DeFacto Blog

Dear Faculty of AUBG,           

            It is important to say first that we in the Student Government completely support the idea of higher salaries for professors.  We value your knowledge and expertise, and even though Bulgaria is not exactly where many of you ever thought you would end up, we are grateful that you are here.  The most recent proposal, however, bears reconsideration.  The potential ramifications would equal a net loss for you and the university.

           The students at AUBG are some of the best and brightest in the world.  One need only look at the graduate schools where many of our alumni continue their education to recognize this.  And thanks to generous scholarships from both within and without, many students are here, who otherwise would not have the means to be.  Unfortunately, not everyone is on full scholarship, and many of our colleagues finance their own education, either fully or partially, through work-and-travel programs in the summer.  This is important to recognize, because the latest proposal for faculty raises would almost certainly result in a much higher financial burden for the students.

            The survey we conducted last autumn shows that at least 35% of the student body relies on work-and-travel as their primary source of financing AUBG.  For many students, this entails working 15 hour days under conditions which would charitably be described as “sweatshop-esque.”   A significant increase in tuition, paired with the already ailing US economy, would make the financial burden that AUBG represents for these students quite possibly unbearable.

            Please keep this in mind as you continue to debate the proposal.  The possible loss to AUBG is not financial-there will always be students willing to pay full tuition to come here, and AUBG is probably happy to have them.  The loss AUBG faces now is in quality.  The students who go to work in the US every summer, who spend their vacations toiling just for the opportunity to continue to study at our institution, are exactly the kind of students AUBG needs.

            This drop in quality will affect not only the students, though it certainly will affect us.  The faculty, however, will be hurt just as much, and possibly even more.  Just as for us, AUBG is an important entry on your CVs.  And like us, you should be concerned what that entry will reflect when and if you choose to move on from AUBG.

            Furthermore, you have asked for a separate increase for the rising cost of living.  This is the crux of our point-the cost of living increases for us as well.  An increase in tuition, even if still affordable for most students, would leave the cost of living in Blagoevgrad out of reach for many.

Again, in closing, the Student Government believes fully that the faculty should be compensated fairly, if not generously, for the great service they do us.  But please consider the effects that your proposal will have on the broader AUBG community.

Sincerely Yours,

The AUBG Student Government

Have you ever heard of the DeFacto cooking nights? Have you attended one?

Those of you who like horror novels would likely find many similarities between an average DF cooking night and the stories of Stephen King or John Connolly.

Scary? NO! It’s just that you never know what happens next, and that’s more than enough to get you excited (if wine had not done that already). Let’s take a more in-depth look:

The editors - assuming strategic positions around the room. Mom, Dad, and Big Brother Sister. Mom is cooking for all her children, Dad is benignly reminding everyone of the existence of “quiet hours,” and the Big Sister… well, she having fun, it is not everyday that she affords to take a break… she works quite a lot lately - it is a tough job, but hey, someone’s got to save the world

After the meeting, they would all go back to their usual duties. So remember - when you slack off and don’t work on your story… someone’s watching you (through the window)!!!

The reporters - the comparison to children was not random. The same people who crawled through miles of mud to get their quotes and finish their stories on time, the same people who can spend whole nights in the Multimedia Lab, working on their TV story (hey, getting an Oscar takes some time and effort!), the same people who gather at news meetings to unravel AUBG’s every single dirty secret…

…they change. Someone, who has a camera, start tormenting self-conscious sophomores. Others, having just discovered the joy of liquid chocolate, use it to start a fight - it’s like the movie 300 all over again, only sweeter There is also this pretty huge guy, who calmly drinks several liters of wine (+ anything stronger, if available), and then walks away steadily, as if he drank only water. “Dude, it takes more than this grape juice to get me drunk,” he would say before going to his room for some ice-cold “Slivovitza”.

In the midst of all that chaos, there is the occasional weirdo who grabs a simple corkscrew and claims it is the latest “DeFacto Mascot.” He can also tell you a few ghastly stories, if you have the courage to sit down and listen…

And when there are Jello shots (courtesy of Dad), or some stronger to drink available… the whole scene looks as if it were designed by Salvador Dalí…

As for the author of this piece, you can find him sipping from his white wine, looking at the reporters-gone-wild, thinking “If the Tanche were here, she would spank you all, and send you to bed”

Until that happens, make sure you check out the photos that float around cyberspace (a tiny glimpse of the madness), and come to the next cooking night… when you will never know what will happen next…

Cheers to you all, past, present, and future DeFacto members!

Our Manifesto:

Statement of Purpose
We, the concerned members of the AUBG student body, in the interest of fostering a more accommodating environment for all parties involved, do here set forth the most pressing issues facing the university.

1. No faculty/student input in the process of faculty selection over the summer.
Over the summer, inadequate planning led to a breach of practice in the hiring of faculty. We believe that the Faculty Selection Committee is an invaluable tool in the functioning of this university. Not allowing input from all strata of the AUBG community appears to have led to the hiring of professors with questionable backgrounds. Our suggestion is to reform the hiring process. The reforms may include the designation of faculty and student representatives specifically for the summer period.

2. The lack of information flow between student institutions and the university administration.
One problem that has consistently plagued the relationship between students and administrators at AUBG is a lack of free and open dialogue. Many of the problems which have confronted our community in recent memory could have been avoided by clear statements on the part of senior university officials. To avoid future confusion, we propose clearly defining what information students have absolute access to, and what information should be restricted. By doing so, we can facilitate an understanding on both sides of what may be reasonably expected.

