varsity post 1st issue

8/3/2019 Varsity Post 1st Issue

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2/12

EDITORIAL BOARD

John Karanja, Edward Okana, David

Kimani,Andrian Nduru, Munene

Kamau, George Ngugi Kingara

CONTRIBUTORS

Corazon Dolly, Michael Ogutu, Joe

Migwi, Mary Chege, Allan Mwangi,

Edwar d Okana, Edwin Mogere ,

simeon Mabea, Patrick Munene,

Andrian Nduru

LAYOUT

Designer: Edwin Mogere

ADVERVERTISING SALES

Mkuzi Dingo, Edwin Mogere

PHOTOGRAPHY

Andrian Nduru, John Karanja, Edwin

Mogere,simon Obuya

QUALITY CONTROL

Ms Rose Kimani

PUBLISHED BY

Chuka University Journalism Club in

conjunction with the commun icationand media department

PRINTED BY

Siscom Investments

P.O Box 193,

Chuka

Tel: 0724132548

Comm unication and Media

department Chuka University

For comm ents and enquiries contact

us on [email protected]

Blog: www.cucjournal.blogspot.com

Bir t h o f Vars i t y Post

T

he launch of the Varsity Post magazine m arks trem endousmilestone in jou rnalism in Chuka University College. Themagazine will nurtu re the up-and-coming talent joining the

writing arena as it keepsyou informed, enter-

tained and educated.

With confidence, the magazinewill address many issues but our

main objective is to reflect, just

like a mir ror, the occurrenceswithin CUC and the communityaround us. We will also growyour business and organizations

interests through tailor-made

advertising campaigns, and

supply the reader with anaffordable issue of the magazineevery three months. We hope toreach the maximum possible

readership in Chuka and be-

yond.

As part of the editing team, I

join with all our sponsors in appreciating and acknowledgingthe entire CUC media and journalism team for ensuring this new

baby, our Varsity Post, has birthed properly after a long wait.

We promise to work hand in hand with the students, staff,

administration and the entire Chuka community through the VarsityPost, in consolidating and integrating our diverse knowledge andexperiences for the betterment of our entire community.

Edward Okana

Managing Editor

PAGE 2

For Quality Printing and stationary


3/12

OPINIONS

Price of the most popular commodity in a local

supermarket.

Valentine Day is gone

but Edward Okana has

this take on the day of

red.Valentine Day is not just a d ay like any

other. It is special. For many of us,this day is also Lovers Day, a day

when people spread love.Moreinterestingly is a day when many

adies, if not all, expect to receive

flowers from their male counterparts. Iwonder however, whether the reverseis applicable.

Some people get so charged for thissuper day just t o secretly invite others

to join their bandwagon. although theyreligiously brace and prepare

psychologically for the day of love,with or without a partner Valentine

Day still comes to pass. However, thedifferent loves for this day motivate

many more people.

For instance, by the eve of the lastValentine Day, many Chuka Universityladies had already been splurging in itspromise. Yet, the complete opposite

was true about their male partners.One, Peter Kilonzo, attempted to

explain this difference, saying thatladies tend to seek refuge in suchunproductive days to avoid pressure or

the backlog of classroom chores.

Another opinion from Janet Michemileft m e stunned. She adm itt ed she also

feels that some ladies are just golddiggers, that they are always hungry

for expensive gifts like flowers,chocolate and being taken out to

celebrate on Valentine Day.

Some ladies will do anything to be likethe others, she said. Those withoutpartners to buy them gifts might seeksolace in buying for themselves gifts

and then shout at the top of theirvoices, Chris bought me thischocolate!

As a man, I t end to think that weshould soberly deal with Valentine Daysituations. Let us be ourselves, and if

anyone feels that he has more t hanenough cash to spend, he should bewise while doing so. He could buy herall the gift s but should also think about

other people who might need hissupport. Say, one could send his mumback home some beautiful flowers and

sweet chocolate.

Valentine season should unit e us wit h

our friends, parents and enemies butnot divide us. So let us share our love,

and most importantly remember tospend money wisely, ladies and

gentlemen.

Remember, with or without a partnernext to you on Valentine Day the daywill still come to pass.

