The Varsitarian

THE QUADRICENTENNIAL celebration is a catalyst for new constructions. With the Alumni Center and Sports Complex as multi-million projects, it is gratifying to know that the University recognizes the importance of investing in buildings to further enhance its facilities. Sure, they may be costly but their benefits are long lasting compared with fireworks.

However, I can’t help but notice that all these structures, when brought together as a complex, fail to fully evoke a “spirit of place.” The phrase refers to the distinctive and unique characteristic of a place, a synergy of its physical environment, interpersonal appeal, and underlying history and culture. read more »

RECENTLY, we had a chance to borrow a bulky old book of clippings from the family of late baseball legend and former UST baseball coach Teodulo “Lefty” Viray. The yellowish color and the old newspaper stench might give chills to some but also aroused a sense of admiration on how someone could be so great even before the age of high class gyms and food supplements. (See story on page 15)

Browsing through the aged articles, I encountered a feature published in the ‘50s in which UST was being compared to a farm for athletes—and guess what, the analogy has never changed. (I’m not surprised why other universities pirate our athletes.) read more »

SHE WAS a woman in her late 20’s with a big bump in her belly. With her long hair, she hid her face while staring blankly at the floor.

It was my first time in the psychiatric ward as a student nurse. I was afraid that my nursing interventions might not suffice my patient’s needs. I was troubled by the fact that in that ward, I would not deal with the physical illnesses but with psychological disorders which included affective, behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual disturbances.

The patient I was assigned to had major depressive disorder.  read more »

TRY TO analyze why the environment’s health is slowly going down the slope.

God only gave us natural calamities and it is a fool’s fault if the natural world is destroyed by man’s greed, gluttony, and pride, said John Muir, a famous naturalist and nature writer.

Those “three deadly sins” led us to a world wracked with problems of pollution of all forms, greenhouse gases, improper waste management, and abuse of natural resources such as quarrying. These problems all lead to the environmentalist’s nightmare: hastened climate change.

But why do we still subscribe to this abusive lifestyle? read more »

NABALOT kamakailan ng matitinding kontrobersya ang mundo ng pamamahayag sa bansa dahil sa mga balitang nagpapanggap, napgpipilit, at nagpaparatang upang maging balita.

Hindi maikakaila na ang mundo ng internet, partikular na ang mga social networking sites at blogs ay may kakayanang maghasik at magpakalat ng mga impormasyon sa madla—ngunit hindi lahat ng ito ay dapat paniwalaan o maski patulan man lang. read more »

Walang pinag-iba ang pag-ibig sa pakikibaka. Activism is fueled by no other motivation than selfless love for others. While others pay mere lip service to the University's Catholic ideals of compassion and commitment to service of others, Thomasian activists genuinely live out these ideals in their actions. Instead of malicious insinuations and ridicule, the students who stood up and engaged the UST administration on its new enrollment policies should be commended for their efforts amid an enforced atmosphere of fear and helplessness in UST.

We find it amusing that Mr. Rommel Rio betrays his own calls for objectivism when he shamelessly brandished his bias and subjectivism against activism as a form of political engagement and involvement by students. read more »

STARS have landed from the empyrean to illumine a 21.5-hectare terrain along the stretch of the bustling boulevard of España in Manila.

Streaks of light with the size of pearls now hang at tree branches around the University and luxurious chandeliers, that seem to float on mid air, line up the so-called 'Lover's Lane,' leading to the majestic and shining Main Building.

The campus has again been set for the much-anticipated Paskuhan tradition, when Thomasians, all nicely groomed and in a party mood, gather at the University grounds for hours-long festivities. read more »

WHEN President Aquino III addressed the justice summit recently at the Manila Hotel, he attacked the Supreme Court for its alleged partiality toward former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the motion she filed to be allowed to leave the country and seek medical help amid the election and plunder charges that have been filed against her by the new administration.

“There is no doubt as to the gravity of your task. Your decisions and the steps you take have implications integral to our democracy,” Aquino said. Present in the summit was Chief Justice Renato Corona. read more »

I WATCHED the Indian film 3 Idiots (2009) because of a friend’s relentless nagging. I have never been a fan of Bollywood films, but I must admit that its story has a philosophical and existential dimension that makes great sense when applied in life.

The movie tells the story of three college friends, Ranchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad, Farhan Qureshi, and Raju Rastogi, and how their friendship survives the challenges across time, especially the materialism that is eating up the younger generations.

The movie shows how young people eagerly embrace the rat race of modern life in order to accumulate wealth and fulfill their ambitions. It shows how today’s generation chase success at the expense of missing the essence of life. read more »

THERE is one in 32,468,436 chances you will win in the 6/55 lottery. This means it’s close to impossible for you to win. Our family took the gamble of a different sort and won.

Our family did not see it coming when my grandfather, whom we fondly call Papang, had to be admitted to the hospital due to his failing heart. The doctor said that Papang needed to undergo angioplasty, which however would be no guarantee his life would be prolonged. This made us resort to the other option—a bypass surgery—in which the results would be better.

But the surgery would also be more expensive. Every relative was asked to contribute to the costs of the surgery. But despite pooling resources, our clan still could not pay for the astronomical costs of the bypass. read more »