Busy, busy, busy...

It’s been really busy on this side of the planet since last month. As always, from the later half of August until the first week of September, we, here in MSU, have been crazily busy. What with the foundation celebration of the individual colleges, the intramurals, the different competitions in the literary, musical and dance fields and, finally, the MSU Day (September 1)! The activities and celebration (read: the busiest time of the year for me) officially started on August 8^th, the start of the 3-day English Days Celebration. We had competitions, department parties and programs during the 3-day celebration. The whole ground floor of our building was transformed into a mini-global village-cum-Garden of Eden as the Humanities students showcased food from different parts of the world for their Buffet Table Arrangement Competition and displayed their entries for the Flower Arrangement Competition. It was really nice and colorful, and it made me realize how talented and creative our students are. 

I was, as usual, in-charge of the Oral Interpretation/Interpretative Reading Competition. Finding and inviting judges and preparing the mechanics and criteria for such competition was not that easy, especially when I also had to prepare my students who were joining the different competitions and we also had to prepare some things for the department. And, there were also a lot more things we needed to fix and work on for our newly established Language Center. Sometimes, I’d wish I had that remote control that Adam Sandler (was it him? i forget.) had in that movie, Click. I wanted to just stop and pause everything so I can just breathe.

Oh, but I knew that that was just the start. Right after the English Days, preparation for the Intrams, the Literary, Musical and Dance Contests started. I was assigned as coordinator/manager for the University Interpretative Reading Competition. I was running around the college like crazy for all the things I needed to do. Being assigned as the faculty coordinator for the College’s Line Dance team and one of the faculty coordinators for the College’s Street Dance team made my job crazier. And, also, as the coach of the CSSH Women’s Soccer Team, I also had to be at the field with my players most of the time and since it was Intrams season, we had to double-time in training and playing. We had overnight practice sessions with our dancers, so I was practically living in the College. God, there were times I didn’t know where to go first! I was just so busy that after September 1^st, I went down with a fever due to fatigue. It was a wonder that I didn’t lose a single pound, to my mom's utter disappointment! Haha! :)

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Give us a break!

Oh, but I’m not complaining because I really enjoyed everything. Those things are what make me love my job more. And, during that time, I was really thankful I was that busy because everything took my mind off a dilemma that all MSUans were anxious about at that time. There was a rumor spreading that our president- acting president to be exact- was to be replaced already. We like him very much here in MSU. It felt like we couldn’t really celebrate and we couldn't really be happy about all that was happening around us because at the back of our minds, the president might be replaced anytime. It was on August 29^th, during the Dance Extravaganza, that he (the president) announced that he will be staying. It was such a relief. The students cheered like crazy and chanted, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Yeah, that’s what the students call him.

When I was in Manila, about ten months before I came home, Gen. Ricardo de Leon, a PMA-er and retired PNP official, was appointed by Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo as the Acting President of the MSU System. I remember that when I first heard about it, I went berserk as I couldn’t accept that PGMA appointed a non-academician, an outsider, as president of MSU, our beloved MSU! And, a military man for God’s sake! I just couldn’t take it. I remember even mentioning it in one of my entries here. Of course, at that time, I didn’t really know what the situation in MSU was because I was based in Manila.

So finally, in June 2006, I came back home to work in MSU. I got to meet Pres. de Leon and I got to know his projects and plans for MSU. All my doubts and anger disappeared and were replaced by appreciation and admiration for him for what he was doing and what he wanted for MSU. For once, I saw an MSU president who could actually make a difference. I grew up in MSU. I’ve seen how MSU was handled by the three previous presidents. While I know that they also did their best and they also wanted to achieve a lot, it is only with and through Pres. de Leon that I really saw and realized what we are actually capable of achieving. Be it tangible or intangible, physical or within the system, the projects and changes that Pres. de Leon has made for MSU are great, far greater than many of the other presidents have made. I grew up in MSU. I have lived here all my life, so I think I can say that I know what I’m talking about.

On September 4^th, one of my favorite columnists, Conrado de Quiros, wrote about the controversy that is the MSU presidency. His article made a lot of people sad and even angry. If there is something really wrong with how MSU is being run, it is the MSUans who’d know that there is something wrong. I respect Mr. de Quiros, but this time I will have to say that he didn’t know what he was talking about in that article. He does not know anything about MSU. We like Pres. de Leon. The students love him. For once, we are really happy with how MSU is being run. By giving Pres. de Leon a chance, you are also giving us, the whole MSU System, a chance. I agree with my cousin, Khalila, when she wrote that appointing Gen. de Leon as acting president of MSU is one of the best things PGMA has done for MSU. So, thank you, PGMA, for making Pres.de Leon stay! :)