EDWARD OKANA is a 3rd Yearstudent in Communication and Media

Escalating food prices is what

concerns Sim eon Obuya. Heposes the big question here.

Yes, it is normal in Kenya that foodprice fluctuation is common inmany parts of the country. The

prices change in respect to weatherand climatic seasons throughout

the year. This is no mystery to

Kenyans.But I want to ask the experts infood production and those in theeconomy of products pricing to

explain the constant rise in food

prices.The other day I bought one kilo-

gram of maize flour at 27 shillings(Ksh) from a local shop.The following day, I returned to

same shop and discovered that the

price of the same amount of flourhad jum ped to 47 shilling.

My God!Yet this happens regularly.What happened overnight?

Did drought suddenly emerge toa f f e c t f o o d p r o d u c t i o n , a n d

therefore the reason for the

increment of Ksh 20?I am just asking as a troubledmember of the public, who wonders

why more research is not beingdone to f ind an immedia te ,

permanent solut ion to food

shortages and high food prices inKenya.

SIMEON OBUYA,2nd Year, Communication and Media

PAGE 3

Valentino Facts Run-away Food Prices


4/12

y George Ngugi Kingara

N

ot long ago, I responded to

a n a d v e r t t h a t h a d

appeared on the Daily

Nation calling for a senior

ecturer in Media and Communication.

hen I forgot about it. Much later I

would receive a letter granting me an

nterview for the position, and could I

eport to Chuka University College at 4

PM on the set September date. I wasnt

ure what to make of this offer because

early six months had passed since I

ad applied for the position for which I

was now being granted an interview. At

he time, I was not really so desperateor a job t hat I could not have waited a

ttle longer for a much more promising

mployer to appear in the papers. I had

lucrat ive part- t imer posit ion at

D a y s t a r U n i v e r s i t y a n d o n e

e p a r tm e n ta l c h a i r a t Ke n y a t t a

Univers i ty was excited about my

rospects of joining his universitys new

rogramme in film technology studies.

So why Chuka, a place I knew existed

n l y b e c a u s e o f s o m e f a m o u sraditional dancers who once associated

hemselves with the name? I will tell

ou. Commit ment.

Months later, my students and I were

aving a discussion about employment,

r lack of it, for graduates who

omplete university education and find

hemselves unemployable. Someone

ointed out that every employer keeps

sking for proof of work all employers

now that university students neverworked before they graduated. So why

re these potential employers always

making such unreasonable demands?

Having worked throughout my

university studentship, albeit overseas,

I was able to impress on the students

that

many opportunities for them to create

work experience exist. It is true onlyvery few students will ever take on paid

work while they are in university, but

work experience need not be paid work.

Volunteering in charitable

organizations, doing community work

with the church or other religious

organizations, and even presenting

oneself to be the chairperson of the

funeral committee at a neighbor's home

are some good examples. Indeed,

experience, yet I told them that

employers like to hear potential

employees philosophies of what is

work. Such activit ies could produce

some for anyone who partakes in them.

Having been a student in academia

for many years, I have learnt that once

I enroll in a course I have to see it

through. I have to finish it. Since I had

written the application seeking an

opportunity to work in Chuka University

College, I was obligated to at least see

the place. I did, and the interview

happened, around 8:30 PM, not 4 PM as

promised in that letter. I could have left

at 5PM but I did not, because sitting

waiting in one of the lowly wooden

structures on the main campus, I

looked at the large multi-storied

building under construction a few

meters across. I had an epiphany of

sorts. Here, I could grow. I could

construct myself into a somebody in

this virgin territory. So I stayed.

Yet another way of inventing

experience is creating work. For me,

this second approach to becoming

self-sufficient and resourceful is most

appealing. With regards to thisconcept, I preached to my students

about the philosophy of pioneerism.

When you are the first one there, you

can write the story of your experience

there with a lot of freedom. For this

reason, I could come to CUC, though

I could have lived and worked

elsewhere, including outside this

country.

