‘MISERABLE SOULS’ STILL HOLDING ONTO ACADEMIC FREEZE AS CLASSES ALREADY STARTED @ THE CAGAYAN STATE U
UPDATED 25 AUGUST 2020
STUDENTS of the Cagayan State University weighed in on the highly controversial topic of academic freeze after top school officials have earlier shunned on what the university president, herself, described as “an idea for those who have no plans to live a good life.”
The CSU Communicator, official student publication of the school, gave the learners the plat-form to discern the pros and cons of the issue through social media, and for them to make their stand known on the issue.
The call for an academic freeze is gaining ground at this time of the Covid19 pandemic as most students have conceded that parents are struggling to cope up with the health crisis and spend-ing money on flexible learning might not be among their priorities.
A number of CSU officials, though, have tried to ward off an organized call for academic freeze, with the university vice president calling those behind the idea as ‘miserable souls.”
The POST has gathered that “while countless ‘miserable souls’ are trying to hold onto their ‘no-classes’ belief, other learners appeared supportive of the decision of the university officials to start the 2020-2021 school year last August 17.
A certain Emar Johann Avelino, a medical laboratory student, is in favor of the proposed aca-demic freeze, noting he understands the hardship of other people.
“Even in a public university, this is just one of my whimsical desires. And when someone asks why I choose academic freeze, it wouldn’t be shameless if I understood how hard it is to make a living for a jobless or the farmers or the one-day earning vendors,” said Avelino.
One Jake Angelo Biraquit, on the other hand, is skeptical about the students’ readiness for the proposed ‘new normal’ system of education, but said he would understand the views of those who are calling for an academic freeze.
“I am not in favor of an academic freeze but I have reservations. I am not in favor of an aca-demic freeze, but I understand those who call for it. They also want to learn as much as possible and they also have plans of having a good life.” said Biraquit.
Another student, Jaylord Palanggoy, also took the same stance as Biraquit, saying he wanted a flexible academic term and didn’t want a delay in students’ learning.
“I don’t want to have an academic freeze. I want a flexible academic term, flexible learning styles, flexible materials, and flexible instructions. Do not pause the time to learn,” stressed Pal-anggoy.
Meanwhile, law student Kalvin Clein Fontilas said he’s not for an academic freeze as he consid-ers others who still want to continue their education amid the pandemic.
“I don’t support an academic freeze. Why should I wish for the academe to shut down just be-cause I feel that things do not work my way? Why should I force others, who are eager to learn, to quit school just because I feel that I would be left behind?,” said Fontillas.
“Why should I urge the academe, who have worked so hard to accommodate those who are will-ing to face learning, to implement an academic freeze and claim that I am doing it for the less privileged when still, some of them are willing to take on the bold risks? That’s selfishness.”
Students from different parts of the country are split regarding the issue since some are calling for a safe opening of classes using face-to-face interactions instead, noting that an academic freeze will greatly affect surrounding communities.
Despite the proposal being a hot topic, CSU opened its classes last August 17 using its flexible learning scheme called ‘CSU LENS’.
