T he ‘Scarface’ Rule

By Ranulfo Repe

(Vol.XXX  Issue No. 6, Editorial Cartoon)

If you are a returnee—sophomore, junior, or senior student—of this university, you could have remembered the infamous face of the tall, dark, and…never mind…security guard who usually lifts his shoulders like a robust master of the gate. He was a policeman who confiscates unworn IDs, a fashion critic who prohibits students wearing sleeveless blouses and slippers to enter, and an icon of enragement to the students for his unwanted aura. He was better known as ‘Scarface.’ Rude right?

But he is nowhere to be found now. It could either be because of the insistent demand of the students to have him ousted or because of another issue, which we do not know.

Whether he is still working as a security guard right now in another institution or not, a security guard like him must surely be re-employed in this institution. You might protest and contest this idea, but you should hear this out.

When ‘Scarface’ left the university before the start of this semester, we could see some Norsunians entering the premises of this institution in not-so-appealing attires. If you are aware of the decency this university observes in terms of the dress code, then you have the idea that wearing sleeveless blouses, mini-skirts, and slippers inside the university are not advisable. In fact, these are the apparels that will never pass in the standards of ‘Scarface’ when it was his time to stand in front of the entrance gate, which is also the right thing to do.

Though there was a ruckus last school year on how this impolite security guard implemented the rule, it seems that there is a need for the strict re-implementation of the dress code. There have already been a good number of Norsunians who were spotted wearing slippers, sleeveless blouses, very short pants, and mini-skirts inside the university—attires that look less of an educated man who claims to be studying in a university.

Moreover, we ask the committee in-charge to strictly implement the dress code policy or more so, pass a memorandum specifically stating the shoulds and should nots of the policy. The realization of this already-sabotaged-dress-code is what this university needs, not only because this has been what was done in the past, but because this is what we believe is right and proper for university students like us.

Not a Recreation Station

By Karlo Billy Rubia

(Vol.XXX  Issue No. 5, Editorial Cartoon)

The 30-hour use of the Internet Research Station (IRS) located at the fourth floor of the College of Arts and Sciences building per semester is one of the many benefits a Norsunian can enjoy after enrolling himself in this university. The research station provides access to students to the internet and search for random facts which are of great help to their education. The computers can be used by all registeread Norsunians for making their projects and creating presentations using the many features of its software.

However, it seems like the aforementioned are not the only reasons why the IRS is opened for students access. After overcoming the past issues on slow internet connection, dirty PCs, unaccommodating personnel, and unauthorized access to social networking sites, the personnel of the said research station are yet again faced with complaints from dissatisfied and confused students.

Aside from research purposes, the computers are also used for gaming and movie watching. During the students free time, some of them would make use of their 30-hour budget just for entertainment. Behind this scenario is the disturbing fact that the IRS personnel are allowing the students to play computer games and watch movies as long as they do not flock in one unit and make unnecessary noise. Other students whose intention of researching for their school projects and assignments are left with no choice but to wait for these people to finish playing before they can use a PC. It would just be quite disrespectful if the IRS personnel would tell a student to log-out to give way to another student.

Other students reasoned out that instead of researching for their school lessons, they would just resort to gaming and movie watching because some of the PCs do not have internet connections. This is another dilemma the IRS personnel should take into account.

In the first place, why are the IRS personnel allowing the students to use the computers for gaming and movie watching? Who gave them the authority to have those PCs opened for entertainment purposes? Did they not know what the IRS mean? Obviously it does not mean Internet Recreation Station, but Internet Research Station. The two are very much different.

With all the students airing their concern about the inappropriate of the IRS, which has seemingly turned into a recreation site rather than a research station, we hope that the personnel assigned would do something to address this predicament. We do not want the students to get discouraged with the facilities of this university which were built for the improvement of their academic performance.

This is a university which aims at empowering students through providing competent instructors and sufficient facilities. If these facilities are not properly used according to its purpose, then there is no reason for us to use it anymore.

Have you forgotten?

By Cheeno M. Luang

(Vol.XXX  Issue No. 4, Editorial Cartoon)

They have sworn the oath of leadership during the Negros Oriental State University’s (NORSU) 8th Charter Day Anniversary. Together with this oath is their assurance to the studentry that they can put their full trust and aspiration to this chosen body. The new student leaders of this institution will have their chances to showcase their leadership skills in their respective colleges, and NORSU in general, in the way they want it to be.