I impressed on them to start their

own projects, create their ownopportunities. I said that for the most

part they were the elite of their

communities, as they had not only

been elevated in society by joining

university but they had also been

granted four years for training in

thinking about how to improve their

lives. I believe after the talk, the first

seeds of what would become the

Varsity Post were sown.

When the Chuka UniversityJournalism Club (CUJC) was forming,

my students invited me to share ideas

with them regarding the direction the

club could take. Luckily, I had

recently been part of the founding of

the East African Communication

Association. Our organization was

founded on the need for colleagues

in media and communication research

to exchange ideas and to help each

other grow in their various areas of

expertise. Members of the

organization however felt that if the

EACA did not produce something

tangible such research papers or even

a journal, it would have existed

merely by name. Also, it would be

difficult for any of its members to

claim that being part of it was

valuable work or research experience

if such proof did not exist. Along the

same line of thinking, I urged the

members of the young CUJC to strive

at creating a product that could speak

for them. A magazine, the members

came to realize, would be just the

thing.PAGE 4

Fish ing in new f ishpond, set t ing pac es

I preached to my students

about t he philosophy of

pioneerism. W hen you are

the first one there , you can

w rite the story of your

experience there w ith a lotof freedom.

Continued on page 5


5/12

I

t is around 3 pm and we are not yetsure which vehicle to board for

t ranspor t to our des t ina t ion ,although we are standing next to a

1 4 - s e a te r v e h i c l e f r o m Eg e r t o nU n i v e r s i t y , o u r m o t h e runiversity. Eventually it becomes clear.

We are going to use a bus. It seemsmassively uneconomical for elevenpeople to travel in a 51-seater bus.Nevertheless, our journey begins.

W e , c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d m e d i a

students, are headed to the KenyaIns t i tu te o f Mass Communica t ion(KI MC) in Nairobi. I t appears the

j o u r n e y t h e r e w i l l b e t r y i n g ,

adventurous. The road section fromEmbu Town to Makutano has numerous

bumps. My friend, Munene Kamau,e x p l a i n s t o m e t h a t v e h i c l e s

transporting miraa (khat) have killedmany people here, as they travel atbreakneck speed so that the loads they

carry do not go bad before reaching themarket.

They had to be forced to slow

down, he clarifies.

At dusk we are at Del Monte plantations

infamous for being guarded by brutalguards it is already dark. Our lane onThika Road is free of traffic jam so we

move fast. The headlights of vehiclesmoving in the opposite direction createa spectacular sight. The numerous carsstalled in the massive traffic jam shine

a row of stars onto us.

By the time we reach YMCA Hostels in

South C, we are extrem ely tir ed. Wego to a nearby hotel for supper. Foodhere is very expensive, and I imaginethat spending like this on food every

day would render one bankrupt.

The next morning business begin with adrive to KIMC. The compound of the

institution is fairly expansive. A number ofvery old vehicles once in service of the

Institution in years past, sit dying in thecompound. Should we be disheartened?No, the thought of gett ing into a radio

studio excites us imm ensely.

We are led into the production studio byCharles Odhiambo Odenya, a technicaloperator at ECN FM studios, the KIMC

radio station. Charles is a well built, darkbespectacled man who looks like a piece of

the studio. The room i tself has ared-carpeted floor. We remove our shoes

before stepping inside. Woe unto him who

might find himself in Minister Michukisfamous fashion mishap, wearing tornsocks! Fortunately, nobody suffers such afate.

Odenya explains the broadcasting chain tous. He elaborates on the technical details

of transmitting a radio programme,starting from a microphone in a radio

studio to a radio receiver at home.I n

radio broadcasting the quality of what g oeson air, must be high. That is what I ensure

happens, the soft spoken gentlemanexplains.

Later, Joyce Mwaura, an excellentcommunicator, teaches us about radio

production. She also teaches us how touse recorders and headphones. Therecorder is a small gadget but one requires

a substantial amount of time to learn howto use it. She advises us, "When writingyour script use descriptive words andavoid ambiguit y. A script is a writ ten

guide on how a programm e should occur.

On the last day, we produce real radioprogrammes. My group produces aprogramme that d iscusses innate

blindness while another group produces a

programme on street families.

We wind up our tour by visiting the radiocontinuity and television studios.

