HERITAGE

KASC INTRAMURALS 2007:
BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF KARMA
By Maria Phoenix Choa

The 2007 Intramurals of Kalinga-Apayao State College had wrapped up in a manner not praise worthy. The Intramurals was shrouded by cheating, indiscrimination and acts of selfishness at high places.

The contingent of athletes of the Institute of Arts and Sciences had come in strong and powerful during the said event as evident by the many wins of the institute but ended up as 3rd placers in the over-all ranking of the said intramurals.

The question then arises as to how it happened and what went wrong during the intramurals? We could say that the Institute of Arts and Sciences had been treated unfairly and were greatly discriminated. They were not given the chance to claim what they rightfully deserved. IAS had won many major events and had dominated the track and field events that everybody knows. But still they were denied their rights to be declared as the champions of the 2007 KASC Intramurals. This is due to the selfish acts and intentions of many individuals involved in the decision-making whom according to my point of view don’t want the IAS to take their positions as the champions. The point system that was used was not only absurd, it’s totally illogical. They have ranked the different institute according to the points of their winning events in the track and field events but afterwards they gave it equivalent points that narrowed the big difference in the first computation of the raw scores garnered by the winning institutes to only a five points difference. They have given points to the individual events as if it is it was a major game. Individual games are individual games. You can never level it with major games. It’s ridiculous to give an equivalent point for the total scores of all the won individual events as if it was a basketball or volleyball event. The athletes of the individual events had worked hard and alone to win and gain the championship. They had no one to rely to but themselves, whereas, in a major or group event, everybody in the team should work together in order to win. It is my first time to encounter such kind of point system and I am wondering where it came from. I was an athlete once in high school, though few would believe it and I know how point system works. Even in Olympics, they used the point system that gives the equivalents point to a certain event according to their ranking then compute it. Whoever team garnered the highest points in all the contested events of the individuals games, they were declared as the champions. That is why most Olympic athletes always strive hard to place firsts and attain the gold medal in all the individual events because it will ensure their victory in the over-all ranking system.
According to gathered information, comments and criticisms, the recently held Intramurals was a big scam. Whoever had encounter that a declared champion in sports competition had a single gold and the second placers won less gold than the 3rd placers who had garnered 15 gold medals? It is only in KASC that I had encountered such things. It is ridiculous. It is absurd and it is very illogical. It is a form of cheating and discrimination at high places. Others blamed the people involved in the decision-making of what point system to use. Some blamed the system that was used in determining the winners of the said occasion. But whoever or whatever it is to blame, the past Intramurals had made an impression to the mind of the students of IAS that there is nothing fair and just when personal interest and hidden motivations are involved.
The intramurals 2007 is an affair to be remembered that will always bring sadness and anger to the students and instructors of IAS. What had happened was unacceptable. IAS had taken the blow too hard and it is a matter of time before this is forgotten. It was a direct slap to the face of every IAS students and instructors. It was an insult and embarrassment that can not be taken lightly. And it will forever linger in the minds of the students that reality really struck hard. There is no place on earth wherein you can find equality and fairness among men and few are those people who put the virtue of honesty, fairness, justness and equality as their principles in life.
To those and to that who have prevented us, denied us of claiming what is rightfully ours, may you have peace of minds. Just remember that whatever you have done to others, it will come back unto you. Believe in the power of KARMA because it is true.
We have been put down literally but we accepted the injustices and unfairness with humble hearts and peaceful minds because we know that the Almighty God is watching you, taking notice of what you had done to us. I should say that we are the best example of humility, tolerance and sportsmanship because knowing that we can not do anything, we accepted our fate with open minds and welcoming arms knowing that some day fate will get back at you for treating us unfairly and denying us our right.
May God bless you always and may God be with us for all time!!!


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TUITION FEE AND THE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT FUND
By Maria Phoenix Choa