Every student leader must be equipped with skills that make up a good leader. In the first place, that is one essential reason why the students voted them as their new leaders. It is also expected of them to at least realize the projects that they have presented in their platforms during the campaign period.

But before we judge them, let us first take a look at some of the student leaders’ plans for this school year. College of Business and Administration (CBA) Governor Stephen Villegas said that he will install ceiling fans in the CBA’s 3rd floor rooms, construct comfort rooms and a mini-library.

Meanwhile, College of Tourism and Hospitality Management Governor Juan dela Cruz said that his plans include putting up sign boards and trash bins around their premises. Michael Vincent Tubog, College of Arts and Sciences governor, articulated that he plans to construct a mini-library and audio boxes for special announcements.

Other college governors are also having plans of beautifying, improving, and redefining their respective colleges.
However, some of these plans are abstract and the realization of these lie in the hands of our present college governors—plans that remain in the tip of the tongues of these leaders, plans that remain drafts of an unattended official. We, the students, are witnesses of this kind of “false hope” years ago. Needless to say, some of our student leaders are creating plans just to impress the voting body in order for them to be in the position they are in.

Some student leaders visualize plans that are too superficial and idealistic. In the long run, they will realize that it is difficult for them to accomplish such because of too many things to consider before it is realized. This scenario has happened two or three years ago when the former Student Government of Dumaguete City–I (SGDC–I) President Christopher Don Catacutan envisioned the construction of a mini-chapel inside the university. This is just too impractical and a financially-absurd move since this plan requires money, money and more money.

More recently, former SGDC–I President Angelo Nabalse promised to roof the open-court. This is in order to give students and teachers a more convenient place to hold their classes in. However, nothing happened and his plan vanished into thin air.

Both student leaders are examples of people who have pledged before their co-learners of a better university, a better governance. But seemingly, they have planned too much and they forgot that their plans need a bigger monetary budget.

Now that our local student leaders are already making and visualizing some of their plans for the benefit of everyone, we just hope that these young leaders will use their minds to critically analyze the promises that they have made. Likewise, they must see to it that they are creating plans that are budget-friendly, achievable within a short-time frame, realistic, and a 100 percent factual.

Of Responsibility and Discipline

By Arvin V. Rodriguez

(Vol.XXX  Issue No. 3, Editorial Cartoon)

For an institution like the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) whose actual training ground for students are held within the country and the scope of engaging in the definite world focuses on local involvement, perhaps holding an on-the-job training (OJT) abroad is a splendid avenue to develop one’s ability better. 

Just recently, companies from Malaysia and Singapore, through Southland College Vice President for International Cooperation and Research Vince Sinining and University President Henry A. Sojor, came up with an idea of sending NORSU Engineering and Industrial technology students abroad to work, learn and at the same time, earn.

Sinining has chosen NORSU among other universities and colleges across the country since he found the students appearing on national news and topping board examinations. He believes that when students are introduced further to actual job involvement, they will be ready to face the real world in the future. 

This development deserves praise for boldly taking higher steps in advancing students’ actual learning experience. If the proposed plan happens, students’ participation on the international field will solicit remarkable optimisim for future jobs. With this, students must be thankful to the administration, to Sinining and to the companies for giving them the opportunity.

We can say that students are given the chance to enhance their skills which are focused on performing real job tasks but this does not mean that they can learn everything from the training since there are no structured lesson guides on the workplace. 

Hence, students must perform well because this opportunity calls for dignity and moral discipline. Students must employ their skills that would improve their knowledge on real-life experiences. They must follow proper guidelines set by the company in order for them to acquire necessary learning and to adapt to the environment and last long. More so, they must impose good values on themselves so as to sustain delegated objectives and when they are given complex tasks, they can accomplish them effectively and efficiently because they have already mastered the routine. 

Students who will attend this international job training must value even the simplest thing in the workplace. This would keep them going despite downfalls. When they are given complex rule, they can still manage it since they have already mastered basic tasks on the training. And when they set things at the valuing level, they can achieve what they desire. 

Thus, we hope that these students to be sent abroad for on-the-job training will show what they are capable of in such a way that they can bring NORSU’s name to international prominence and that they will use what they have learned for the common good of the people in general and the university in particular. 

Ambitious but Possible

By Paul Anthony M. Eso

(Vol.XXX  Issue No. 2, Editorial Cartoon)

If Negros Oriental State University is a human body, the administration has undoubtedly made the university look outstanding on the outside. We are talking about the tall buildings, renovation of classrooms, admirable colors repainted unto the walls, brick-floored entrance, the not-so spacious canteen, and the hundreds of computers acquired to give students an avenue for learning.

