The Weekly Sillimanian - july 25th 2013

110 years TOWARDS A PROGRESSIVE CAMPUS PRESS | VOL. LXXXVI NO. 02 | WEDNESDAY, 25 JULY 2013

BROUGHT HOME. Theater director Amiel Leonardia stages Elsa Martinez Coscolluela’s “In My Father’s House” at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium. Penned by a Silliman alumna, the play centers on a family’s survival of the horrors of World War II in Dumaguete City. PHOTO BY Dylzaree Recentes

Online enrollment to be launched next school year

By Jelanie Rose T. Elvinia

FOR A QUICKER, more convenient and more efficient process of enrollment, the Silliman University administration will be launching an online enrollment system starting next school year.

To make the system better, Office of Information and Publications Director Mark Raygan Garcia said that they are exploring several options to make payments less hassle, and one is by having the “integrated system” which has been in discussion for the last two years.

The integrated system is a method of enrollment which will be done entirely online. It means that starting next school year students can: access all the information they need for enrollment, choose their course, submit file requirements, pay down payment (paying through partner banks of the university or through

credit card), see their proposed subjects (to be guided by an adviser) and get notified admission from the university.

“It’s very important because everybody is now going online. It also allows us to help the parents and the university save cost: mailing cost and transportation cost of the children and the parents. And also it’s efficient because it cuts short the time and the period given they need to wait for notifications to complete the enrollment process,” Garcia said.

Upon hearing about it, Charlemagne Balasa, a sophomore student of the Colleg of Mass Communication expressed gratitude and relief. He was grateful that by next school year the university will be having the system. He said that aside from not spending extra money for fare and falling in long lines anymore, the set of next year’s first year students continued on page 4

Wi-Fi for everyone anywhere in SU

By Kristine Anne M. Fernandez

NEW RELEASE. (Left to right) VPAA Dr. Betsy Joy B. Tan, Dr. Ma. Cecilia M. Genove, Dean of the College of Mass Communication, Ms. Catherine I. Cadiz, Mr. Kris Dave V. Austero, Prof. Sonia B. Sygaco, Department Chairperson Vanessa G. Nezamloo,and Dr. Susan Vista-Suarez, Dean of COPVA hold copies of the book “Communcation in the Changing Times” during its launch last July 15. PHOTO BY Darrell Bryan T. Rosales

Biologist wins first Outstanding Young Scientist award for SU

By Samantha L. Colinco

A RESEARCHER AT the Silliman University Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management (SUAKCREM) was named Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) by the country’s highest recognition body on science and technology.

Dr. Rene Abesamis, also an assistant professor at the SU Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences, bagged the university’s first OYS title given every year by the National Academy of Science and Technology.

The award is given to 12 Filipino scientists under 40 years old who have made significant contributions

to science and technology through their research as shown in the quality and impact of their published works.

“I hope it inspires others to see that anything is possible. It’s a big deal nationally, but the bigger picture is you really have to contribute knowledge wherever you are,” the 37-year-old said.

Abesamis’s research on the spillover of fish from Apo Island Marine Reserve, which garnered 85 citations, is one of his highly cited papers by many authors also involved with various coral reef studies.

Currently, he is working on the spatial scale of fish larval dispersals or the distance of drifting of fish eggs and larvae beyond the marine reserve.

TO THE WOMAN OF MUSIC. Men’s Glee Club offers a song of tribute during the special midweek service, ‘’ A Tribute to Ruth Imperial Pfeiffer,’’ last July 17 at Silliman Church. PHOTO BY Nelly May Dableo

Abesamis graduated with a Biology degree at the University of the Philippines – Diliman and finished his masters and doctoral studies at James Cook University in Australia. He became associated with SU while working under Dr. Angel Alcala during his postgraduate work in Dumaguete.

“I like the fact that I’m already associated with this university when I received the award because Silliman has an important part in making those contributions powerful. So it’s a way of thanking the university as well,” he said.

Born and raised in Manila, Abesamis’s earliest exposure to the marine environment was snorkeling as a young boy in Pangasinan and

Quezon during summer vacations.

But it was during his first job as a research assistant studying coral reefs off the Spratly Islands that he became deeply interested in marine science.

He said that while marine biologists have specialized training to conduct experiments, there are local fishermen and their skills from decades of experience that make their jobs as scientists easier.