After this experience we look forward tobecoming fine broadcasters. However, we

cannot help feeling that just like our journey to KIMC becoming broadcasters

will require patience and persistence.Nevertheless practice should make perfect

for us.

The Varsity Post would be the place

or the CUCJC members to create

work experience for themselves. The

tudents could publish, they could

ake on the roles of journalists and of

dministrators in publishing. They

ould learn how to network with each

ther in the context of achieving the

et goal of producing a quarterly

magazine. Best of all, by the time

hey left university all the students

he Varsity Post is now a reality.

When the students invited me to

ublish a piece or two in it, I felt they

wanted to make a statement that

heir objective is to make this

magazine a credible forum where any

member of the Chuka University

ommunity could express him/herself

with seriousness. The Varsity Post will

how that Chuka University College is

made up of people who think about

he conditions of their environment,

who wrestle with challenges of being

Kenyan but who also celebrate

chievement when it comes their

way.

As patron of the publishers of this

nique magazine, I invite all

members of the CUC and those of the

arger community to sponsor thisroject as readers and writers.

*Dr George Ngugi Kingara has aPhD in Media and CulturalStudies from the University ofKwaZulu-Natal, Durban. Hisesearches television and film

production practices. As almmaker, he released Gari Letu

Manyanga (Our Hip Bus) (2007),

film on public transport in

Kenya.

PAGE 5

I n rad io broadcasting thequality of w hat goes

on air, m ust be high.That is w hat I

ensure h appens,

the soft spoken

gentlem an explains.

Media s tudent s t our K IMC s t ud iosJourna lism is a career tha t re quires student s to be exposed to itspractical aspects. For this reason, m edia student s from ChukaUniversity College visited Kenya I nstitute s of Mass Com m unication.

Allan Mw angi was one of them and he tells the story.

Continued from page 4


6/12

By Michael Ogutu

A burgeoning number of new students has steadilybeen joining Chuka University College of late.Given t hat t he institut ion is still at its developing stage,

it does not have enough hostels to accomm odate allthese students. Most students have been forced to look

for accomm odation in the few private hostels wit hinthe institutions vicinity. Others have sought refuge in

rented residential houses. It is no wonder then th at

most landlords have decided to hike their rental andhostel charges, taking advantage of the current housing

shortage in Ndagani.

Flashback to the previous semester. The charge for a

rental house averaged at Ksh1500 per month. Toprocure accommodat ion in a private hostel on the other

hand, one had to part wit h Ksh 4500 on average forthree months accommodation. However, things seem tohave taken a new t urn t his semester, because a single

room in the pr ivate hostels goes for Ksh.6000 per

semester. I t costs one Ksh 3000 per mont h t o reside ina rental house. Yet, t he hostel standards and servicesrendered are still the same increased rental charges

notw ithstanding. Some landlords allegedly claim that

only they have the prerogative to determ ine rentalcharges wit hout question.

Other landlords seem to have peculiar r easons to hike

their prices. According to one student t enant, herlandlord suddenly hiked t he rent because he had

supposedly spruced up his hostels by repainting t hem

and installing satellite television(Dstv) . Another studentsees conspiracy. Hostel owners had allegedly met and

decided to hike the charges!

Overall, the hiking of rental charges is unfair. It ismor e so when some of these rental houses profuselyleak during the rainy seasons. Also, in some houses

there is frequent scarcity of running w ater, lack ofelectr icity, super t hin mat tresses and hard beds.

Securit y in t hese rentals is questionable too. Studentshave complained of th eft of item s such as shoes, stolenfrom their doorsteps! Clothes hanging to dry on their

lines have gone missing.

Mobile phones have not been spared either. Landlords

should address all these problems before hiking the

rent al charges. Perhaps student leadership shouldpetit ion for quality services on behalf stu dent t enants in

these rentals.

Nevertheless, not all private hostels and rental housesare unfriendly. It w ould be unfair to disregard thegenerosity of some landlords who provide hot w ater for

bathing every morning. Thanks too to landlords whohave employed caretakers to look after t he students

residences .

This picture depicts the poor conditions of some privat e

hostels despite the h igh rent al charges.

