Cultural Inaugural at St. Xavier’s College

By Carol D'Mello & Flexcia D'souza

St. Xavier’s College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mapusa, held its annual Cultural inaugural programme on Saturday in the college seminar hall. Archbishop Emeritus Raul Gonsalves was the chief guest for the programme. College alumnus Mr. Sandeep Jacques, Director, Municipal Administrations, was the guest of honour.

Principal of the college, Dr. (Fr.) Walter de Sa, in his address, welcomed the eminent personalities. “This is a proud moment and a moment of great joy as the college is celebrating its 50th year, the year of the Golden Jubilee,” Fr. Walter said in his opening speech. “There is no substitute to education. Education is the key instrument, and the only instrument of change. St. Xavier’s, going by its motto, formation for transformation, has since its inception tried to provide a holistic and value-based education to all those who enter into the portals of this institution of higher learning,” he added.

The programme was inaugurated by lighting the traditional lamp at the hands of the chief guest, guest of honour and newly appointed general secretary of the college.

Mr. Sandeep Jacques in his address to the students said, “I am proud to be a product of this institution and one should always set high goals and never give up. The youth are the building blocks of the state, and college is the place for them to be groomed. It is important to excel in academics but most important to be an all-rounder by being involved in co-curricular activities.

The college felicitated meritorious students, who secured distinction in the final year, at the hands of the chief guest and guest of honour. Appreciating the meritorious students, Archbishop Emeritus Raul Gonsalves said, “I congratulate the students for their excellence in academics. We should emulate the good students to perform better. Through my observation I have noticed the girls are more in number as compared to the boys. Hence, the boys should overcome or emulate the girls. None should go down, all should do better. One should value excellence, and intelligence has to go with character, use knowledge for the good of the society.”

The youthful students of the college put up a cultural programme that included an invocation dance, Marathi skit, mime, dance and choral piece. The stage performances were collectively presented by the various clubs and associations of the college.

Welcome to the New Academic Year!

By Varsha Nair, SYBA Journalism


After the summer break St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa is back in the groove of activities. This time round the activities are expected to have an extra dose of quality and enthusiasm as the college enters into its Golden Jubilee year. This historic moment will be marked and commemorated with a special programme on June 27, 2012.

Today, the First Year Bachelor of Arts (FYBA) students had an orientation programme in the college seminar hall. Rev. Dr. Walter De Sa, Principal of the college, welcomed the students and also a few parents those were in attendance. “Discipline and dedication is important and if you want a good future, you will have to work hard,” Fr. Walter said in his message to the students.

Later, the students were enlightened about the history of the college, the facilities and infrastructure that it provides. Various departments under BA introduced their course/subject/paper to the students and also enlightened them on the future prospects in the same field of study.

This year, there's good news for Mass Communication and Journalism students. From this academic year onward, first year Mass Communication and Journalism students will not need to opt of other subjects besides the ones related to Mass Comm. & Journalism. BA in Mass Comm. & BA in Journalism are now full-fledged courses that offer papers right from the first year itself. The students do not have to take up other subjects from the regular elective group.

The college is also a home to numerous clubs and associations that are active round the year. Students are encouraged to be part of such clubs; associations and sports teams to ensure all-round growth of the students. 

Faculty's Say,  Nitin Volvoikar, Asst. Professor

Today we appreciate our graduates no matter where their careers have taken them. If we understand that journalism education is a valuable step into any number of professions, we should not just celebrate the graduates who have gone on to fame (if not fortune) in journalism, but also to those who have established themselves in other allied fields of media as well; as we train students to do journalism not only in print but also in other fields of media.

Infact, the kind of response the Department of Journalism has got over the years is only encouraging, as after getting trained in the industry many of our students undertake higher education in many allied fields, that shows wer are on the right track of encouraging students to pursue knowledge of varied fields and specialize in a particular niche subject.

All this suggests a considerably broader mission for the journalism course of Xavier’s, but it also suggests a huge opportunity for Journalism schools in Goa. The need for this kind of training has never been greater than today. The media industry is on a war footing to expand in Goa, as today many Goan newspapers, tabloids, niche magazines, cable channels and online sites are planning to launch new niche publications/channels/sites.

Journalism is, in most respects, the backbone of the media industry. Therefore many media jobs require some aspect of journalism. It can be exciting, nerve-racking, interesting and at times, very very annoing. But unless you’re a film critic or showbiz correspondent, it’s rarely glamorous.

Yes, many young aspiring journalists presume the media job to be glamorous and jump in the industry for the glamour part of it. But those aspiring ‘Journos’ should think a hundred times before taking up jobs in the media, as the amount of hard work is more than any 9 to 5 job. At the same time its highly rewarding not only in monetary terms; it also helps you to build good contacts in the society, which could last for lifetime.

So, what’s an aspiring journalist to do? Take everything with a grain of salt, and I mean ‘everything’. Industry news, trends, compliments, success, advice, a good bit of rejections and even, regrettably, taking on a few pro-bono assignments (which sounds a lot better than saying ‘I write for free’).

Writing for free isn’t the way to do it, but ultimately may lead to a stronger resume and better job. No one knows the future of media, but i can guarantee the trade of journalism isn’t disappearing any time soon...