“Some of the guys I work with who are from Bantayan, are fish whisperers. One of them is Socorro.

What we do is we go underwater with our scuba tanks, we lay a net and we look for a fish. And he goes out to look for these fish. And you see him coming continued on page 4

By Nova Veraley V. Grafe

Filipino folk songs; she made time to drive Paul (Ruth’s second son) to school. Isabel also added that one of the things that they usually do together was “going to the famous Waikiki beach and having picnic after church”.

Isabel said that Pfeifer’s warm and welcoming presence has taught her to enjoy life, to relax, to laugh, and not to be too serious.

Both sons, John and Paul, said that they were thankful for their mother

Choirs sing for Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee

RUTH IMPERIAL PFEIFFER or “Inday Ruth”—as most of her friends would call her— was not just a woman with exceptional talent in music, but also a woman whose passion has cultivated the development of Filipino music communities in Silliman University and in Honolulu, Hawaii.

As it commemorates the Most Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee for Music, Silliman University holds a tribute to her life as a mentor, an accompanists, a role model, a friend, and a mother.

One of her friends in Hawaii, Isabel Dimaya-Vista said that even if Ruth was very busy in her duties as founderdirector of the Panama Singers, and later the Silangan Singers, both choirs presenting choral arrangements of

continued on page 4

SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY (SU) offers unlimited wireless internet connection (Wi-Fi) in 45 areas on campus, nine of which are made available for open access to guests.

Students, faculty, staff, and guests can now enjoy unlimited internet surfing in almost all places in the university on their laptops and gadgets on a guaranteed bandwidth of 30mbps. P300 has been charged through miscellaneous fees.

Log-in details: Student Username: ID number Password: Date of birth (mmddyyyy) Faculty/Staff Username: tax identification number Password: Date of birth (mmddyyyy) The Decision Office of Information and Publications (OIP) Director Mark Raygan Garcia said: “What made us decide to provide Wifi to our students is the fact that majority of our students, faculty, and staff are tech savvy. Almost everyone wants to access the internet on their mobile phones or on their laptop. We also would like our students to be able to undertake research almost anywhere in the campus.”

Garcia said that this project of SU was implemented in consultation with the Student Government (SG) and the different sectors of the university due to the demand of students for an internet access in the campus. But he pointed out that just like any other projects in the university, this will be reviewed.

He added that the university doesn’t only advocate research but also the development of students’ p e o p l e skills which involves in for mat ion exchange and flow that happen more online.

Hotspots “The distribution of Wi-Fi, identification of buildings is strategic and it’s quite scientific. It is based on the concentration of students,” Garcia said.

The 45 areas that require specific log-in details include the most continued on page 4 populated

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the weekly sillimanian 25 july 2013

A simple tool

With 45 locations within the campus to enjoy unlimited internet access, Silliman University has truly come a long way in its efforts to enhance its learning facilities. It is now very convenient to learn beyond our hand-outs and books because we now have information served to us for as long as we have our smartphones, tablets and laptops at hand. If we are caught off guard by an unanticipated question, we could always “google” our way to the answer.

Time and again, the debate as to the boons and banes of technology does not seem to arrive at a definite conclusion.

People make it a routine to tear at the issue on both sides, saying that it can accelerate the learning and communication process of today’s generation of Sillimanians while others argue that it will eventually cause the thinking and creative process to degrade.

But to only consider what unlimited wi-fi connection can do to our academic and co-curricular performance is an old topic for discussion and falls to be too short-sighted. What we actually need to examine is what we do with this privilege that leads us either to do better or to flunk in our studies.

It is a valid rationale to maximize our usage of the unlimited internet access in campus. After all, why should anyone hold us back when we paid for it?

Being connected to the internet in class can be a way for us to do research efficiently. If a teacher makes an important announcement that we need to disseminate immediately, we could always open our social networking accounts and post it. Then again, as with all things, the liberty to use the internet is separated by a very fine line from abuse. Students can be easily tempted to cheat in exams and bully their peers at whim through the internet.

The Silliman University administration and faculty should give constant reminders and impose strict guidance on all students regarding the use of the internet on campus. Although the university has taken a step ahead in blocking malicious sites, it is always possible for students to make average social networking websites as their platform to inflict harm on others and unto themselves. Teachers should especially be vigilant in making sure that all devices used by students within their classes are for studying and research purposes and not as sources of distraction.

