Letters to the Editor
Letters to the
editor are welcome on this page. Only those with complete name,
signature, contact number and return address for verification
shall be considered for publication, subject to editing and space
limitation when necessary - Editor-in-Chief.
Looking for role model
This is to clarify the allegations stated in the editorial of the
Bicol Mail, entitled “Weakening USI”, written by Jose Perez Jr.
The following will hopefully clarify the statement of the writer:
“They were told before the current semester by their teachers that
… would have their capping ceremonies in October 2005 but as of
late it seems that the promise might be reneged.
1. Be it known that the junior nursing students or the present
level 3 students (of the regular BSN curriculum) had the Capping
Ceremony last Summer – May 30, 2005.
2. This writer apparently is referring to the Capping Ceremony for
the Alternative Scheme which has not yet been announced nor
disseminated to the students because Capping is usually
held/conducted after the students have passed and complied with
the academic requirements for level 2, specifically that they
should obtain at least 80% in the major nursing subject (NCM 100 –
Foundations of Nursing) and get a general weighted average of 85%
in all the general education subjects. This is provided in the
Memorandum of Agreement.
3. “They were made to sign their preferences for the “October
ritual”.
4. “The parents are even to be scheduled for a conference to seal
the agreement.”
The Dean has not scheduled nor is planning to schedule a
conference “to seal any agreement” since the College has not
discussed nor laid out plans regarding Capping for the level 2
(Alternative Scheme), precisely because the grades have not been
computed.
5. The Alternative BSN scheme is an innovative model, designed for
humanitarian reason, to offer mentoring to the *students who did
not qualify for the required average grade (85). It has been
designed in such a way that it provides:
a. Progressive unit loading depending on the performance of the
student.
b. Deloading (for non-nursing subjects) in the regular semester to
provide focus on student mentoring, hence a maximum load of 20
units per term.
*This group is the first product of this new scheme.
MRS. SALVE T. ZUŃIGA, RN, MAN
Assistant Dean, College of Nursing
SR. EDITHA A. BAGAYAUA, D.C., MAN
Dean, College of Nursing
The editorial referred to was not penned by me (my younger
brother is the “Jr.” in the family). As I explained in my previous
column (BM. Oct. 13, 2005), there are two of us who share the
burden of writing the weekly editorial alternately, which is an
editorial prerogative. As a natural course among newspapers, the
editor may not necessarily be the editorial writer and vice-versa.
However, as editor, I take full responsibility for whatever
appears on our paper every week except when I’m actually on leave.
The editorial, moreover, is always a collective sentiment, which
is to say I am part of it, regardless of who actually wrote the
piece. Nonetheless, we are always open to rectification,
clarification and comments. jbp