All these things are good. All these things are so good to be true. The university has never looked so admirable since the last four years. But some things were left unattended. Some stones were left unturned. They have forgotten how untidy our premises have become.

Students can testify to how uncomfortable our comfort rooms are every time we walk in for some quick-releasing of used body fluids. Freshmen in the first place have been welcomed by the odorous smell coming from these rooms. Water supply has been a constant problem since last year and the odorous smell caused ruckus to many Norsunians. This is not the kind of school we wanted.

Garbage are dumped everywhere. Hills of trashes are evident on certain areas near the Administration, College of Business and Accountancy, and College of Industrial Technology buildings. These university-areas-turned-dump-site have existed long before the 2012 graduates enrolled in this university. This is not the kind of school we wanted.

NORSU delivers high-class education. No doubt. But top-rate educational instruction should be accompanied with a clean and green environment conducive for learning. These two must come together as one. When one of them is out of the picture, there is a big problem. 

But the university officials responsible for this should not get all the blame. After all, it is us students who often use the comfort rooms. It is us who cause these rooms to get dirty and smelly. The garbage hills around the campus are the products of our own doing.

The trashes stuck in there are the remains of our happy eating at the canteen. The wrecked chairs and tables in there are proofs of our ignorance after we break each chair, one after the other. A regular city garbage truck cannot carry all the junk that we have.

With this, we suggest that we set a date at the calendar “ a special date where all Norsunians will have the chance to work hand in hand in solving out this problem, a day that each of us will have his or her own share of picking up the garbage he/she once threw in the trash bin and shovel it into the garbage truck. As for the water supply, we ask the higher-ups to install water tanks in every comfort room.

This idea requires long-time planning, and a few garbage trucks are needed to clean up the whole NORSU area. This idea is nothing but ambitious. Yet everything is possible. We can borrow garbage trucks from neighboring municipalities and ask them to help us with this one.

Again, everything is possible. The Local Government Unit and the Norsunians working together towards one cause has never sounded so good.

This is also a call for the NORSU administration and for the Student Government. This is just a suggestion. Any better ideas that will be presented are very much welcome. Since this is your job, this is also our job. All Norsunians await for your call for a cleaner and greener NORSU community. 

Partly a part, partly apart

By Ranulfo Repe

(Vol.XXX  Issue No. 1, Editorial Cartoon)

We have finally come to the dawning of a new school year. The university is pleased to welcome all freshmen, transferees, and returnees with a wide smile. With a sure increase of enrollees, it could be said that Negros Oriental State University is an institution no lesser than other high-class universities in the province.
But how does it really feel like to be a true-blue Norsunian?
Evidently, there are a lot of students who seem to have successfully enrolled themselves in NORSU but have not really felt the essence of being one. Perhaps, here is the answer to that.
Being apart. It is quite a sad thing to still see a lot of students who remain lax and indifferent about the events happening around them. They are consciously aware of some anomalies and probably misconduct of some administrator or faculty member yet they remain mute. They are witnesses to acts that order on abuse by some teachers, yet they act blind and pretend not to see the real picture.  They are aware that they have the abilities and skills that they can use for the common good yet they remain secretive, saying that they are shy or that their skills and talents are nothing compared to others. They are students with capabilities, strength, power and knowledge to make a difference for themselves and for the community yet they remain ignorant, indefinite and unsure.
Be a part. It is high time that all students become a part of something that benefit themselves and the people around them. This state university is a good ground for excellence in almost all fields. Various organizations, institutions and small groups have been put up for the empowerment of students.
We have the Kabilin Dance troupe for aspiring dancers, the Kabilin Choir for golden voices and the Kabilin Band for music makers. We also have The NORSUnian, the official weekly student publication of Negros Oriental State University, an institution that seeks to fight for the welfare and rights of students thru paper and pen. At the same time, the institution hones the writing, drawing, and photography skills of students. Then, we have The Pylon, the official yearbook of Negros Oriental State University, which seek to empower students thru developing the graphics designing and writing skills of individuals, among others. We have more or less fifty organizations under the League of Student Organizations in the academic, religious and special interest categories.
There are a lot to choose from. Unless you have not graduated yet, you still have all the chances in the world to participate and be a catalyst of change. We assure you it is all worth the effort and sweat, knowing that you have become a part of something, be it an organization, institution, or group.
This academic year 2012-2013 opens with a lot of opportunities offered for you. It is for you to decide – to remain apart, or to be a part.