Nonetheless, to rely solely on the watchful eye of school authorities is never enough. We should take it on ourselves to have the self-discipline in exercising the facilities we are entitled to because in the end, the internet can be categorized neither as bad nor good unlike the hands that use it. It is simply a tool.~

editorial

sillimaniansspeak Compiled by Nectarina M. Catada

“If you missed a university activity, would you rather pay fines or do community service?”

“I would rather pay fines. Community service is time consuming, entails more effort, tiresome and may be a ground for conflicting schedules. With fines, it’s less hassle, but of course, we cannot deny the fact that it creates a bruise on one’s pocket.” Zevie M. Marquez, BBA MGT III

Do we really know the world we are living in?

Back then, as young kids with innocent minds, we had our fair share of lessons on the structure of the earth; crust, upper and lower mantles, outer and inner core. All that usual stuff we read, see and hear in books, television and schools. The ‘official’ stuff. But people have their questions: Is that all there is to it, plain old mantles, solid earth, with definite layers and a central core being the center of gravity? Is earth really a solid sphere? Or according to ancient myths, legends and Admiral Byrd, is it hollow inside, with entrances at the north and south poles and inhabitants living within it?

As discussed in the book, The Hollow Earth, authored by the late Dr. Raymond Bernard, the earth is not a solid sphere as generally supposed, but rather has a hollow interior which connects to the surface by the two polar openings and other passageways found on the surface of the earth.

It is also said to be home to a highly advanced civilization living peacefully within the interior, however, since nuclear activities had been mounted over the decades, beginning on the 1945 Hiroshima atomic explosion,

“Community service, because somehow it would be fair for those who went to the activity.

The time that the participating student spent cannot be replaced by money. The student who was absent must pay with time.” Darrell Bryan T. Rosales, AB Speech and Theatre III “Community service would be cool but in 3rd year, we barely have time for that (we barely even have time for sleep). So in my opinion, paying fines would be more convenient if ever we missed any activity but I just hope fines would be half as expensive .” Precious Trinidad, Physical Therapy III “I’d rather do community service, because I’ve had a negative experience that lead me not to trust the student in charge of the collection of fines. In addition, I don’t even know what they do with it but in community service, I might or can actually see a beneficial outcome.

The presence of money is not that necessary too. Furthermore, I would be happy to be a volunteer.” Xiarlson Lloyd Laruya Codoy, BBA Management IV ** Next issue’s question:

What do you think about the University Christian Life Emphasis Month? Would you prefer going back to celebrating it in one week (UCLEW)?”

For your answers, just text the Circulation Manager (09279878522). Indicate your full name (with middle initial), course and year.

Editor-in-chief Michiko Je M. Bito-on Associate Editor Royanni Miel M. Hontucan News Editor Keren Ann V. Bernadas Features Editor Danica Grace B. Gumahad Business Manager Justin Val R. Virtudazo Senior Writer Samantha L. Colinco News Writers Katrin Anne A. Arcala, Jelanie Rose T. Elvinia, Kristine Ann M. Fernandez, Kristine Felva P. Licup, Princess T. Abellon, Nova Veraley V. Grafe Feature Writers Roberto Klemente R. Timonera, Maya Angelique B. Jajalla, Michael Aaron C. Gomez Photojournalists Dylzaree D. Recentes, Nelly May S. Dableo, Yuys Fatima L. Escoreal Cartoonist Nicky F. Maypa Circulation Manager Nectarina M. Catada Office Manager Honey Grace A. Suello, John Lee D. Limbaga Web Manager David Mupe Layout Artist Jae Jireh P. Nejudne Adviser Warlito Caturay Jr.

The Weekly Sillimanian is published every week by the students of Silliman University, with editorial and business addresses at 1/F Oriental Hall, Silliman University, Hibbard Avenue, Dumaguete City 6200, Philippines. SU PO Box 24. Telephone number (35) 422-6002 local 243.

Opinions expressed in the columns are those of the columnists and not of tWS or of Silliman University. Comments, questions, and suggestions are highly appreciated. All submitted manuscripts become the property of tWS. Manuscripts will be edited for brevity and clarity.

Member: College Editors Guild of the Philippines

they rose again to the surface to which they traveled with their “vimanas” or flying saucers. It is also relatively feasible since UFO sightings had been numerous on locations nearer to the poles than on any other region. Are these flying discs of terrestrial origin, coming from the technologically advanced race dwelling within the interior of our planet?

