Convocation Delos Santos (Combined).pdf

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Part of The Gold Ore

extracted text: flurry of the Student Council elections. After all, women were...just women. “YES—MEN” VOTERS. Pert, spright ly Nena Paraan, Normal department student, romped away with the presid ential position unopposed and unchal lenged without as much as a stir from the majority of the voters, the first year liberal arts co-eds who remained impuissant throughout the election. Reason: perhaps they had insufficient ground ing in parliamentary forms and proce dure. Or were they simply a crowd of “yes-men”? Buxom Leonila M. Oteyza put up a stiff opposition in the Vice Proxyship, but Esther Suzara, another Normal department student, brought home the bacon. Adding still another bead to her already sagging string of secretaryships, Bienvenida Rosal had easy sailing. Other officers elected were: Lourdes Mitra, treasurer; Erma Nevada, business manager; Jean La gasca, press relations officer. Can the back yard be kept clean and weedless.. . ? Convocation Cabarroguis Baguio people lend willing ears to new songs. Congressman Leon Cabar roguis (L., N. Viz.) sung the song of denunciation at the Rotary Club’s Sa turday meeting. He sung another songthe song of exposition at the Baguio Colleges convocation hall. To the B. C. students, it was an entirely new song-a rendition of a democratic air by a po litician . For the B.C. crowd to witness two convocation speakers in two week’s time, it was c nlightening. While M. V. de los Santos’ prophetic and professorial words were still ringing in the air, Con gressman Cabarroguis clinched the fort night’s verbal assault with an extem poraneous speech a la politician. For English 3 (Public Speaking and De bate) students, it was quite a lesson. For would-be politicians, more than that. The audience found Cabarroguis sur veying the origin and growth of demo cracy to an academic-minded class of young people instead of to one with po litical leanings—now that election time is just around the corner. Such was the case. He further lectured on the im port of Greek democracy and its sub sequent invasion of Philippine shores. This was not new to the audience. This was all part and parcel of the things they learn from their books. But the way it was delivered, and from one, whether politician or not, who never stepped into a college room, at that, it was of a class all its own. This was something to listen to no matter if the rain outside once in a while threatened to drown out the voice of the congress man . HIS DREAM. From democracy, Cabarroguis drifted to the defects of the Administration. Then he came down to brass tacks and exposed himself. He had something up his sleeves. He had his own dream for the Filipinos and the Philippines—an educational program for the masses, a vague summary of de fense for the country. This was not a politician talking anymore. This was a man talking sense.... Convocation de los Santos Things augur well for the new as sembly hall over at 52nd Street (the old Roscbowl) . Already convocations fol low one another. This time the guest speaker was Pres. M. V. de los Santos of the University of Manila, who spoke before what is probably the largest crowd that ever belonged to the Baguio Colleges exclusively. Speaking in a manner which he called “a friendly chat”, Pres, de los Santos got both an attentive and appreciative ear—something few convocation speakers August, 1947 Page 7 get anywhere. Pres. Salvosa, who earlier in the afternoon had been giving away citations to student leaders mag nanimously and scholarships sparingly (so far to only one-Ben Rillera, defeated candidate for a 3rd term, for past ser vices as Student Prexy) introduced, magnanimously again, the speaker to the students. (Pres. Salvosa) also got a good hand. THE BUILD-UP. In the way of a start Pros, de los Santos congratulated all the faculty members and students for having the pioneer spirit in the building up of an institution that ‘-is bound to be great, the Baguio Colleges”. “GOOD SEED—FERTILE SOIL”. Then he continued along the same morale-building vein. “This is no idle flattery. The event (citation of stud ent leaders) I witnessed this afternoon, the reports I have been receiving clearly indicate that there is hero a good seed planted in a fertile soil, and there are no reasons why you and I cannot hope to see in the near future a great Baguio Colleges, and probably a great univer sity of Baguio.” CRITICS AND COMPARISONS: “It is human to doubt the beginnings of a very small institution. There are always and there will always be cri tics...” But “what great institution did not come from small beginnings? The greatest universities of the world today, Harvard, Yale, Bristol, Univer sity of London, Oxford, did not begin with hundreds of students.. .with scores of faculty members. From these stand ards ... Baguio Colleges have had more sufficient beginnings. . .almost 200 stud ents, a dozen faculty members, goodsized rooms in concrete buildings.” WHAT IS A UNVERSITY? “... there are only 2 important ele ments to make a university; a teacher who knows how to teach and a student who is open-minded and ready to be taught. . .those two elements are