USP through your eyes

Are there things to look at and improve on them at the University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus?

Apart from academic studies, there are some things observed that need special attention to improve for a conducive environment for studies.

In front of the main lower gate are potholes which passing vehicles during rainy days can splash water on students walking along the walk path. There is a need to fix the potholes to avoid inconvenience especially during rainy days.

A water pole behind the security guard house at the upper gate is a concern because of its current state. It can be a breeding ground for mosquitos which may contribute to the spread of deceases such dengue. There is a need to clean it regularly with proper drainage system to make the water flow through.

A lot of computers in the Computer labs are idle and need to be fixed. These can help to provide services for students to use the computers because it is believed that many students need to do their works on the computer labs. There are many computers in the Ware House lab which are seen not functioning to date.

It is interesting to see that in-house rules in the computer labs are not observed. This is seen in the Ware house computer lab which the rules are not observed and no one is there to make sure that the rules are observed by users to provide convenience for every student.

When looking for free computers in the lab, most are occupied and one thing interested to see is that most users are on face book and watching movies. Compared to those who need to complete assignments on time, there is need to do something worthwhile when using the computers in the computer labs. After all, everybody pays for the use of facilities.

Cleanliness is important for a healthy life. One of the practices seen in the Ware House lab is the littering and no proper rubbish bins in the room. There should be proper rubbish bins.

Walking in most of the toilet rooms is worse still. There is a need for regular and proper cleaning of the toilet rooms especially the male toilets. This is especially with the ones that are frequently used by students.

Going through the Science Faculty, there are lifts seen as idle for years and are not functioning. There is a need to fixed the so that they can be used as intended.

Having observed the mentioned, it is a concerned that these are looked at seriously. Life at USP can be enjoyed to the full if these concerns are considered for improvement.

US Embassy Social Media Workshop

Fourteen Journalists participants have attended a two days Social Media Work shop organized by the US Embassy at USP, Laucala campus on 4-5 June.

The participants were from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and USP students.

The two days workshop was about how to use the social network to publish stories online.

The topics covered included how to use different software webs as twitter, how to gather and write stories using storify, hootsuite and how to create social media networks.

It was a successful and productive workshop which the participants were able to learn many new things.

It was facilitated by Mathilde Piard from the United States, and was funded by the US Embassy.

Such workshop is very important and useful for journalists to well verse and catch up with changing technology especially with social networking.

Participants of the Social Media Workshop by US Embassy, Suva.

USP through your eyes

Just next to the USP front upper gate, behind the security house is a pool of water. Purposely I believed this is to grow water lilies as part of the beautification of the campus. But carefully observing, it is of concern worth considering. Can’t it be a breeding ground for mosquitoes? I believe this is one of the breeding ground for mosquitoes which pose the risk of dengue. There are some thoughts which I would like to see happening to this pool of water. There should be proper drainage system to let the water flow rather than becoming still as now. It should be cleaned regularly so that there would be no room for breeding mosquitoes. The water flow can keep the freshness of the pool and not still and smelly as the current state. Proper outlet drainage and regular clean up can make it a beauty as intended.

Pool water of lilies behind the Upper Gate security house at USP Laucala Campus. Photo: Henry Oritaimae.

USP through your eyes

For the first weeks of the beginning of the semester, I have no laptop to do my assignments. I have to find the computer labs for a free PC to do my school works.  It’s a bit frustrating to find free PC because there are many students and the chances for you to find one are slim. I have visited all the Computer Labs in the campus. Most times I have to wait till students started going back, so I have to wake and work during the night times. This is only when you can find a free PC. But there are some interesting observations which became concerns to me.

Some Computers in the Labs are idle and not functioning. They are left unfixed and were there for almost the semester now. This is a contributing factor to the shortage of computers. I believe USP has IT specialists who are employed to look after the computers and fixed them for students’ use. Why these computers do left unfixed?  All the computer labs have problems with the PCs inside.

This is one of the many computers in the Ware House Computer lab which lays idle and unfixed.  Almost half of the computers in the lab are not functioning.