The Hypocrite Alien Mel John Bejar

Rear Admiral Richard Byrd of the U.S Navy was renowned to have ventured into the concavities of the earth’s polar depression and into the boundaries of the hollow earth. Through which he relayed his observation through radio and kept a log record and diary of the whole event on that flight of February 19, 1947.

There he claimed to have seen (after miles of thick ice and snow) mountain ranges, forests, vegetation, lakes, rivers and strange animals. The inner

earth, as Eskimo legends tell, is a subtropical land of perpetual light where there is no darkness (there is an inner sun inside, which is the catalyst in the formation of the hollow earth through centrifugal force phenomenon).

“The Land of Everlasting Mystery” Admiral Byrd wrote.

I would do well in writing out the details and particulars however I cannot do so in such limited format.

Perchance, I may leave it to you to grasp more on this if it interests you.

It is quite absurd to present such far-fetched ideas on a college weekly paper, perhaps it is a good time for us to open up our minds to things that are uniquely possible or simply just an escape route to all things blunt and boring; a balm to the confines of normality. Then again, when I arise every morning and look up to the heavens . . . when my thoughts are echoed by the atmospheric illusion, I look down. I see trees, the sea, the ground and chickens. I see the earth and I ask: Do we really know the world we are living in? ~

Hear the Voice One, two, three, four, five.

You are counting the seconds inaudibly while looking at the clock hanging on a wall. Idly sitting on a chair, there’s that urge for you to rush out of the room and puke in the nearest comfort room. At least the CR gives you a little “comfort” (by its name) in times of agony, compared to where you are seated as of the moment.

The classroom is a common abode for knowledge yet it sometimes gives you this indefinite pressure– a kind of pressure that makes your blood boil.

So you are trying to calm yourself.

But there’s just this irritating sound that keeps messing with your hearing.

There’s this annoying figure that you keep seeing at the corner of your eye.

Let’s say if the pressure gripping your throat could physically smother you, you could possibly die at this very instant. So what is your plan?

Run. Perhaps that is so easy to say. But normally as a rule-abiding neophyte you wouldn’t do such form of stupidity inside a classroom. More so that your imposing teacher tries to shove his or her understanding of the Bible down your throat. What’s worse is that he or she doesn’t stop until you have it drilled into your skull. Yes, put behind your other subjects for a while, mind

your religion class.

Hence, you put into awareness that you actually belong to an academe with the sea of people of various beliefs - such a wonderful thing to hear. And by this notion, you are so excited going into (religion) class to hear new ideas, to hear insights, to hear other beliefs, to hear so much more.

It is on that day that you are so thrilled to share your own thoughts about what you believe in, about what you think of. But on that same day, your religion teacher says, “No! That

The Skeptic Inquirer

Jelanie Rose T. Elvinia

should be like this because this is what I have understood in the Bible.” At that point you give all of your breath just to justify your stand. But he or she is unperturbed.

Now, you want to scream. You want slap him or her on the face. You want to get your stuff and bolt out of the room. But, you just can’t because of a tacit prohibition more binding than the lawful one: the culture forbids it.

So instead, you decide to sit down, afraid that in the end he or she will end

up messing up with your grade.

Let’s go back to you where you are right now. You are counting the seconds until the bell rings. But then as you are wordlessly doing it, time begins to move slower than usual. You begin to think of so many things out of hatred.

You think that not all teachers are good educators. And now you are considering the figure in front of you as a good example of a bad one. Because for you, a good teacher is someone who does not simply assist you or simply guide you in learning but someone who hones you by first respecting and understanding your ideas, your beliefs and your insights. You think that a good teacher is someone who sees your faults but still listens to your reason for thinking or acting that way and use your wrongdoings as instruments to make you realize how to be a better person. And now, still, you are thinking deeply, strongly believing in your conviction that he or she is not a good teacher for he or she disrespects how you perceive things.

The bell rings.

How you wish your teacher knows how you feel. Thus, you write your heartfelt dismay on this paper.

By now, perhaps he or she knows. ~

the weekly sillimanian 25 july 2013

Two-One-Four

By Maya Angelique B. Jajalla

V

al Amiel Vestil went to Indonesia.

Mac Edsel Florendo will go to Korea.

Mac and Val are both Filipinos.