here.. The mind of the teacher put in contact with the mind of the student eager to learn, ready to be developed, aspiring and hard-working. “A university has been defined as the association of minds.. .ready to receive from each other the stimulating...” Gathering momentum, he gave away sound advice which to the public-school product might just as well have been put side by side with the decalogues of both Mabini and Quezon. “Take full advantage of all opportunities you have ...develop your mind, your heart, your spirit. . .The educated man must be wellrounded. . .share with them (the faculty) the responsibilities. You cannot be educated unless you yourself exert your very best efforts. . .Get educated in the full sense.. .absorb as much as you can of the accumulated learning of the ages. ...pioneer now fields. . .otherwise de terioration will ensue.” Then he indulged in some wishful thinking—“...if ever I have to start again, I would like an institution not so big, not so small either, whereby I could meet every student and faculty member.”—after having said “You have more opportunities here that you cannot find in a larger institution.. .opportun ity to cultivate association among your selves.. .your teachers. That contact so essential in any educational institu tion.” Commenting on the oath of office tak en earlier in the afternoon by the new student council, he delighted over the fact that the performance of duties and responsibilities has been stressed rather than the officer of power and authority. “IN A DEMOCRACY LIKE OURS .. .we all aspire to lead and to com mand, few take the role of a follower. The result is chaos. We elect our lead ers. After...we refuse to follow them and if we follow them, we follow them Page 8 THE GOLD ORE so blindly. That philosophy is wrong ... If we want to rule and command, we must learn to rule ourselves and receive and follow orders. We need discriminat ing- followership more than leadership., don’t follow blindly.. .follow wisely. You never go wrong doing that.” Dance Acquaintance TO MAKE GOOD a precedent estab lished last year that the semester’s social activities l:e opened by an Acquaintance Dance, one was therefore held. New faces mixed with those of the old. They danced anel got acquainted. The Misses J. Molina, C. Ramos, I. Cariño, L. Mitra, C. de la Rosa, A. Flores, A. Fuentes, A. Lagasca, D. Garcia, A. Ramos, B. Gascon, E. Marfori, P. Caguioa, R. Gonzales, etc., brushed elbows (and hair-do’s) with the ‘old, old’ coeds: V. Paraan, N. Pe ralta, M. Picart, F. Williamson, E. Suzara, R. Rivera, A. Rivera, V. Aqui no. F. Tolentino, V. Lagasca, C. Es pina, G. Cacdac, etc. As if to hold the ‘old’ stag line, the Sophomores and oldsters came around, too. B. San Pedro, L. Cabato, J. Fernandez, A. de Peralta, G. Lam bino, B. Rivera. A. Brillantes, R. Pa raan, the Arnobit’s, Espejo’s, Florc ndo’s, etc., could not be beaten to the ncing. And to defend the ‘new’ line— the male freshmen came in bunches—R. Mitra, Jr.. R. Manuel, Jr., O. Ri mando, I. Navarro, W. Afenir, P. Tangalin, A. San Pedro, J. Gonzales, and a host of others. The samba, rhumba, tango and slow drag came from a box-like contraption moderns call a radio-phonograph. Last year’s was supplied by a stringed en semble. Chow was better, too. Is it that this year is less sociable than be fore? Better so that there is retrogres sion in socials—not in Academics. Col lege is where one gets an Education, isn’t it? For Newer Blood July 30, 1947 was just another day in the Baguio Colleges. Soft-spoken, Pro-Law student Andres Cosalan wore the same casual smile of every-day life. A competitive examination for vacancies in the “Gold Ore” staff was to be held in the afternoon. He would try his hand at the test. After all, joining the competition was one pardonable ex cuse to miss the serious tone of Dr. Monzon’s Ethics class. The test was over at 6:00 in the af ternoon; twelve students had participat ed in the brain-racking requirements of editorial writing, news coverage, criti cism, and commentary procedures. The “Gold Ore” test was really a hard nut to crack. Andres Cosalan emerged from Room 213, looking tired and weary. He wasn’t sure he had hurdled the exam. He had doubts. Everyone had doubts. The results were published a week later: Bantas Suanding, Felicidad Williamson, Orlando Rimando, Bienvenida Rosai, Andres Cosalan—(see pages 2 and 3) all hurdled the tests. To Andres—it meant less time for studying to be de voted to College newspaper work. He was more than glad to te in the staff of the “Gold Ore” as all the others were. When we saw him again, he was wearing the same, unchanged un pretentious smile. Reciprocation The rays of the setting sun had not yet disappeared behind the clouds when modest, quiet, unassuming librarian Miss Agustina Aquino went home that day, August 13. She was happy and she admitted it. Two volumes of “Rules of Court” and some thirty issues of the Philippine—American magazine were sent to the Colorado State Univer sity as a token of appreciation and grate fulness. It was not much, but the little that it was, meant a great deal to the students of the Baguio Colleges. Earlier in May, 1947, an odd as August, 1947 Page 9
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