Articles

What’s new in CNU?

By: Chirie Mae Salan

Cebu Normal University has undergone a lot of changes for the past 2 years, but now that it has its new president, changes had been seen upon the university. What’s new in CNU? Here are some…….

New president

CNU welcomed Dr. Marcelo T. Lopez as it’s newly elected president replacing Dr. Ester V. Velasquez as she ended her term last September 25, 2008. The inauguration took place in front of the administration building of CNU last December 12, 2008. Teachers and selected students were there to witness the inauguration, wearing Filipiniana dresses and Barong Tagalog for the gentlemen. Weeks after the declaration of the newly elected president, abrupt changes were felt inside the university. The changing of number of school days, instead of 4 day classes, it turned out to be 5 days. Will the president’s decision of the 5 day class and open class worth praising? Well, it’s for you students to answer…..

Open Class

Students were stunned and as well as shocked when the mayors informed their respective sections that the administration have already decided to formally implement the “open class” this June 2009. The open class system has already been fixed and will be implemented on June. This system of enrollment showcase independence of the students to choose a schedule they wanted. Instead of relying on their section, the students have to work for themselves. There will no longer be mayors in each sections. Information may just be disseminated through bulletins. Others said that this system is beneficial only for working students, but most of the normalites were against it since this may be the reason to loose the “camaradere” of the students among themselves. Will this system be advantageous or the other way around? Normalites, you must react on this…

5 day classes

Different reactions of the students bang around CNU campus the first day of the implementation of the 5 day classes. The implementation of the 5 day classes is a big boom, since this would not just be a students’ problem but so as the parents’ concern. Students from the province who’d weekly went home would be the immediate affected.. Instead of spending 2-3 days with their families, that would have be 1-2 days because of the implementation. “ why change the system nga naandan na? just for such reason ila lang gyud usbon?” said Marie, a BS bio student. The open class could be beneficial in any other way but it could also brings chaos and confusion to the students.

These are just the few changes in CNU. Will these changes be for good or the other way around? It’s up to you students to decide. What will be the next new in CNU?....WATCH OUT FOR IT…

If you want to react about this issues please send your comments to

chiriebloomz@yahoo.com

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February...The Month of Hearts

February has and always been the month of romance. But since when? Why is it that during this month we exchange cards, chocolates, or even flowers with our loved ones? Is it just for love's sake?

According to legend, the holiday has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis or Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. As Christianity came to dominance in Europe, pagan holidays such as Lupercalia were frequently renamed for early Christian martyrs. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be the feast day of the Roman martyr Saint Valentine, who lived in the 3rd century.
Which St. Valentine this early pope intended to honor remains a mystery. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by that name. One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and of a third St. Valentine almost nothing is known except that he met his end in Africa. Rather astonishingly, all three Valentines were said to have been martyred on Feb. 14.

Whoever this St. Valentine is, no one really knows for sure. But one thing is certain though, we owe our thanks and gratitude to that early pope, Pope Gelasius, the person who made Valentines Day the annual celebration we Filipinos celebrate with full gear each year.

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"There is no Frigate Like a Book"

The sun shined on February 6, 2009 with a smile. It is because the day is set to make the students travel from their very own seats to the different parts of the globe, see creatures great and small and experience an adventure of love, happiness, inspiration and hope. How all those things worked? Of course, there is nothing more fascinating than the power books have.

With the opening of the English Month, the CNU English department held a different kind of banquet open to the whole CNU family. At about 8:00 in the morning, the awaited book fair was officially opened.

The Name

The book fair was inspired after a work by the great American writer Ernest Hemingway which also adopted the same name as his book, “A Movable Feast”. This book by Hemingway is a set of memoirs of his travels in Paris as part of the American expatriate circle of writers in the 1920s. This contains the personal accounts and experiences of the author in the 1920’s Paris. He provided details of the places he went to and even gave the exact name of the restaurants, bars, hotels and apartments that he can find in the place. The book is considered one of his greatest works and was published on 1964.

Meanwhile, Emily Dickinson has its own share of the baptism of the book fair’s name. According to Miss Duites, a faculty member of the English department said that the poem “There Is No Frigate Like a Book”, is the inspiration of A Movable Feast book fair. The poem talks about the wonders that a book leads a reader. Like a frigate, a medium sized warship, a book encourages us to think and discover our inner thoughts. A good book does not only entertain but also lets the reader wake up from the realities of life through the magic or words, may it be fiction or non-fiction. Thus, the book fair is an invitation to everyone to explore the universe; its mysterious laws and living emotions that we may not notice, yet lurking and waiting for the right time to be felt.

The “Bookkeepers”

No, no, no. It’s not the “bookkeepers” that you have in mind. These people don’t have to do with numbers or any profession connected with financial activity. They are our friends from the different book stores. National Bookstore, Power Books, Booksale, and Tsinelas Foundation participated in this inorganic banquet. After all, the students are gathered in the Student’s Activity Center because of the books they sell.

It is very interesting to know that it is the first time for our Booksale friends to participate in events such as a book fair. “Ambot lang, kusog tingali kaayo and convincing powers sa inyong head kay na convince man nila ang among boss para mu apil ani nga event.”, quoted the Booksale saleslady. She said their book store is not really interested in book fairs because the sales are not that good. Plus, several of the items are damaged after the fair. Fortunately, the people in charge for the book fair were able to convince them. Meanwhile, it is not the first time for National Bookstore, Power Books and Tsinelas Foundation to attend such event.

One interesting fact is that the book stores are not only there to gain profit but also to inspire and help. The Tsinelas Foundation is a non-government charity organization that helps the children from the mountainous areas. The books that they sell were donated by people who believed in their legacy. The profit earned will go to their foundation. See? From every book you buy, you don’t only satisfy your mind but at the same time you were able to help other people.

The Flavors of the Feast

The each item in a mountainous pile of books is jam-packed with ideas thus making the light bulbs on your head glimmer with ideas. Genres like romance, suspense, inspirational and even feel-good books are all present, ready to be grabbed by children of all ages. Novels by the famous Danielle Steel and Sydney Sheldon are also available. Who will forget to check if the sensational vampire saga by Stepanie Meyer made it to the feast?

Speaking of books, there are also other “school stuff” available for all students. The book’s other half, bookmarks, are also hanging on Power Books and National Bookstore’s stalls. Each of them contains words of wisdom so that while reading your favorite books, we are also inspired by the messages it brings us. Other school necessities like pens, pencils, pad paper and stationeries were also displayed. All of these made the gathering more festive.

The whole CNU was there to relish the feast. Though not all of the students were able to grab a bite because of financial constraints, at least they were there to be fascinated and let their eyes feast on every book so that when time comes and money will not be a problem, they know exactly what to have.