They are both Sillimanians. Mac is a Mass Communication junior from Zamboanga City, while Val is a Mass Communication sophomore from Cagayan de Oro City. Mac and Val are honor students. They are active in extra-curricular activities.

This is a story of two student ambassadors.

Let’s start with Val. 1 in the 19 Aside from hosting parties and events, Val can be seen touring visitors around the campus by the sea, telling the stories behind halls of Silliman University (SU). Val is a member of the SU Corps of Campus Ambassadors (SUCCA), among many others.

This 17-year old says that the things he does are driven by interests, instead of needs. He goes for “I like experiencing new cultures, socializing with different kinds of people and traveling” rather than “I need to do things to be popular.”

“I always make it a point to try something new every year… to get out of my comfort zone,” he added.

Val proved that there is, indeed, no room for monotony in his life when he applied for the search for the Google Student Ambassadors in Southeast Asia – a search that is famously known to have information technology students composing 90% of its applicants.

With his impressive academic standing, list of co-curricular and

community involvements, and excellent essays, Val became one of the 19 Google Student Ambassadors in the country – the only Mass Communication student in the group.

He is part of the roster of student liaisons in Southeast Asia that will introduce the expanded Google applications as learning tools in Philippine schools.

“We went to Yogyakarta, Indonesia last July…we were introduced to the new Google ‘products’ which can help our own teachers in presenting their lessons in a more convenient, interesting and comprehensive way,” he said. Val wants to establish a “Google Core Team” in Silliman so that they can start introducing the learning tools that Google has provided in this generation of clicks and buttons.

His next project is “map making”, which aims to provide an updated and accurate Google Map of Negros Oriental. However, he can only do this if the core team is already established. So if you want to try something new this year, you might want to contact Val. However, there’s always a downside to everything. So when asked about his take on Google being a factor in today’s culture which lacks resourcefulness and creativity, Val said: “Using these tools is not really

totally relying on technology. It’s about making use of new discoveries so that we can do more things in a more convenient, accessible and comprehensive way.”

For Val and the generation that he represents, Google may be the slow death of manual library research.

in-law simply to ask for some sugar— Ms. Mongado’s performance was monotonously high-strung, as though she were on edge all the time. In this she defeated her co-stars acting onstage— this is most glaring when she shared the stage with Franco Santamaria (played

by Mr. Earnest Hope Tinambacan) during an intense moment at the end of scene two in Act Two where Cristy confronts her husband for his wartime decision.

Mr. Tinambacan’s acting, however, was competent. Like Ms. Mongado, he had a tendency to yell his lines, but he made up for it with his little mannerisms, although there was one thing this viewer could not understand: for the entirety of the play, he seemed to portray Franco Santamaria—the “collaborator”—as though he had some kind of palsy or disorder. He kept his back bent and his arms rigidly straight, even after he got shot in the leg. This audience member found no reason to believe that his leg injury had any realistic part to play with his strange gait and posture: after all, during the scene in Act One where he returns from the front with a limp, he did not even use a cane, and he did not even feel the need to ask for help from his wife or family. This odd portrayal distracted the audience—including this member—from the drama behind the kissing scene at the end of scene two in Act Two, as his rigid arms and hunched back rendered the thing awkward and even childish, also prompting the audience to laugh and hoot at him.

His convincingly intense acting in scene two of Act Three failed to erase that awkwardness from this reviewer’s mind. (An aside: for a guerilla returning

from years of fighting in the mountains, Miguel Santamaria—played by Mr. Ian Rosales Casocot—looked incredibly fashionable and stylish and clean.

Clearly, verisimilitude was not achieved here.) A crying shame, really, since

But it is not the death of learning.

Indeed, the world revolves and humans evolve. If one does not go with the rhythm, then Vilma Santos might be right: Si Val (at ang kanyang henerasyon) ay walang malay.

From SU to HU A poster tacked on a bulletin board sealed the fate of Mac Florendo.

Five months ago, Mac saw a poster of the SU Exchange Student Program with Korea’s Hannam University. It was posted on the SU library bulletin board. Studying in a foreign country with a completely different culture and language was an interesting thought. But it was certainly out of his comfort zone.

For days, the poster kept on crossing Mac’s mind. Until finally, he decided to apply. “I tried many things in my life

before. I tried to be part of LACUU (Luce Auditorium Corps of Usher and Usherettes) and [SUCCA] during my freshman year. And I’ve failed to be part of both. So I wasn’t really scared of failing that time. Because I know that we learn many

things through failures,” Mac said.

