It took a lot of guts, determination and genuine efforts before changes and progress took place.

As NORSU opens its gates for the school year 2009-2010 – marking its sixth academic year since its conversion into a university – it must continue to soar and it must go higher this time. There are still a lot of things that this university has to achieve, that is why efforts, toils and hard works must be continually exerted. There are still a lot of problems that have to be boldly faced. There are still a lot of unrealized dreams. That is why the quest to soar high must go on.

Let us all work together to give this chapter of NORSU’s history a colorful and healthy page. To quote American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” Let’s move higher. Fly high Norsunians! Soar higher NORSU!