Iron(y) Mask and Writer’s Block
Really, what catches my time is (like a normal (?) geek) reading books of great sagacity (I’m speaking for myself, of course), talking to peers and people who have something new to share (that fits my interests and touches my idea of what makes sense), playing my own music, and perceptibly, writing (here you have your chance to slap me on the face on what’s sensible or not). I suppose by the time you read the last line you know it yourself- uh-uh, it all has something to do with self-expression. And the technical term is “pagpapapansin”. Again, the party stuff and the whatnot: I really don’t like them. And that’s a personal view. I’d rather pack my bags and set on a fieldtrip, put up a bonfire somewhere, and cook hotdogs that engage with that kind of mingling. But then again, there’s nothing wrong with it, I mean, on that kind of occasion people are expected to act at their finest, wear their best attires that fit the theme of the event (which doesn’t normally happen in real life picture), and eat with all the manners (really now?) they learned from GMRC back in elementary and high school, which are good points, if they really do go off. But last month was totally out of my control. It was announced that the Caper’s Night - which is the promenade for Education college students - is on its way to us juniors for the first time. Many were excited, of course, because it’s not as frequent as we design lesson plans. But, I was not one of them, though. Could there be more demanding and laborious than the pre-Caper’s? READ: You have to look for an outfit that you can rent - or buy if you have the cheese - to wear on the occasion. And what does Caper mean, anyway? Did someone even bother to look at the dictionary and find out the meaning of the word? Could it be the one that means ‘a capricious escapade’? I don’t know. Even our respected Dean gives not a concrete reason why we have to celebrate it. She mentioned that since she had enrolled in the university in 1971, it has been a custom that the Caper’s Night is celebrated annually like some sort of a ritual or rite of passage, and must be taken as an “obligation”. And did I mention yet, it is obligatory to pay 700 hundred pesos whether you are going to attend or not, whether you like it or don’t. I don’t usually do the Math, but it’s a whopping 10 percent of my tuition! There’s the slur. How could you not be tempted - or agitated - to attend if you’re required to pay such amount? Come on! Make the most out of your 700 bucks. With fairness to the organizers, they gave the attendees ample time to save money for the event - a month or so. Score for them. And since they were only commanded to do their job, the blame is not on them. No one takes the blame ‘cause more often than not, there are no criminals, only crimes. And this leads me to re-think about the situation of our college publication as regards money matters. If the College Caper is an activity from which the students and the teachers benefit, is not campus press of the same worth? Why does our publication, which even the respective Dean admittedly professes worthy as chronicler and watchdog of the College of Education, not receive the same respect it deserves? This predicament of the college publications started a couple of years ago with a moratorium that states that all the organizations, take note, organizations, are no longer allowed to collect exorbitant fees. This makes this moratorium both a friend and a foe. But, here’s a point we’ve long been missing: a publication is essentially different from an organization. Surprisingly, we reached level III accreditation with a pain in the rear - we don’t really have an ‘existing’ publication. With this I mean a publication that is able to produce a newspaper regularly minus all the hassles it shouldn’t face. One of the requirements for accreditation is such. Talk about irony and anomaly. Now what’s the after-effect of this? College writers no longer produce prints. And the after-after-effect? No more college publications. No more chronicles about the local news in the college. Freedom of expression is diminished. No more training ground for future publication advisers. And it all started with moratorium that goes a little something like that of a modern fairy tale antagonist. And every time someone or some people try to reconcile the problem, it is as though the universe sends signs to them that the solution lies in the hands of those who are in the mysterious Board of Regents, which seems to answer with the line: it’s a local issue. And what does it suppose to mean to us? It means it is of a minor priority. That’s why they include it on the list of OM’s- or the other matters, or in English, not-so-important-stuff, believing it can be set on- but not really, because the mess requires only the Board’s attention, no more, no less. And this irony and massive literal Writers’ block put me to thinking: why does the Administration allow such activity to take place knowing that the students are obliged to pay 14 times the amount of long-forgotten 25-peso college publication fee? Are college publications considered threat to the comfortableness and seemingly apathy of some of the School Administrators? We don’t know. However, suppositions and presumptions are allowed in this part of the show. (John Kelvin R. Briones) Possibly Related Posts:
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