This time, things are different.

Because it won’t be failure that Mac will be learning from. This time, it will be experience. In August, Mac will be studying Global Studies and Communication in Hannam for six months.

“There are only a few people who are given a chance to study abroad.

Korea is a progressive country. By studying there, I can observe how they do things their way. And maybe I can ‘tweak’ those things and apply it here in our country,” he added.

Mac will be a student ambassador to Korea. Next year, posters will be posted again on the bulletin boards in school. And like all opportunities in

In My Father’s House: A Review

By Michael Aaron C. Gomez

O

pening night for the play In My Father’s House at the Luce Auditorium last July 19 was a historic affair for a number of reasons: it was the first time that the play—written by Elsa Martinez Coscolluela, a Silliman alumna and Palanca Awards Hall of Famer—was produced at the university,and it marked the return of Amiel Y. Leonardia—a Silliman alumnus and renowned theater man—to the university’s stage as director. Also, the play—which is set in Dumaguete—is generally considered to be the playwright’s greatest work, consequently imbuing the debut production with an even more poignant significance.

However, the actual opening gala fell some notches short of greatness.

Primarily, this reviewer saw that the acting was rather uneven—the steady dramatic buildup suggested by the play’s lines was derailed by obvious overacting, and when it came to the meaty climactic scenes, unrealized by the actors’ baffling underplaying: which this viewer means in the negative sense.

One example this audience member can name was the scene in Act Two where Cristy Santamaria (played by Ms. Carla Angeline Mongado) and the matriarch Amanda Santamaria (played by Mrs. Dessa Quesada-Palm) are preparing for their meager dinner: Cristy asks for some sugar, but instead of doing it in a respectful and deferent manner—as was expected—she does it in a weird high-pitched tone, with an oddly stiff American-sounding accent. It is rightfully unthinkable for a woman to shout at her own mother-

Franco’s character was the pivot upon which the dramatic force of the play hinged. Also, Mr. Casocot’s acting in that exchange was abrupt and hurried: despite being hammered with Franco’s

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litany concerning his valiant struggle, Miguel’s realization of his own brother’s courageous efforts came about too suddenly, as though he weren’t even listening to Franco in the first place.

One of the most distinctive in the list of bad actors is Mr. Leo Mamicpic, who played the patriarch C a r l o s Santamaria.

For the head of an elite haciendero family in N e g r o s Oriental, he did not feel imposing at all.

He conducted himself and delivered his lines with a nagging weakness and an absurdly comical slant that was unbecoming of an old gentleman, without the will and the strength one expects from a man of his standing. This resulted in his horrible delivery of some key lines: when Carlos asks Victor— played by Mr. Andrew Alvarez—if his son Carlito was dead, the audience burst into laughter, and this was repeated

life, we might want to ask ourselves: Are we willing to take the challenge?

Connection Last school year, a freshman student entered Vernon Hall and called it his home. At first, he was scared that he might end up having roommates who only cared about playing DOTA. Fortunately he had a dormitory “big brother” who motivated him to explore the possibilities that college opens for one’s self instead.

An exchange of intellectual ideas always happened inside their room.

The two roommates were both brilliant in their own fields.

The freshman found his niche in public speaking. The big brother became the man behind video teasers and trailers for school activities. Theirs is a story of how the people you are with affect your own competence and goals in life – a story of how others make you and how, in turn, you make them.

The freshman and his big brother stayed in Room 214. Mac and Val stayed in Room 214.

The world provides. It provides failures, joys, frustrations, triumphs, places and people – all with the same purpose–for us to discover our gifts, hone them, and share them to the world.

We are all ambassadors in this life – we represent our families, our homes, our beliefs, our own principles, our emotions, our experiences, our schools, our country, our church.

And like Mac and Val, this human race existed to motivate each other to develop what we represent. Because the world – with all its fears and beauties – is one big Room 214. ~

at the end of the play, when Carlos decides to go to Cara Noche to bury his son Franco after he was tortured and killed by the guerillas for collaboration.

It seemed to this reviewer that it wasn’t only him who noticed Mr. Mamicpic’s terrible performance.