PAGE 6

Mercy m e, land lord

In some houses there is frequent scarcity ofrunning water, lack of electricity, super thinmattresses and hard beds. Security in these

rentals is questionable too. Students havecomplained of theft of items such as shoes,stolen from their doorsteps! Clothes hanging todry on their lines have gone missing.


7/12

By Allan Mwangi

Valent ine Opembe and CelestineNyaboke are this years Mr. andMiss Valentine, Chuka University

College, 2011

The two scooped these titles in a talentshow organized in Chuka University

College on the eve of Valentine day. Eve

Gatune was the first runners-up in thefemale category while Kelvin Tueni

came second on the mens side in thehotly contested m odeling, singing and

dance event. Handsome young men andstunningly beautiful ladies strutted onstage clad in attires ranging from

traditional to formal wear.

In the dance segment, AnnesteMwendwa and Kelvin Tuei beat theircompe t i to rs by showcas ing animaginative routine. The duos moves

electr ified a screaming audience made

up of hundreds of students.

In the third contest involving varioussongbirds, Doreens Kathambis terrific

voice proved formidable. Her singing was

out of range of her rivals. She wasdeclared t he best singer.

Mr and Miss Valentine won KSh1000each, and new bank accounts from by

Kenya Commercial Bank.

Mr. Valentine Opembe and Miss Celestine Nyaboke aft er emerging win-

ners in the Mr and Miss Valentine pageant held in Chuka University

earlier this year.

PAGE 7

Mr. and Miss Valent i ne 2011 Crow ned


8/12

CUC Don Stars in New

Soap Opera B ookTelevision production and viewing are motivated bygood reason, by purpose of producing andeproducing useful socially constructed meanings,

oncludes Dr George Ngugi Kingara in his chaptern a new book about the role of soap operas inocieties across the world.

Soap Operas are valuable as entertainment forudiences. Viewers may also use them to accomplish

nstitutional objectives. TV producers also use them to

ccomplish theirmost important

b j e c t i v e t o

make televisionn general a

ignificant asset

n the lives of theeople who come

nto contact with

.

Although many

eople look downn them as

m i n d l e s s

melodrama, soapp e r a s c a n

mpar t soc ia l

ducation andr o m o t e t h eudiences social

nteractivity. Inh i s r e sp e c t ,

oap enable theirud iences to

iew their wor lds f rom more personal izederspectives. In Kenya soaps now constitute importantarratives that many people are looking to in order to

make sense of the social world they live in. They are

tories that authenticate the audiences world by

eflecting t hat w orld back t o the audience.This chapter also explores other general conceptual and

heoretical issues relating to soap operas asntertainment television programmes and their

upposed implications on the real lives of people whoiew them. It is based on Dr Ngugis PhD study on how

Kenyan producers conceptualise the audiences of that

ave been produced and broadcast in Kenya andlsewhere in Africa are discussed to illustrate the

ynamic roles of television entertainment drama.

A Peter Lang publication, Soap Operas and Telenovelasn the Digital Age: Global Industries and New Audienceswas edited by Associate Professors Mari Castaneda of

University of Massachusetts and Diana Rios of Universityf Connecticut , respectively.

I n Love

With Art.

One of the best fine arts talents in ChukaUniversity is Nixon Savonge. He has

completed more than 200 drawings and50 sculptures. I n a recent interview withEdwin Mogere, the ambitious artistsketched his dreams.

From the way he talks about the subject, it is obvious

that he is a man in love. He tells me he has been in love

since he was six years old, thanks to his father who is

also a fine artist.

I create anything of artistic value and anything that is

appealing to the eye, he tells me as he grants me the

interview.

We are inside noisy Kirinyaga House, and an undeterred

Nixon goes on to impress me with his knowledge of fine

art. He says that to produce fine projects, whether

sculptures or drawings, one needs planning. One also

needs to identify the right raw materials and prepare

them.

What do you exactly do, I ask him.

I do portraits and landscape drawings, while in

sculptures I make 3-Ds and 2-Ds, he tells me.

