On quitting

The past few years of The LaSallian have been shaky, to say the least.Last year in particular, we had problems early on. During the EB race, a good number of aspirants were disqualified because of their grades. Once the school year started, the University OIC was struck down by an illness. On the following month, the photo editor resigned. That's in addition to not having a Sports Editor and an Office Manager.

But we survived.

We, more often than not, released issues late. There were a few typos, some problems with layout, some bitch fitting among editors, but at the end of the day, we published the newspaper. We found a new University OIC, an Office Manager, and Jenner became Photo Editor for another year.

Last term, we saw another round of the editorial board race. There were a lot of aspirants, albeit lacking experience, were quite determined to improve things in TLS. There's a lot of room for it, after all. I had to quit in the middle of it all, but only when it got in the way of church, and only when I was absolutely sure that I needed to be there instead of the group simulation. The race went on, and new editors are set to succeed us. Their first issue is already done, but something seems amiss.

The positions were set objectively, based on the aspirants' scores, which is really the way it should be, otherwise we should have just appointed people and not have the race at all. According to Jabin and Gela, those who passed were asked whether they are happy with the position or not, a privellage, I must say, that we weren't given last year. From what I heard, everyone accepted their positions without objection. But why in the hell are there issues emerging now that have already been addressed in the past?

1. The positions were determined by the scores during the EB race. If aspirants wanted a higher position, they should have worked harder and submitted all requirements. The solution isn't changing the system.
2. The present editors were asked if they wanted the position or not. Everyone agreed, and all is well. What, then, is the problem now?
3. The academic year has not even started yet, and people are already starting to quit. I went through a lot more shit before the thought even scratched the surface of my mind. Are you not treated well by your superiors? Is your staff not willing to work under you, or do they question your authority? Fuck, I went through all that, and still, I didn't quit.
4. I didn't have a co-editor, although I was able to ask help from Jabin and Gela during my time. Having a co-editor means that you can divide the work more effectively. You'll only be doing half the job of a section editor, and by any measure, that's much easier.

Quitting in the middle of the job and asking other people to do your part, which is already too small in the first place, is unacceptable. It just shows how spineless you are. Sinabi mong OK sa yo 'yung trabaho, tapos bigla kang aalis sa gitna ng trabaho, sabay pasa sa mas mataas? Why? Because you think you're more qualified? PROVE IT. Quitting doesn't say that you are better. On the contrary, it just shows your lack of commitment and your nonchalance for the organization, and how you should not have been accepted in the first place. Wala pa kayong pinag-dadaanan para masabi n'yong "tama na, ayoko na".

I may not be in the position to say all these things since I don't know the whole story yet; all I know is quitting is never an option. Mahiya kayo sa mga katrabaho nyo na sasalo sa iniwan nyong mga responsibilidad. Mahiya kayo sa mga nauna sa inyo na wala kayong kaalam-alam kung gano kalaki ang problema na kailangang lutasin.

Problems are meant to be solved, not abandoned.