Another heavy line that was badly flubbed was Amanda’s remark to Captain Haroda—played by Mr. Jerry Angelo Catarata—when she says she appreciates the prevention of the horrific reprisal planned by the Japanese troops because they had captured—and killed—the assassin of another hated collaborator. Amanda had seen the soldiers drag and then kill her own ward, Emilio (played by Mr. Ron Calumpang), but she delivered the line—“We appreciate it”—as though she had merely witnessed the neighbors kill some stray cat that kept knocking around her trash can at night. It was an obviously heavy moment, but it became throwaway because of Mrs. Palm’s puzzling delivery.

Still, the opening night performance of In My Father’s House was marginally successful, if only for showcasing the sheer strength and power of the original play: despite the glaringly lackluster actors, the play itself managed to evoke a palpable sense of horror and tragedy from the audience—the lines and scenes were that powerful. ~ Editor’s note: The article is the writer’s personal assessment of the opening performance of “In My Father’s House” last July 19 at the Luce Auditorium. Opinions and views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the editors and the Weekly Sillimanian in general.

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the weekly sillimanian 25 july 2013

superstition. Every community has its own set of quirky beliefs. The theater is no exception. Let’s take a look at some of these: RANDOMspace: Theatrical (source: http://listverse.com/2010/08/20/top-10-theater-superstitions/) Compiled by: Roberto Klemente Timonera

the

“Break a leg!”

In theater it is considered bad

luck to wish an actor good luck.

Thus the traditional phrase of well-wishing is “break a leg,” for which many theories have been proposed. One is that when actors bow or curtsy after a performance the “line” of the leg is broken.

roundup Online enrollment...

from page 1

won’t get to experience the old way of enrollment.

“That’d be really helpful for us students who are far from Dumaguete. Also the system is yet to be tested so it’d also be a major setback if things would go wrong.

But hopefully they (administration) can assure that the system would work smoothly,” Balasa said.

One of the developments that the university made for the opening Wifi for everyone... from page 1

buildings like Oriental Hall, Ausejo Hall, College of Business Administration Building, Elementary School Building, and eight buildings in High School.

The open accessed-areas are Silliman University Church Office, Uytengsu Computer Center Extension, Uytengsu Computer Center, Villareal Hall, Alumni Hall, University House, Administration Building, Instructional Media and Technology Center, and Alice Fullerton Hall.

Ken Anthony Danlag, a third year Information Technology student, said that the school’s Wi-Fi is very helpful to students’ research works and assignments. He noticed, however, that some specific areas have low connectivity and some students can’t access it using their accounts.

“We are doing our best to ensure that you are able to access your internet almost everywhere in the university at a fast speed,” Garcia said.

Monitoring This project is closely supervised by the Management Information Systems (MIS) unit.

there’s one light that must be left burning. This is called the ghost light because it’s said to ward off ghosts. It also lights the way for anyone who might be passing through.

of this school year was the new payment process. Fees are being scheduled accordingly depending on the payment date (schedule A, B and C) chosen by parents or guardians, under a contract they sign during enrollment. This process aims to help students proceed with their academic work and activities with minimum disruptions to settle their accounts and even fall in line to get their exam permits, as cited in the undertaking. ~ Garcia said MIS is in charge of monitoring the strength of the WiFi connection. He added that the university has a system which blocks pornographic websites and websites that consumes most of the connection for downloading.

Teachers are also involved in monitoring students who may be using the internet inside the classroom.

Garcia said: “There are controls in place and these controls are not necessarily online. These are the usual controls that take place in the classroom between the teacher and the students. So if you would be using your iPad or your mobile phone for reasons outside learning the lesson or participating the class, of course you’ll get reprimanded.”

Wi-Fi for everyone Even though the university is moving forward through this project, Garcia also admitted that not all in the university are fond of the cyberspace and are technology savvy.

“We’d like them [students and teachers] to embrace this kind of technology and we do understand that not everyone is into this but again it’s a teaching-learning tool,” he said. ~

“Macbeth” is like “Voldemort” Macbeth is the one name that should never be said

Whistling Nobody whistles on

Ghost light In an empty theater

stage. Or off stage, for that matter. Back then, coded whistles served as theater cues, so if anyone whistled absently, embarrassing things could happen.

in a theater as it is believed to cause catastrophes.

It is referred to only as “The Scottish Play” or “The Bard’s Play.” If anyone says the name, he has to perform a cleansing ritual, such as repeating the name thrice while tapping his left shoulder.