Another observation which I personally feel as a concern is the observation of rules in the Ware House Computer Lab. The Rules are clearly put out for students to obey and adhere to. However, it was observed that there was no attention paid to the notice. The Rules are not observed, almost all of them. For example, Laptops are not allowed to be used in the lab, but most students are seen using laptops in the lab. No disciplinary were considered to be taken. So who’s not doing his job here and who’s not obeying the rules here?

Ware House Computer Lab rules. Most of these rules are seen breached by lab users.

One of the interesting observations in the Computer Labs is the usage of the computers. All the Computer Labs visited, it seemed that more than half of the student users are just on face book chatting and watching you tube movies. This leads me to think that some students are just using the computers for leisure whilst some who are in need to complete assignments on time are still not having a chance to do so. Face book is not a bad thing and after all every student has the right to use the Lab computers, but is it serving the prioritized  purpose? Some students might need to finish a worthwhile work other Face book chatting.

Lab Computers used on Face Book to chat with friends.

USP through your eyes

This is one of the male toilets at the Ware House Computer lab. The lab is one of the biggest computer labs which students used most times. The toilets are very dirty and look as if no one is responsible to clean them regularly. There are no toilet tissues available for use. The rooms are very smelly and water is all over the floor. Someone can tell that there are no renovations or repair works done to the toilet rooms for a very long time. There are also graffiti all over the walling and doors. This is one example of some toilet rooms in some buildings except the Library. Most toilets visited are used by students  and they seem to be all same. They are not very hygienic.

The concern here is that this does not reflect the level of a leading university as the University of the South Pacific. It is unhealthy and unhygienic especially places that are frequently used by students. It poses the risk of diseases and sicknesses to students.

For a healthy life and environment, everyone must take responsibility. The users especially students must be responsible and take care of such facilities. They must have the sense of ownership and learn how to use and keep the toilets. They are very important and needed facilities that we need to use them with care. They are there to help and service all USP students.

The responsible authority of the University should carry out regular checks on such facilities. They must make sure that the facilities meet the required standard of the institution. They must make sure that maintenance is done and there must be provisions of toilet tissues, sufficient water, etc. This is to ensure that students enjoy their studies in a conducive and health environment.

Is the Royal Solomon Islands Police on Alert?

Solomon Islands has again gone through chaos after the recent looting and burning down of a business building by an angry mob in Honiara on Friday 16 May.

The mob is believed to be disgruntled flood victims who have been disagreed with the government’s relief package.

Eyewitnesses of the incident said that the men started putting up road blocks along the King George Road around 6:30pm and around 7:30pm they broke into a Chinese store, looted it and set the building on fire around 8:30pm.

The eyewitnesses said it was surprising to see the police and fire fighters responded very late and arrived after 3 to 4 hours, and only two fire trucks were at the scene.

The incident questions the ability of the police in handling and responding to such incidents.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is assisted by the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and they are very aware of what is going on Solomon Islands especially in Honiara.

Regular shop break-ins and unlawful activities have been happening and this should alert the police to be patrolling the streets and present everywhere.

Honiara is not a very big city and it should not take the police too late to response to such incidents.

There were already signs of such incidents which should alert the police because the flood victims have been raising complains, making demands and even suspected of break-ins and theft of the computers in the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) office, which is used as the evacuation center.

Honiara has gone through rioting and looting over the past years and there should not be any excuse for the incident to catch the police by surprise.

It should not take much time for the police to mobilize its Rapid Response Team because life and properties of the citizens are in their safe hands and they are expected to be working 24 hours around the clock.

They have the obligation and duty to the citizens for life, safety and protection.

Life is changing and Honiara is becoming insecure because of such lawlessness and disorder so the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force must pull up their socks to uphold and fully enforce the law.

A  shop building along the King George Road in Honiara known as Uncle Alick, was looted and burned down by a group of disgruntled men believed to be some flood victims. Eyewitnesses said they were surprised to see the people looted with ease because the was no police until after almost 3 to 4 hours later. The building was set on fire fire after it was emptied. Photo Credit :  Face book:Solomon Islands in Pictures

Honiara needs watershed program

The Solomon Islands government has been urged to work on watershed management program and increase awareness to all people who occupied river boundaries to control flooding.