Nixon says although the scrapping of art from the

secondary school curriculum did not affect his artistic

skills, it made school boring. But he had friends who

shared the same dream, and so it was always fun to do

art with them.

It takes him 20 minutes to draw on A4 size paper, about

one and a half hours on A2 and a month to complete a

mosaic of 2 by 2 metres. Producing such drawings is

time consuming and expensive, but more so is sculpture

making.

There are however rewards for all his effort. Nixon has

made 12, 000 shillings from selling a sculpture, and he

thinks one can make a living from art. But he reiterates

that he is not in fine art for the money. His love of art

comes first, t he money second.

The collection of his artwork is a testimony to how

seriously he takes his work. He keeps a whole suitcaseof his own drawings, and possesses an assortment of

tools of his craft ranging from erasers, painting brushes

and drawing paper.

EDWIN MOGERE,2nd Year in Communication & Media

PAGE 8


9/12

Lonely K id s Wish

I wish I had someone, who could tell me he loves

me,

I wish I had someone, who could tell me you can

make it, when I was in a fix,

I wish I had someone, who could console me when I

was sorrowful,I f only wishes were horses, unfortunately they arent

I wish I had someone, who could tell me, thats

better, when I made an effort in something

I wish I had someone, who could tell me, I am

proud of you, when I did something worthwhile,

instead of scolding me for every effort

I made.

I wish I had someone, who could tell me, get well

soon, when I was sick,I wish I had someone,

who could make me equal and complete, not an

outcast

I wish I had someone, whose shoulders I could

lean on

I wish I had someone, who could make me a

happy kid

I wish I had someone, who could show m e what

parental love means

I wish I had someone, who could show m e what

life means

I wish you were here; maybe things would have

been different.

Corazon Dolly Kosasia

One night, four university students were

boozing till late, and so did not study for atest scheduled for the next day. In themorning they thought of a tricky plan to

escape sitting for the test. Using grease and dirt,

they made them selves look as dirt y and strung -

out as they could. They then went up to the deanand told him that they had gone out to a wedding

the previous night, and that on their way back thetyre of their car burst, and so they had to push the

car all the way back to school. That ther efore theywere in no condition to sit for the test.

The dean was human, so he granted them areprieve, saying you can have the re-test after three

days'. The student s said they w ould be ready by thattime. On the third day they appeared before thedean. The dean informed them that theirs was aspecial case, and so all four were required to sit for

the test in separate classrooms. All the students ac-cepted the requirement as they had prepared well inthe last three days. The test consisted of five

questions with a total of 100 marks:

MID SEMESTER EXAMINATION

INSTRUCTIONS:

All questions are compulsory.

Any inconsistency in any of t hequestions done by the four students

will result in all the candidates

getting a zero mark.

Q.1. Write down your name--------(2 MARKS)

Q.2. Write the names of the bride

and bridegroom at the wedding you

attended---- --- (30 Marks)

Q.3. What m ake is the car you were

in? ------ (20 Marks)

Q.4. Which tyre burst? ---- --- (28 marks)

Q.5. Who was driving? ----- - (20 m arks)

END OF PAPER.

By GRACE MBOGO

2nd Year Communication and media

PAGE 9

Those M oments

Mid semest e r c ourse w ork


10/12

What t hey ex pect f rom Vars i ty Post

I hope varsity post

will encourage

growth of talent and

also nurt ure talent

Rahab

Mariana,Bridging

Mathematics

PAGE 10

In praise of CUSA Chairman

By Staff Writer

G

entleman John Wanjirus effort t omake Chuka University College a

better place should not be taken

for granted. We acknowledge,

with our thumbs up, theexcellent work he and theentire Chuka UniversityC o l l e g e S t u d e n t s

Association do in represent

in student interests in the

university government.

Wanjiru has beat all odds by

increasing the pace at which organizedstudent activities are drawn and imple-

mented in the once dormant structures ofsuch m atters in the institut ion.

He is one of the guys who make Chuka

University College tick by encouragingte a m w o r k a n d u n i t y a m o n g s t

students. Kudos, Mr. Chairman! Keep

working hard.

Let us be loyal to our univer sityand m agnify it to international

standa rds. Let us build Chuk a

University t o build our lives.