Selfie

Choirs sing...

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for being very supportive of them.

They grew up around a lot of artists, musicians, and performers. John Pfeiffer, the youngest son said, “We were taught by our parents that we are independent people. They gave us a lot of freedom and confidence and to not be afraid to go out, to do something and try of something.”

Paul Pfeiffer described his mom as a joyful person. “Even when she’s sick and went on a major difficulty, she has the ability to find the positive side of things. She has this internal power to remain very positive.”

The performances of the Orkestra Sin Arco, Silliman University Women’s Ensemble, Silliman University Men’s Glee Club, Silliman University Campus Choristers, and Ating Pamana, Inc., filled the church with Visayan folk songs as well as songs of love, peace, and faith.

The said concert was held at the Silliman University Church, last July 17. ~

Biologist wins... from page 1

back with two fish in front of him, slowly herding them towards the net.

“It’s almost like magic. There are hundreds of fish in the reef and we’re looking for this particular one. He has a sense. And that knowledge and skill is so invaluable. Even my colleagues from abroad, whenever I tell them that’s how he does it, they scratch their heads,” he said.

Abesamis added that aside from the fun they have while “chasing fish underwater” and “diving at exotic

waters,” being a marine biologist is interesting because their studies can affect the way people manage marine resources. Something, he said, that is bigger than any award in the future.

Abesamis said: “One of the things I realize while out on the field is that whatever you do or the things that you find out may eventually be useful to somebody. As a scientist, if you do something right and it becomes useful, you’re happy.”

With reports from Malaya.com. ph. ~

SU Inter-Collegiate Debates returns after 12 years

By Kristine Felva P. Licup

AFTER A BREAK FOR more than a decade, the Silliman University InterCollegiate Debates comes back this school year.

Headed by the History-Political Science Society, the competition had the first match of its elimination round last July 15 at Robinsons Place Dumaguete.

John Henrick Abella, president of the History-Political Science Society, said that an event which develops intellectual capacity of students should rightfully have its comeback.

“The last time that Silliman had

this kind of activity was in 2001 - the Centennial Debates that was intercollegiate. So the teachers in our department really pushed us to organize this activity because it celebrates the intellectual capacity of the Sillimanians to really have a say on certain issues in our society and it really develops the rationale of [the students],” Abella said.

The procedure used during the debate was British Parliamentary. Abella said that this debate format aims not only to enhance the thinking capabilities of Sillimanians but also to fight apathy by having fruitful discussions of the different issues of the society.

Elimination rounds take place every Monday, 4pm at Robinsons Place

Dumaguete until Aug. 12. The finals will be held at the Claire Aside from the title of being the champion of this year’s inter-collegiate debates, the winning team will get freebies and cash prize not less than P10,000.

In the first match for the elimination round, Institute of Clinical Laboratory Sciences won against the College of Mass Communication.

The participating colleges are College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Business Administration, College of Engineering and Design, Institute of Rehabilitative Sciences. ~

VIEWS AND BELIEFS IN CONFLICT. College of Arts and Sciences’ third speaker delivers her piece with conviction, opposing the house’s motion to allow polygamous unions. The competition was held at Robinsons Main Atrium last July 22. PHOTO BY Yuys Fatima Escoreal

THE “BRING ME” RIDDLE! Congratulations to last week’s winners:

Anne Margareth Timonan and Jenkens Baba Last week’s answer: STAPLER

CONGRATULATIONS!

Wilfred M. Placencia Jr. AB Political Science- III

for winning 1st runner up in the Mr. International Philippines 2013 CELEBRATING PHILIPPINE PIECES. Creative Writing Center conducts a poetry reading featuring poems of renowned Filipino writers at The Bean Connection last July 22. PHOTO BY Yuys Fatima Escoreal

MECHANICS:

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Every week, the Weekly Sillimanian publishes a riddle about things found within the university campus. Participants must be students enrolled in the current semester of SY 2013-2014.

Participants must literally bring their answers to the Weekly Sillimanian office on Thursday or Friday at 12 PM – 3 PM following the release of the Weekly Sillimanian paper.

Winners will receive awesome prizes from the staff.

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Here’s our riddle of the week:

When it has swallowed you, it has already spat you out.

When you are inside it, you are outside.

Bring me to the TWS Office and claim your prize!