| Christmas
at Silliman
The nativity scene comes alive in Silliman University as pupils
from the School of Basic Education perform the story of the birth
of Jesus Christ.
Every night, from December 15 to 18, pupils from the Early Childhood,
Elementary and High School departments take turn to portray the
roles of Joseph, Mary, the Three Kings, shepherds and angels. Their
angelic voices and cute costumes render their repeat performances
and singing of accompanying Christmas carols heartwarming.
Parents make what was conceptualized as a classroom activity a family
affair and reunion. Families cheer the performers on, not minding
if they find themselves sitting on the grass, excitedly snapping
their cameras as their children take center stage. The yayas
or nannies also have their share of fun, chasing their giggling
wards around to prep them up for the performance.
Each group, divided by sections, performs at the Amphitheater. A
bright star atop the well-lighted manger standing prominently against
the golden fascade of the Silliman Church leads students and passers-by
alike to stop and observe the performances.
Christmas is also evident in the acacia trees around the campus.
The acacia trees lining the streets of the Silliman campus and along
Hibbard Avenue display giant parols or Christmas lanterns.
These lanterns of varying colors and designs dance with every gust
of air and embrace what at night seem like lonely acacia branches.
To welcome those arriving by boat in the evening and extend its
Christmas greetings to the public enjoying a night at the boulevard,
the University has also decked the Silliman Hall with lanterns.
While Silliman will shut down power from December 20, the start
of the Christmas break, to January 4, the day before classes resume,
the lanterns will remain lighted in the evening. Major streetlights
on campus and units that require electricity, like the Cafeteria
and the Silliman Farm for refrigeration of goods, will have power.
This move is part of the cost-cutting measures of the University
and supports the concept of having a green campus through efficient
use of energy.
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Weekly
Sillimanian Turns ‘Green’
The
December 10 issue of the student publication, The Weekly Sillimanian
(tWS), took a “green” twist when its entire
issue focused on environment-related news and issues.
Its masthead was in green and imposed under the line “105
years” in its logo a drawing of an acacia tree. (There are
over 300 acacia trees dotting the 62-hectare Silliman campus.) And
everything that followed was green – from the banner story,
to the commentaries, to the feature stories, down to its trivia
section.
“This green issue is done as a public declaration of our advocacy
in saving our planet from pollution and other harmful products,”
the issue’s Editorial stressed.
Timely was its banner story about the University’s plan to
shut down power over the Christmas break as an energy-saving mechanism.
Other news items on the front page tackled environment-related involvements
of the University; Silliman’s integrated coastal resource
management project in Visayas and Mindanao; activities on the promotion
of renewable energy of the environmental group SolarGeneration;
and a news feature on the integration of environmental messages
in art, titled “When environment and art form a single word”.
TWS is one of the oldest campus publications in the Philippines.
It was launched in 1903 as Silliman Truth, a multilingual
periodical (English, Spanish and Cebuano), and it was also the first
paper published in Negros Oriental.
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Canadian
Embassy Brings McLuhan Prize Winner to SU
The
College of Mass Communication caps year 2008 with a partnership
with the Embassy of Canada on the hosting of the Marshall McLuhan
Forum on Responsible Media on December 16.
Featured in this year’s forum is 2008 McLuhan Prize winner
Ms Glenda Gloria, Chief Operations Officer of ABS-CBN News Channel
and Managing Editor of Newsbreak online magazine.
Ms Gloria will share with mass communication students from different
universities in Dumaguete and local media practitioners her experience
as a journalist and as a McLuhan fellow, reflecting on the theme
“Engaging the Media with New Technology.”
Accompanying
Ms Gloria will be Canadian Embassy's Mr. James Trottier, Counsellor,
Political and Economic Relations, and Mr. Carlo Figueroa, Public
Affairs Officer.
Launched in 1997 in the Philippines, the McLuhan Prize is awarded
annually to a Filipino journalist who has published an outstanding
piece of investigative reporting. The award includes a study tour
of Canada, during which the journalist sits as a Fellow at the McLuhan
Program in Culture and Technology. Upon return to the Philippines,
a series of forums is organized in key cities around the country,
at which the Canadian experience is shared with students of communication
and members of the local and community media.
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JPC Hosts NBN-ZTE Controversy Witness
The
Justice and Peace Center hosted Mr. Rodolfo Noel “Jun”
Lozada Jr., the star witness in the scrapped $329-million National
Broadband Network deal, on December 11 at the Silliman Church.
Mr. Lozada, whose revelations gave rise to the NBN-ZTE controversy,
spoke about the culture of corruption in the Philippines to students
from Silliman and other schools. A press conference followed in
the afternoon of the same day.
The visit of Mr. Lozada was part of the activities of the JPC in
celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the University Declaration
of Human Rights, themed “Kalinaw, Katungod ug Katungdanan”
(Peace, Rights and Responsibility).
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