includes the proposal of establishing an independent institute housing the Journalism and Communication Arts programs by 2014.
However, current dean Michael Anthony Vasco said that certain concerns such as lack of space, high-end equipment, and additional faculty members must be addressed first before the establishment of the said institute.
He noted that putting up a separate institute requires space that the Faculty lacks as of the moment.
“Perhaps the institute would have to be housed in another building. But the problem is there is no adequate space in other buildings as well. This will only be possible if we will put up [a] new building,” he said.
The Faculty is open for the possibility of establishing a separate building for the Artlets community that will house the mother college and the planned institute.
“But as of the moment, we do not have yet the criteria for preparation of putting up a separate building for our college,” he said.
At present, Artlets shares facilities with the College of Commerce and Business Administration, with the former occupying the first two floors of the St. Raymund de Peñafort building and the latter occupying the third and fourth floors.
“The income of the Faculty is just enough to maintain our facilities. It is not
enough to put up a new building,” Vasco
said.
Aside from this, the viability of the said expansion is also being reviewed because the plan of separating the Journalism and Communication Arts programs from the Faculty’s list of majors has raised queries in terms of the sustainability of its student population, he said.
Vasco added that forming a new institute requires the expansion of the faculty base and the need to recruit new faculty members teaching major subjects and general education.
“You may borrow from Artlets professors but soon, you must have your own roster of Faculty members,” he said.
Lack of equipment
While the Faculty has already solved the lack of classrooms, lecture halls, and other concerns, the need for more advanced facilities and equipment for Media Studies courses still need to be addressed.
Vasco said that putting up the planned institute requires the acquisition of an upto-date and well-equipped media center because the Faculty is currently using the Educational Technology (Ed Tech) center that houses old media equipment and gadgets.
“So if we could not even improve the Ed Tech center, that will be a problem. It is capital intensive to put up a separate laboratory [since it] will cost several millions of pesos just for the equipment alone, not just the space,” Vasco said.
When asked about housing facilities in the current building, Vasco said it must be housed in a separate facility since the Faculty does not even have Radio and Television (RTV) equipment for Media Studies courses.
As for the concerns regarding the disbursement of money, Vasco explained that the Faculty can only generate money for the mother college and not for the establishment of the new institute.
New program
He mentioned that the planned establishment of a new institute can also accommodate the possibility of offering the Faculty’s Creative Writing and Media Studies Program.
The program is for writers who are not extensively trained to become journalists but as creative writers. Vasco said that this plan came from the suggestion of some faculty members.
Even without the Institute, he thinks that the program can still be offered in the Faculty.
“We need not to wait for the separate institute to be in place before we could add the [AB Creative Writing and Media Studies] program. We can do so even without it for the meantime,” he said.
Vasco added that plans for the Institute of Media Studies will be withheld until the Faculty has enough resources for its establishment so that its stability and longevity can be ensured.
On the other hand, Department Chair of Communication and Media Studies Jose Arsenio J. Salandanan said that there are many other things to handle and organize before the establishment of the new institute can be settled
Student concerns
Moreover, Communications Arts Students’ Association president Rogelio Mariano, Jr. said that it is ironic to think that the liberal arts college of the University does not possess basic educational facilities as compared with other colleges.
“At the back of our minds, we could not help but wonder about other colleges that have a speech laboratory. Ironically, here in Artlets, we have Communication Arts, Journalism, and English Language Studies yet we do not have a Speech Laboratory,”Mariano said.
He also recognized the benefits that students will earn when a separate institute for Media Studies is established.
Mariano said that despite the lack of facilities, the Faculty still produces good graduates since “the lack of equipment is something that the students already got used to” and that Artlets students find their own way of learning things despite being inadequately equipped with needed facilities.
“The formation of an institute might open specialization and make the curriculum of media courses more intensified, thus incorporating new courses and giving more opportunities to grow,” he added.
Journalism Society Treasurer Alfredo Navarro III said students of media courses will be more competent if the Department of Media studies will be given more focus. He further noted that if the plan will be executed,
the University’s Journalism and Communication Arts programs might as well be declared as “Centers for Excellence.”
By means of additional facilities, Navarro said that students may become more productive and enthusiastic in their studies.
“Through this, I believe that students will get a clearer view on the world they will venture in right after they graduate. They can see how the media operate and they get to realize that it is not an endeavor confined within the four corners of the classroom,” he said. F
However, current dean Michael Anthony Vasco said that certain concerns such as lack of space, high-end equipment, and additional faculty members must be addressed first before the establishment of the said institute.
He noted that putting up a separate institute requires space that the Faculty lacks as of the moment.
“Perhaps the institute would have to be housed in another building. But the problem is there is no adequate space in other buildings as well. This will only be possible if we will put up [a] new building,” he said.
The Faculty is open for the possibility of establishing a separate building for the Artlets community that will house the mother college and the planned institute.