PROFILES

It should strive to be

informative.- Micheni Mercy

Wildlife and Tourism

management , Year 1

This is the best thing that

has ever happened to CUC

fraternity and it is the only

place we can air our views-

Peter Munen e,Bcom,Year

3

I hope it will help

foster unity and

cohesion within CUC

Calvin Odhiam bo,

Criminology,Year 2

This will be the best

platform to share

ideas,opinions and

knowledge- Ro y

Munene,2nd year

Agribusiness

it should include

activism of the sports

in CUC and also in-

form on what is go-

ing on elsewhere-

Dominic Omambia,

Bcom ,year 3

VP should be inform ative,

show resources of the

school and market theCUCJane Mumbi, Bcom,

Year 3

Students will be able to

express them selves and it

will also nurture talent.-

Dom inic Ogan ga, Bcom,

Year4


11/12

The Rauc ous in

Bui ld ing a Fut ureBy Munene Kamau

Massive construction at Chuka University

College is ongoing.

The constructions are meant to turn thisinstitution, which was initially Ndagani

Youth Polytechnic, into one of the best

universities in the African continent.

Already the graduation pavilion and a

ladies hostel have been completed. Other

works are at an advanced stage.

In fact, an administration block with

modern lecture halls is also almost

complete.

The finishing of these projects has

however put the students at an awkward

situation due to the noise caused by

construction equipment, especially the

grinders and sanding machines.

Sometimes the Dons are forced to cut

short their lectures due to the intensity of

the noise, making it impossible for

students to grasp their lessons.

Outside the buildings, heavy earthmoving machinery is busily breaking

ground for the tarring of the main road

leading to the institution.

caterpillars as they eat away the

unwanted soil boulders significantly

disrupts nearly all the lectures.

The problem will however solve itself

once the construction activities are

completed.

Students undertaking communication

and media studies have also been assured

operational state-of-the-art Radio and

Television studios.

According to one of the Communication

lecturers, H. N. Nabea, the construction of

the studios has already begun.

By July, which is just few months away,

we shall have ultra-modern Radio and

Television studios right here at our

university. We want to produce some of

the top class journalists in this country,

fully equipped with the necessary skills

which will easily get them jobs in any

part of the world, Nabea confidently

said.

The first bunch of Communication and

Media students number only 10 after

one of them sought for a deferral during

the second semester of the first year due

to serious financial hiccups. The class

comprises of four ladies and six

gentlemen who are all committed to

their course.

These pioneers have promised to work

hard to finish their degree programme

as scheduled, despite their universitys

many teething problems.

PAGE 11

Frontal view of the nearly completescience block

Rear view of the nearly completescience block

By July, which is just few months away,

we shall have ultra-modern Radio and

Television studios right here at our

university.


12/12

Friendship in youth is good but t o

what extent should we allow it t o

influence us the wrong way, asks

Mary Ethan.Our lives are full of m ysteries. Sometim es it is

good for us to look back and t hink about t heir

causes. Do we m ake them or do they just come

naturally? Are we ever going to have a clear

explanation f or everyth ing happening around

us? For instance, why are we suddenly seeing

weirdness as cool? We are slowly allowing dr ugs

to become a part and parcel of our daily lives.

Why is doing wron g accepted? These quest ions

apply to th e most tr oubled lot in societytheyouth.

Why is this so, you wonder? Reason, we are

usually in a lot of pain.

Sometimes it is intended, som etimes not. One of

the causes of this pain is choices we, the youth,

m ake. We take wrong paths, and ignore good

advice for that of friends. Should friends force us

lose our identity? Should we take pride in justreplicating other peoples thoughts and opinions

about life? I doubt th at we should.

Every person wants t o have a unique identity

based on th e different values th at sustain his/her

life. We should want identities that will m ake us

proud youth, those that come from making good

choices in life. Hence, we should use all our vigor

and God given abilities to create desirable

personalities in ourselves. We should not enslave

our minds with yearning to belong, to the wrongcrowd.

Ref lec t ions on Cool t hat k i l l s

Where

colourscome

alive!

varsity post 1st issue

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