The enrollment day of Kalinga-Apayao State College came as a shocked to first year enrollees because of the increase amount their down payment. Instead of paying Php 500.00 for the miscellaneous fee, it became Php 1,050.00 due to the addition of a Php 500.00 student development fee. Students who came to enroll were surprised since they knew that they only have to pay the Php 500.00 miscellaneous fee and they can be considered as officially enrolled in the institution. They had brought the exact amount of money needed for the down payment because it was what their parents had given them. As a result, many students were not able to enroll because they had to go back and ask for additional money from their parents. It was a waste of time, money and effort. According to KASC administration, the increase in the development fee was a mandate coming from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and they had to implement it. Point taken. What the students wanted is that they should have been informed beforehand. The institution could have made announcement about the increased payment during the enrollment so parents and students alike would be prepared for it. We, the students have the right to be properly informed to avoid encountering problems and dilemmas. Money is not that easy to find, we all knew that and Php 500.00 can not just be picked out from a tree or from a garden.
The tuition fee increase at the end of the semester came also as a shocked to every student. Some students who have paid their tuition fee in full during the enrollment had to pay another Php 200.00 or more because tuition fee had increased. Instead of concentrating on their reviews for the exam, the students are worrying and confused as to how they are going to explain the matter to their parents. The increase of tuition fee at the end of a semester is very impractical. It causes a lot of trouble and burden not only for the students but most especially to the parents. Money is budgeted in accordance to their needs and expenses and the additional tuition fee is way out of question to the parents. They had to remedy or their children would not be able to take their final exam. And looking for money is not that easy too. They have to borrow with interest just so they could cover the additional payment in tuition fees adding more to the financial worries of the family.
The KASC administration had stated that the increased in tuition fee this school year was an increase last year. It is just only now that they are implementing the said increase. For Christ sake, we are not banks that could produce money anytime. Like the development fee, the increase in tuition fee could have announced and properly disseminated to the students during enrollment day. They should have implemented the increase during the enrollment and not implement it at the end of a semester. It is impractical and burdensome.
Another thing: according to a reliable source, the problem also lies with regards to the encoding of the assessment of the students during enrollment. Instead of encoding Php 60.00 per unit, they have encoded Php 50.00. the responsible ones claim that there was an error in the computer programs for enrollment, validation and assessments. The committed error should not be burden then by the students. The responsible ones should take account for their mistakes and not put the weight of the problem on the shoulders of the students. the administration should also hire employees who are competent enough in handling and operating computer and their programs to take charge of enrollment days in order to avoid committing this kind of mistakes.
We are hoping that come next enrollment day, problems of this kind will not arise again for it is us students who suffer the consequences and not you who are sitting there and encoding and doing our assessment forms and enrollment validations.

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THE COMPUTER LABORATORY FEE OF SCHOOL YEAR 2006-2007
WHERE DID IT GO?
By Maria Phoenix Choa

During my third year in KASC, I enrolled in an advance subject, my IT 1 and IT 2 or my computer subjects. These two subjects are offered for fourth year students.
In assessment, it was indicated that I have to pay an amount of Php 300.00 for my computer laboratory fee. Of course, I and many students enrolled in the same subjects have to oblige. We have to pay it because we are going to use the computer laboratory wherein we can apply the theoretical lessons of the computer which we have learned into reality. The problem was that, there was not a single computer unit at the Institute of Arts and Sciences Computer Room. We are disappointed to learn that KASC have not yet issued any computer units to IAS during that school year 2006-2007. We are wondering how we are going to learn to use the computers in a realistic approach if we can not lay a hand on any single computer unit at the IT Room. We have an excellent instructor because he specializes in the field of industrial and advanced technologies meaning he is an expert at computers. He did his very best to teach us the basic and complex lessons of operation a computer, theoretically because we can not apply it as there are no computers to be used. I don’t have a problem with regards to using a computer. Literally speaking, I am a computer literate before I enrolled my computer subjects. But what about those who have never seen a mouse of a computer and doesn’t know what it looks like? What about those who have never encountered and used computers in their whole adult life? How can they be able to learn when they can not apply it? Many among my classmates in that subject up to now are still afraid to operate a computer because though they know how to operate a computer theoretically, they are afraid that they will commit mistakes which will ruin or destroy the computer. For them, there Php 300.00 went to waste because they have learned nothing. Theoretically they know but their knowledge stops there. It is important for us to apply in reality all the theoretical lessons that we have learned in order for us to determine if we have really learned something or none at all.
The question is, where did our computer laboratory fee of Php 300.00 go? Did they not use it to purchase a computer so we can use one even if it is only one unit? What have they done to the money? We are composed of 30-45 students per schedule. Multiply it with Php 300.00 and you will get an amount of Php 9,000.00 to Php 13, 500.00. multiply Php 300.00 to the total number of students enrolled in the subject and you’ll get and higher amount of money. Enough to purchase a two or more unit of computers. But sad as it is, we were not able to use one. That is why the students had complained. They wanted their money back. But they won’t refund it. So where did the money go? It was during the final examination that computer units were delivered to our institute. What’s the use. It is already final examination. We won’t be able to use those computers. We were not compensated for the amount that we have paid.
To those people concern, can you please kindly explain to us what had happened to the student’ s money? We are still waiting for an explanation.
One thing more: the collected amount of the newly implemented Php 500.00 development fee would be use , according to the KASC administration for the construction of the IT Laboratories of the two campuses. Let us just hope that the construction would start immediately in order for those students who have paid the development fee to enjoy their money and the privileges and goes along with it.