“But as of the moment, we do not have yet the criteria for preparation of putting up a separate building for our college,” he said.
At present, Artlets shares facilities with the College of Commerce and Business Administration, with the former occupying the first two floors of the St. Raymund de Peñafort building and the latter occupying the third and fourth floors.
“The income of the Faculty is just enough to maintain our facilities. It is not
enough to put up a new building,” Vasco
said.
Aside from this, the viability of the said expansion is also being reviewed because the plan of separating the Journalism and Communication Arts programs from the Faculty’s list of majors has raised queries in terms of the sustainability of its student population, he said.
Vasco added that forming a new institute requires the expansion of the faculty base and the need to recruit new faculty members teaching major subjects and general education.
“You may borrow from Artlets professors but soon, you must have your own roster of Faculty members,” he said.
Lack of equipment
While the Faculty has already solved the lack of classrooms, lecture halls, and other concerns, the need for more advanced facilities and equipment for Media Studies courses still need to be addressed.
Vasco said that putting up the planned institute requires the acquisition of an upto-date and well-equipped media center because the Faculty is currently using the Educational Technology (Ed Tech) center that houses old media equipment and gadgets.
“So if we could not even improve the Ed Tech center, that will be a problem. It is capital intensive to put up a separate laboratory [since it] will cost several millions of pesos just for the equipment alone, not just the space,” Vasco said.
When asked about housing facilities in the current building, Vasco said it must be housed in a separate facility since the Faculty does not even have Radio and Television (RTV) equipment for Media Studies courses.
As for the concerns regarding the disbursement of money, Vasco explained that the Faculty can only generate money for the mother college and not for the establishment of the new institute.
New program
He mentioned that the planned establishment of a new institute can also accommodate the possibility of offering the Faculty’s Creative Writing and Media Studies Program.
The program is for writers who are not extensively trained to become journalists but as creative writers. Vasco said that this plan came from the suggestion of some faculty members.
Even without the Institute, he thinks that the program can still be offered in the Faculty.
“We need not to wait for the separate institute to be in place before we could add the [AB Creative Writing and Media Studies] program. We can do so even without it for the meantime,” he said.
Vasco added that plans for the Institute of Media Studies will be withheld until the Faculty has enough resources for its establishment so that its stability and longevity can be ensured.
On the other hand, Department Chair of Communication and Media Studies Jose Arsenio J. Salandanan said that there are many other things to handle and organize before the establishment of the new institute can be settled
Student concerns
Moreover, Communications Arts Students’ Association president Rogelio Mariano, Jr. said that it is ironic to think that the liberal arts college of the University does not possess basic educational facilities as compared with other colleges.
“At the back of our minds, we could not help but wonder about other colleges that have a speech laboratory. Ironically, here in Artlets, we have Communication Arts, Journalism, and English Language Studies yet we do not have a Speech Laboratory,”Mariano said.
He also recognized the benefits that students will earn when a separate institute for Media Studies is established.
Mariano said that despite the lack of facilities, the Faculty still produces good graduates since “the lack of equipment is something that the students already got used to” and that Artlets students find their own way of learning things despite being inadequately equipped with needed facilities.
“The formation of an institute might open specialization and make the curriculum of media courses more intensified, thus incorporating new courses and giving more opportunities to grow,” he added.
Journalism Society Treasurer Alfredo Navarro III said students of media courses will be more competent if the Department of Media studies will be given more focus. He further noted that if the plan will be executed,
the University’s Journalism and Communication Arts programs might as well be declared as “Centers for Excellence.”
By means of additional facilities, Navarro said that students may become more productive and enthusiastic in their studies.
“Through this, I believe that students will get a clearer view on the world they will venture in right after they graduate. They can see how the media operate and they get to realize that it is not an endeavor confined within the four corners of the classroom,” he said. F
YR 47 Issue 1 2011
Issues
One of the notable proposals included in the Faculty of Arts and Letters Development Plan is the establishment of a separate institute for Media Studies by 2014. A couple of years prior to its eyed implementation, many are wondering if it will push through amid the Faculty’s lack of space, up-to-date media equipment, and instructors.
THE PLAN of establishing the Institute of Media Studies remains bleak as the administration of the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) is restrained by various factors in its implementation.
In 2009, former Artlets dean Armando de Jesus formed a five-year development plan that
THE PLAN of establishing the Institute of Media Studies remains bleak as the administration of the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) is restrained by various factors in its implementation.
In 2009, former Artlets dean Armando de Jesus formed a five-year development plan that
Plan to establish Institute of Media Studies remains unclear
By CHRISTIAN CARL E. NARIZ and CELINDA A. MERCADO
By CHRISTIAN CARL E. NARIZ and CELINDA A. MERCADO
Inadequacies hamper AB Development Plan
Year 47 | Issue 3 | 2011
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