VIVA MAPUA

For most of us, though we were not active loyalists to our schools back when we're still studying, it would still affect us in some way when we hear something about our alma mater. When our school wins a championship in an inter-school competition, or when a graduate tops a licensure exam, or if there's a breakthrough discovered by an alumni, we somehow become proud still that our school is still well known and still producing quality students and graduates. We become proud of the legacy and honor our school carries throughout the years. The same way when there are undesirable news about our school, we become saddened even humiliated sometimes if ever we hear any.

Such is the case right now with my school, my college, my alma mater. Recent events has brought down some of the schools glory. But the most recent one had the most effect on students, alumni and even the faculty.

Mapua institute of Technology has been known as the engineering school of the country. When somebody hears that you study or came from the school, you can raise your head up high because of the respect they give you when they find out that you're a "MAPUAN". The name of the school carries with it a certain pride because of the reputation it has carried in the years that it has produced well known engineers. That's why carrying the name "MAPUAN" means so much to its citizens.

Its sad to find out that, because of a change of administration. Things had to be changed in drastic ways. The switch from bi-mestral to quartermestral was one of the most notable change, as well as the dropping of the college's high school campus. And now, they're promoting the school to university status. Things could have been good for all mapua citizens but along with the change to university status, is the need to give the new and larger body with a new name. MALAYAN UNIVERSITY. Yup. MALAYAN UNIVERSITY. It will be composed of three colleges, one of which is the "original" Mapua, the college of engineering and architecture. The other two are related i think to nursing and psychology. So this means that the Mapua we know will just be a part of the university-to-be.

This change was the one that irked the mapua citizens the most. They felt that they're losing the legacy that the name "MAPUA" carries. I agree with the feeling of most of the Mapuans out there. Though they'll still give the name Mapua to the college of engineering and architecture, it can't be denied that "MAPUA" will lose some of its identity, since it will just be a name, unlike before when the name implies the whole institution.

This has brought the mapuans to unite against the pending change. Students, alumni and faculty members stood united in the middle of what can be said as a crisis. Protest movements were organized in order to voice out the feelings of the mapua citizens. This, as i recall, is the first time that such movements were organized by mapuans. This just proves that mapuans do love the institution established by the late Don Tomas Mapua. They have stood in a fight to prevent the legacy of Mapua from being lost.

I do hope that the admin heard the cause of the mapuans that cried out during the protests. I, myself, refuse to be called a graduate of MALAYAN UNIVERSITY, to be called a MALAY, MALAYAN, or whatever it is they want us to be called. I did not sweat 5 yrs worth of blood just to lose the name i achieved in my stay there in that school. I'm proud of being a MAPUAN. And whatever happens, i'll still carry that name with me.