The new semester has begun. As it always has been, the students carry big smile on their faces in the excitement of upcoming events that enable them to meet new people. It is a totally different world especially for the newly entered freshmen. But, if they anticipate only the positive and delightful events to happen around them, it will bring freshmen much disappointment. When the students are new to the school, many believe that the college life will free them from the a aregulations and limits that have been obstacles on their way to achieving goals. There might be some people who agree that college life will bring more freedom. And it`s in some way true; whatever you do in your life, no one or anything should interfere. Nonetheless, it`s not that easy to do as we think and plan. We soon realize that wherever we go we cannot get out of the boundary of society which we belong to. We are merely actors and actresses, playing our own roles. How beautiful would it be if there were only the friendly people. Just a dream it is. Everybody else, except the ones who trust you, are the ones who try to take advantage of you.
Most freshmen have already participated in demonstrations against the UOS administration without knowing the exact issues of the demonstration. They just followed others and moved as the seniors told them to. The last demonstration was held to speak out about the problems of a new policy that limits a student from changing more than 3 courses from this original schedule. The demonstration leaders insisted that they were giving freshmen some ideas about freedom of expression in college life. In another point of view, the leaders could have been using freshmen as a means to bring conclusion to this dispute between the school administration and themselves.
A month before the entrance of the new freshmen class, the school officials decided to raise the tuition. This step the school has taken is controversial itself, however, by having different tuition rates between old and new students, it turned out to be a matter of the school taking advantage of the ignorant freshmen. Compared to last year, tuition has increased by an average of 9.4% for old students and 19.4% for new students. There was no rational reason given from the school administration for this wide differentiation.
Attending the UOS as well as other universities is like living in a small society where there are two types of people; the bad and the good. If we do not know what`s going on in this campus or do not express ourselves, we will be deceived all the time by the bad. Freshmen, you better wake up. The sooner you do, the less chance you will be faked out. Watch out, all Bongs or else they will cut your nose off while your eyes are wide open.
The UOS Times
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