| Death of Common Sense |
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| Written by SHAULA ANDREWS | |||||
| Thursday, 30 October 2008 | |||||
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Rumors circulated in text messages among Louisians on the eve of September 22 regarding the non-suspension of classes on that day. The main reason, as implied in the circulating SMS, was the Centennial Song competition that afternoon. I do not regard these rumors as true. The messages’ facts are unfounded and unproven and as a journalist, I’ve been trained not to accept things as true when they have insufficient proofs. I even find those circulating the messages, pointing fingers to somebody without any definite proof, awfully pathetic. My stand however, is this: somebody in SLU had to defy common sense and jeopardize the safety of the students by not suspending the classes on the morn of Typhoon Nina’s wrath. No. I am not the type of student who always wished that there’d be no classes. In fact, I’d rather go to class than die in boredom in the dormitory. But that day, even though I am not a meteorologist, experience had allowed me to conclude in my mind that “there’s no way that classes are going to be held today.” Or so it seems. I woke up at 5 am by virtue of my phone’s alarm clock and readied myself to finish the requirements I had decided to do the night earlier. My mind was still half-awake but my senses are in full awareness. The typhoon had not yet ceased her fury. I continued to make my requirements, knowing that I will not lose anything if classes would – as the case it should be in that kind of weather – be suspended if I finished everything on that day. At 6:33 am by my phone’s clock, the City Hall’s siren rang – once. That only means that Nina is just in the first storm signal. Technically, classes in the college level should not be suspended. But other universities had more common sense and sympathy for their students: they had suspended their classes. SLU, who prided itself in the fact that it has a deregulated status and can make its own rules, did not; classes pushed through that day. By lunch, news that Nina had reached the third storm signal – wherein college level classes should be suspended – broke out. Questions regarding the suspension of classes circulated. The final answer: No suspension of classes. I have a 4-7 laboratory class that day and I pity my classmates who hail from far-flung places like La Trinidad who had no choice but to attend their classes amidst the grueling tempest. By 3:30 pm, the winds had escalated in fury, even rendering rainfall to look as if falling horizontally. Umbrellas that time were useless. Still, the classes pushed through as usual. Lucky for my classmates, our laboratory instructor had dismissed us way earlier than usual, enabling them to go home earlier. That’s my rundown of the events that happened that fateful day. I do not know what really transpired within the SLU administration that common sense had to be ignored and classes had not been suspended. The whole city saw how Nina vaunted its rage as she passed on it. And yet, for some weird reason, The Light of the North continued to call its students to class and its employees to work. Maybe the Light of the North wanted to be a “lighthouse” that could stand out amidst the worst storms. The last time I checked SLU’s four core values, bravery is not one of them. Neither is sacrifice. Call it academic excellence. But I can’t find a reason how it can be when even one of my instructors had tried to call the class’ attention by saying “Don’t be distracted by the rain…” Let’s face it. SLU could have suspended the class that day by virtue of reason alone. In fact, CHEd and DepEd had given authority to schools to suspend classes during storms if they deem it necessary to even if the storm had not reached the required signal. Maybe then, SLU had not deemed it necessary to suspend the classes. What can we say? We are the only Catholic school here in Baguio. Maybe we could try calling to all of our more than 2000 saints to save and protect us as we go to school in the middle of a raging typhoon. Or maybe because our school houses two chapels that somehow God would spare our buildings from eventual destruction. Maybe. Too many maybes. Just because common sense died on the day a typhoon was on its warpath. With or without activity, reason had been so many times defied that day. Irrationality prevailed. The next time this happens, how I wish that Saint Louis would continue praying for us.
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John Rae Guimbungan
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Can anybody forward this to the SSC/KASAMA. I don't know their address! March 17, 2009 Jonathan Bosantog President KASAMA-Supreme Student Council Saint Louis University Baguio City To Whom It May Concern: Subject: This is a concern regarding the biased NSTP Rules regarding demerits, etc. I am a student of the College of Education of Saint Louis University and I am sending a concerned complaint regarding the very biased rules of the NSTP Office regarding the treatment of the merit system they employ in the NSTP classes they handle. I am under the class of Mr. Johnny Soriano, Jr, as he is our Instructor for the course NSTP 1 this semester. In this letter I am conveying my protest regarding how they require their students to submit at least 12 kilograms of plastic bottles, newspapers, and related recyclable materials or a combination thereof. I could not say enough but this is too much of a requirement. The worse part is that they only said it just a few days before the deadline of submission, something that is ironic in the sense that even a garbage collector could not collect such huge amount of wastes in just a few days. The most intriguing is that the students, who cannot collect such huge amount of wastes, i.e.12 kilograms, are forced to buy from junk shops. The greatest painful lie: the NSTP Office will also sell it back to the junk shops! In the same manner, I like to take into argument the fact that NSTP Instructors have a very painful way of treating the merit system that they employ, i.e. they give more demerits than they give merits. The most painful part is, when they give merits, it is not enough to pull out the demerits. In the same affection, they seem to like to make their students enjoy the excruciating pain of demerits. Debatably, it should be considered that NSTP is a law, not oblivion. Related to the fact that what they are doing is oblivion of the law. It should be taken into consideration the fact that NSTP is created under Republic Act 9163 and not under a system of hopeful demerits given to students. I want to clear out the fact that this course should be taken progressively. A simple noise, because of a classroom of one hundred students for Pete’s sakes, is not entitled to receive 10 demerits each student. The worse part: If you submit 12 kilograms, then your 10 demerits is cleared. Huge lie. A student does not deserve that burden. Besides, we came here to learn, not to collect wastes: As a consequence, students buy; and, isn’t it obvious that a kilogram of wastes is worth less than P10 these days? Times 12 kilograms equals less thanP120.00. Where should we get that huge amount when in fact we have paid the NSTP fee! Can’t they get enough? Or else, you could submit a pot of flower, or pots and flowers, worth P50 to dismiss the 10 demerits, worse if you have absences wherein an absence equates to 5 demerits. Can’t the NSTP Office finance pots and flowers? NSTP is dreaming too much of what they can get. They are turning NSTP more than reality. They think students are rich enough to supply that amount when in fact a student doesn’t even eat lunch to pursue that requirement. I want your office to make an action regarding this situation wherein nobody, because of passiveness, submissiveness, and illogical thinking, ever thought about reforming it. I hope you will be able to fix this, or else, things will get bitter for the rest of those who did not yet enroll in this course. Respectfully, John Rae T. Guimbungan College of Education Saint Louis University |
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