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Monday, April 05, 2004
Ong: WVSU-CMC professors and the students' complaints
By Ted Aldwin Ong
THE alumni of the West Visayas State University-College of Mass Communications are furious with the scandal caused by the three faculty, including dean Dr. Francisa Borja. Communication lines are burning with messages condemning their deeds against the new batch of graduates.
I'm sure they know these reactions are not new. These have accumulated through the years. The alumni of the WVSU-CMC are closing ranks on this issue. In fact, this scandal has reacquainted the oldest and farthest alumni together. It is amazing that a scandal has set the stage for a grand reunion of CMC students and friends from different places.
Borja, Dr. Alexis Diamante and Prof. Cynthia Morga know that they are culpable for the illegal collection of fees. WVSU president Dr. Lourdes Arañador said over a local radio station she does not have any knowledge of the collection of fees especially the P100 "defense fee."
Aside from the main issue, that of the illegal collection of fees, there were other issues raised by the students that is certainly degrading to the image of WVSU-CMC.
In a petition letter to Arañador dated March 25, the students stated their complaints against the three professors. They are demanding their immediate ouster. For those who know them, their deeds are not shocking anymore. These could be horrifying, however, for parents who plan to send their children to WVSU to study Mass Communications.
The issue has caught the attention of anti-graft groups in the Western Visayas and they are set to hold a series of deliberations in the days to come. This column will tackle the developments on this issue as part of my personal advocacy for a just and humane society.
I am giving space to the students' petition. They wrote: "We the students of the CMC pray to the school president to dismiss Professor Morga on the following grounds: Incapacity to teach. Professor Morga is our teacher in Advertising, a technical subject. She is not capable of teaching (it) as she has no actual experience in the field of advertising. All that she does is parrot the contents of the textbook. When she can't fully explain (the lesson), she spends her class hour gossiping about other people's lives and how ungrateful her students are.
Harassment and conduct unbecoming of a teacher. Many students have been harassed by this teacher. When she is angry with the students, she says words damaging to the student's morale. She verbally abuses students in front of people. One such incident happened last January while a third year student was speaking on the air inside the radio room. Without mentioning names, the student said that some teachers are inconsiderate and cruel. Professor Morga then harangued the student. She violently pounded the crystal window of the radio room and gestured for the student to go out.
She then shouted at the student saying, 'Where's your ethic?' When asked by the instructor in Broadcast Speech what was happening, she continued to shout, 'Your not supposed to allow those students (to say) those words on air!' To the student, she said, 'You know I can get you suspended. Go to Dr. Borja's office!'
After that, she went to the other students and told them, 'You're not even in Bombo (referring to Bombo Radyo) yet pero daw si mga p _ _ _ y na kamo!' After that, she continued to scold the hapless student.
Weeks later, when the same student sought Professor Morga's signature for clearance purposes, she 'forced the student to say sorry and write a letter to the dean asking for an apology or else, she would not sign the student's clearance. The poor student had no choice but to obey.'
Unethical. According to the petitioners, Morgas's 'sharp tongue and unbridled anger caused many students to sufer anguish, emotional distress, and psychological damage to their personalities.' She once pinpointed a student and declared publicly that the student cheated in her class. Granting that the student did cheat, it was not right of her to destroy that student's reputation.
Abusive character. For the slightest mistake, Professor Morga makes students retake her subjects, they added. This can be gleaned from the number of students retaking her subjects every semester. If she thinks verbal abuses are manifestations of her power over the students, she is dead wrong," they further said.
The students' complaints prompted Arañador to form an investigating body headed by Dr. Eda Ticao, WVSU vice president for academic affairs. Ticao said they are now conducting a series of meetings to lay down the groundwork for the investigation.
My next column will focus on the complaints addressed to Borja and Diamante.
(For comments or reactions, email at peoplesdomain@eudoramail.com or send SMS to (0920-4284719)
(April 5, 2004 issue)
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