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The phrase “of Journalism” in the title might be omitted, because, I'm sure, this faculty is like any other in the country. But I wrote what I wrote because it's good to write about what you know. But I know the faculty for some 20 years, time when I taught there.
Let's start from the life, which is a series of paradoxes, and the first would be that we are born to die. And what we do between birth and death - is completing the series. About a part of what we do - in a few scattered thoughts.
About normalcy
A few years ago, a graduate, having defended his graduation thesis, wanted to say some words to the examination board members. He told us that on that day a friend with whom he shared a rented room and who also went to the exam, but in another institution, asked him how much had he paid for a pass mark and having heard that nothing, he was wide-eyed. And, the graduate said, he wanted to think all of us that there is no bribery at journalism.
I listened to what I didn’t expect to hear, because it is abnormal to thank for normality.
About intellectual laziness
At an enlarged meeting of the faculty’s council I had the misfortune to witness a “public revenge”. A faculty colleague discovered that someone of students had plagiarized something in writing an essay. And let’s us seek together how to “decapitate” more painfully the “offender”.
We condemn plagiarism without hesitation. But without hesitation, let’s us slap each other because we aren’t able to develop practical tasks that would exclude the very possibility to plagiarize.
About watchfulness
At another faculty of journalism where I worked for one year, there were days when entire groups were absent. In one of such days I was going to leave, but that very moment someone opened the door and told me that he came to check whether professors are in place. I said that students were not in place! “We don’t care for students - they paid the contract. We care for professors to be in place.”
So, I was paid for not being absent...
Checks are necessary, but, perhaps, you leave the faculty upon counting the good workmen? Or, the faculty produces specialists, rather than graduates with marks. And then, maybe, we will look not only for disciplined teachers, but also for knowledgeable ones, being sufficiently confident that they are able to “forge professionals” without opening the door during classes.
About knowledge and marks
In one of the breaks two students approached me and told me to do justice to them as each of them wrote a piece of news in a different way, but they got the same mark. And they also told me: “You taught us “to kill” adjectives in the news. I “killed them”, but my classmate didn’t. The professor gave us the same mark”.
The case reveals, perhaps, the worst thing – the competence of professors.
Professionalization implies a common body of knowledge as well. Otherwise, what would happen if a future driver would be said that at the red light he may do as he wishes?!
We are different - in terms of experience, knowledge, beliefs, etc. But when it comes to transfer knowledge to future professionals, the body of knowledge should be common – able to give good fruits.
About democracy
One day when the Senate of the University was sitting, I saw a Gagauz student in the corridor, whom I knew as member of the Senate and I asked him why he was not at the meeting. He said that he gave up, because his opinion was not requested there. Besides the rector, vice-rectors, deans, doctors the Senate is composed of students as well, including representatives of ethnic minorities. What a democracy! Why to give up? Probably, the student did not understand something. But it’s unlikely. A bit.
About priorities
A group of students asked me once to wait some 5 minutes until their classmate came. They had classes in another building and their classmate with disabilities did not succeed to come there in the 15 minutes of break from there to here. Their classmate had to go on foot, with crutches, still 3 floors.
The building of the faculty has a lift. But it doesn’t work. Instead, it has fence. A beautiful, metal fence. And it has students with disabilities as well. But it does not have a lift...
I put a full stop here, a few scattered thoughts. That’s I can do. But I don’t put a full stop to the series of paradoxes. That’s I can’t do.
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The article was published within the Advocacy Campaigns Aimed at Improving Transparency of Media Ownership, Access to Information and promotion of EU values and integration project, implemented by the IJC, which is, in its turn, part of the Moldova Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society project, implemented by FHI 360.
This article is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The content are the responsibility of author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