The Solomon Islands Community Conservation Partnership has made suggestions to the government based on their findings after a deadly flood hit Honiara early April this year.

A statement submitted through the Forum Solomon Islands International said the recent heavy rains and floods highlighted a number of pertinent issues in regard to watershed management and mitigating the effects of storm water flow in the future.

The statement said the watershed should focus on recovering stream habitats, surface water restoration, improving the health of streams and rivers, and refining the understanding of ecological systems that foster dynamic balance within the upper Honiara watershed catchments.

The statement said awareness should be done to people from polluting the river ways with all forms of waste, including sewage, plastics or other non-biodegradable materials.

Among the suggestions, the government should protect the upper areas of rivers to easily satisfy the Protected Areas Act 2010 and Environment Act 1998.

It also suggested that Watershed planning can also empower choices about how to develop, maintain, and construct, drainage systems, control riverine development, and particularly ceasing the aesthetic (plastic dumping), and sewage pollution of rivers that can easily satisfy the River Water Act 1964 and the Environmental health Act 1980.

The statement said the current approach to development fails to recognize the critical cumulative effects of watershed functions and systems.

It said this singular approach to development creates vulnerability for residents who occupy riverbanks and even coastal shorelines.

Meanwhile the Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII) members have fully supported the suggestions and called on the responsible ministry to take heed of the findings.

In their social network forum, the FSII members said there is a need to put together proposals and forward it to the National Disaster Office (NDO) for consideration.

Honiara Flash Floods

Overview of China Town in along the Matanikau river in Honiara, Solomon Islands, during the flash floods in early April this year. It was a devastating flood which claimed at least 21 lives, destroy homes, food gardens, bridges, roads, displacing approximately 9,400 people,  and affecting about 52,000 people;  12,000 in Honiara and about 40,000 in Guadalcanal. The National Disaster Management Office in Solomon Islands said that this was the first ever flash flood to hit the country in its history. Currently the country is yet to recover from the disaster as it continues to receive assistance from donor countries, organizations and groups in its recovery and rehabilitation process. This has put a set back on the country’s development as growing nation which has just gone through lawlessness and disorder over the last decade. Photo Credit : Face Book, Solomon Islands In Pictures

Diverse Cultures

The diverse cultures also have their very own styles of making music. From the Southern part of Malaita Island called Are'Are where I came from is the making of pan pipe music which is now very common in Solomon Islands. These are music made from pan pipe sounds by those who know how to play it. Playing it is by blowing the pan pipes to make sounds but in harmonious traditional tunes. Now a days, the blowing of pan pipes is common in the country and modified with modern sounds of music. 

Kwaio Fadanga Dancer from Malaita Province. Photo Credit : Face Book, Solomon Islands In Pictures

One Nation with Diverse Cultures

Solomon Islands is made up of many small and scattered islands. It might be interesting to know the political, economical and social issues about the country. But I am interested in the cultural diversity of the country. There are many cultures, languages, dialects and types of people that you can find in the Solomon Islands. They have different cultural practices, norms and customs yet uniting as one people with in one nation under one national flag.

National Flag of Solomon Islands

Something to tell

It’s a great thing to discover and experience new things in life. This journey to a career in life is so fascinating with the experiences that one has to go through to achieve the aims in life. Learning is exactly the same.

At first I was thinking of what would be of interest to me or to others. I thought it would be so hard to think of something interesting, to get my friends and colleagues interested. But it’s just simple; it is what I am thinking of and doing it right now. To tell them something similar, about experiences in life, but based on my own experiences.

Before I take formal studies at the University of the South Pacific, I was working as a Radio Announcer, at the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC). It's a job I love much to these days because of my personal reasons. It is the Mother Radio Station in my country, Solomon Islands, with a national service providing news, information and entertainment to the scattered islands in the provinces. What is of great interest to me is bringing the listeners together through the on-air microphone when you are alone in the studio. You feel like you are piloting the air waves and your listeners are your passengers on board. It’s a moment of feeling responsible to your fellow citizens.

Going On-Air, SIBC AM Service Studios.