Pink Blues

My last opinion for my beloved school paper.

NOTE: this is the ORIGINAL copy. If ever na nabasa niyo na yung published version edited na yon, basta… I don’t wanna elaborate it. I still have respect for the people who are called the “guardians” of the so-called institution.
It really pisses me off every time I think of it. Oh well, read on…

I promised myself not to write an opinion regarding my last days as a student because every writer who’s part of a school paper never misses the chance to make this kind of article. It’s like a tradition or execration to write about some things from your beloved school. I’ve been observing this since high school, but I guess there’s no escape from the curse that has been passed on to writers from generation to generation, especially when you’ll be leaving a part of yourself in the wary corners of this institution.

I’ve been an Escolarian for almost five years now. And since I can proclaim myself as one of the “institutions” here in school, I can’t blame myself for being a watchful eye, coz as a journalist I need to practice my profession, and one of them is being an observant in every trifle that our school caters – from the students, teachers, to the culture that CEU injects and implements to every individual who decides to be part of this pink university.

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Being a transferee, I might say, may be one of the hardest parts of being a student. You’ll be making a full three hundred and sixty degree shift in adjusting again in a different environment. And believe me I was culture shocked.

One of the toughest parts of being a transferee is the paperwork. Dealing with all the requirements needed to be done and presented to the administration is inevitable, but what would be hard is the journey throughout the process. It was my first time to experience such scene were I go from one office to another just to ask where to surrender all my requirements and all they can say is to go to this certain office or area and then ask them again the same question. I felt like I’m a little child carried by my mother and have been passed-on to some people ‘til I cry coz I have no idea what’s going on. I’m just glad that there are good Samaritans who helped me along the way to get on the right track during enrollment because I was still clueless on how to follow the routing form that was attached on my COM.

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Transitioning from an exclusive school to a coed school is no joke. I felt like I’m back in my high school days, with a load of minor subjects that some of them, in my opinion, are unnecessary and must be removed in the curriculum. Take Basic Math for example. Why should we need to review a simple basic addition, subtraction, division and multiplication that even an 80-year old can remember? Thanks to our new president Padolina, our curriculum was re-evaluated and been updated and some subjects were removed and been replaced by more practical ones for the student’s convenience, like changing Religion 11-14 to Theology 1 and 2, and of course, eliminating Basic Math (finally).

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As an irregular student, I always encounter people who have issues on their subjects, especially students who are my classmates on a certain subject and a year younger than me. An acquaintance once shared with me her complaints on a certain subject were they are required to make a movie for their CP.

It’s acceptable for my part to have this kind of requirement, because as a Masscom student, it’s an opportunity to experience and practice such activity. But the problem here is, this friend of mine is NOT a Masscom student and this requirement is for a foreign language course which is a MINOR subject.

Producing a film requires a lot of time, effort and money, that’s why this is a major subject for broadcasting students. But for a minor subject that is not in line with the said course? Not a practical way to have for CP. For experience? Maybe, but still unreasonable.

To the professors who teach minor subjects, please let’s be considerate to the activities that you give to the students. There are more options that you can give rather than a movie flick were students have to spend a lot of money for impractical reasons.

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Being a part of a school paper for almost half of my college life here in CEU-Malolos has been the most tremendous milestone in my college years. Aside from being a first timer of such org, it is also an opportunity to practice my craft as a journalist. Though I can’t really say that I’m good in constructing straight news because I’m still in the process of struggling to learn the basics of it – and because I think it’s really not my forte – I have learned and developed some skills that may be helpful for my future career.

Entrusting me to be the Lay-out Artist for TMA is not an easy task. “Patience and perfection” is the word that summarizes everything, from proofreading to drafting, to locating the right areas for the right article, to re-locating the articles for the right areas… every small detail must be considered and recognized, because even a single typographical error can be seen by a keen reader. My patience was also tested from the compulsiveness and spontaneity of our technical adviser and co-staffers. But however hard and tedious our organization is, we still manage to work as a team to make this publication possible. I’m proud of my old members that still manage to have time for TMA amidst of their busy schedules and the new breed of staffers that will continue the legacy that the old ones once started.

Entrusting and excelling in such positions – from Filipino Editor to Associate Editor – is a privilege and an honor for a “newbie” like me. I remain humble and thankful for the experience that has given me.

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We always say this and I will say it again – writing for the school paper is not a joke. Running a school publication isn’t either. Disparaging our works and criticizing the content of our school paper is unavoidable, but for people who don’t even have the slightest idea on how to manage a school publication gaze at our 3-month labor as something bizarre or even worse – inexistent.

Yes, we admit that we have our flaws. But I think the keyword here is cooperation. One of the causes of delays of publishing our broadsheet is the impediment of some articles due to the availability of the subjects that are needed for interview for extra source and information. It is quite understandable, especially for the professors who have hectic schedules from their responsibilities. But this is where professionalism enters. Some of my co-staffers complained that some of their interviewers made an arrangement but didn’t fulfill their promise of deadline, causing their articles to be delayed for days after the given deadline of their submission.

This part of the article may looked biased, but please be also considerate that we, the staff, are still students. Juggling our school works and duties as a journalist is not an easy task. Dealing with our classes by day and writing our creative juices by night is like having a double-life all for the love of our craft and of service. This may already sound cliche for some, but it is the reality that my staff encounters every day. People tend to forget that we are no superhuman, but we do what others think is impossible just to give you a paper that you are reading right now.

I’m not saying that we are seeking for sympathy. Perhaps a little consideration and support will do, especially from the people who are the guardians of this institution. And maybe, just maybe, we could all live in harmony in this pink university.