3. The inability of the Office of Communications and Computing to consistently perform at a level befitting the elite spirit of AUBG.
Throughout the years, the OCC has proven to be one of the least accessible sectors of the university bureaucracy. The most recent manifestation of this recurrent problem is the merely sporadic existence of internet service in Skaptopara. We feel that internet access is a basic need of the university student today. We believe this basic need could best be addressed by considering an external evaluation of the Skaptopara network infrastructure.

4. Poor interpersonal communication skills in key administrative/staff positions.
In the civilized world, each has the right to expect dignified, respectful treatment from others. It is our opinion that this has not always been the case when dealing with senior offices in the university administration. We understand that some issues may warrant a “no comment” response. Under no circumstances, however, should a member of the student media expect to be yelled at, to offer only one example. Furthermore, it is entirely unacceptable to be refused public information. As a solution, we propose introducing a code of conduct between the student government, the student media and the university administration.

We voice these concerns not out of disdain for the administration, but out of hope that through open dialogue and mutual respect we can achieve an environment which mirrors our reputation.

– Update –
As seen on a flier in the university:

Dear all,

The outcome of today’s meeting between the SG and President Easton and Alexander Alexandrov was not as expected. A compromise was not reached. So, the next step is organizing a bigger protest in front of AUBG. Come tomorrow, Thursday, April 26th, in front of AUBG’s main building, at 12.45 to protest against the $150 housing deposit. The protest will be peaceful and democratic, and will last for up to 2 hours.

Let’s show the administration we can be united in what we want and that we know what we want!!!

The students.

Despite the reaction of students, the President Easton and VP (yes, I am not putting his full title on purpose) Alexandrov stand strong on their positions and will not even postpone the deposit.

A couple of videos from yesterday’s protest:

Below you can find a few pictures taken by some participants:
Read more »

Yet again AUBG students are subject to rapidly introduced policies from the mythical Student Handbook or “AUBG policy catalog”.
All non graduating students are required to pay a $150 deposit until the last day of the finals (May 4 that is) or risk to have their pre-registered classes canceled. The deposit apparently is required by “Residence Life“.

While their explanations are not clear, most of the students realize that the issue is related to the boom in the number of enrolled students during the last 2-3 years. The two Skaptoparas cannot host all the students. In fact a lot of people were kindly suggested/asked to move off-campus. The number of new students rises each year. Consequently the Administration needs to make sure they can drain as many resources as possible.

(Remember the $250 bookstore deposit? well..personally during my 4 years here I did not buy any textbook, leased 2, photocopied 1 and got the rest as ebooks or heritage from older students)

The problem with all the fees or deposits at the end of a semester and especially at the end of the academic year is that lots of students cannot afford it. That is why the majority goes to the States on WAT during the summer. If you are not on a Soros scholarship or have rich parents, you need to work to pay for your University. Simple as that. The end of the second semester is quite tough on many.

We are “customers”. The University, as a service provider, is required to provide customer satisfaction. Well..it seems like not so many students are satisfied with lots of things at the University..

Some of the students decided to react. Finally. At the “unifying” initiative of the Student Government, today (April 24, 2007) at 13:00 in front of our President’s office. A peaceful demonstration. Be there if you care.

Donald Rumsfeld (yeah… that extremely popular ex-Defense Secretary of the “greatest nation in the world”) has a quote, that stroke me as impressive (something unusual about him) – “If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.”

I think you know what he was trying to justify (at least if you’re an aspiring leader living on this planet), but I brought the quote to your attention for another reason.

Read more »

Software piracy - unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted patented material. (Google define: )

Software piracy is a growing concern for the modern society. It was an issue since the very first day commercial software hit the shelves. Initially it was spread within friends and/or communities via cassette tapes or floppy disks. With the development of the Internet, software piracy has spread exponentially. The phenomenon, in its current form, was not considered a serious problem until the early 1990s. Since them, there are a series of worldwide organizations that deal with software piracy. Mainly Software Publishers Association, Business Software Alliance, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), as well as American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).

Software piracy impact needs to be judged depending on various factors, such as living standards and geographical zones. Arguably, the industry may benefit from the software piracy process, which is not that bad as they present it, and it represents a good way to test the products a company develops, it leads to increased awareness and contributes to the popularity of various software development companies and, in the long run, results in increased profits for both parties.

Read more »

[…] this was supposed to be a long post, but I realized everyone does it. So.. I will be short.

Two more issues of DeFacto BiWeekly are online.

Issue 05 — February 01, 2007
Issue 06 — February 15, 2007

done.

p.s. do you guyz remember - forum.aubg.bg - the ‘landing’ page for the 3 web-cams installed around Scaptos and the main building. They are still not announced officially and most of the people in AUBG cannot access them. Makes you wonder, eh?

Reading the news last couple of days I kept getting shivers… Iran, Washington, Putin, Iraq, Bush, North Korea, “Nukelar” (a new brand of weapons of mass destruction developed by the president of the “greatest nation in the world” - still unknown to most of the world, esp. Israel), Munich, Blair… WORLD, HOLD ON!

It seems the results of disliking history and its continuous “distortion” by some are more than evident now… And what are the future leaders of this great region doing? NOTHING! Cancelling social events, drinking, drinking, drinking… booze to get drunk AND coffee to ease the hangover… GPA? Oh yeah- that’s vital… nothing more important…

In short, there are many problems… Our ex-editor’s right- questions, questions, questions… and NO ANSWERS so far… but the worst thing is - there’s even no intention of finding any… EEE, just complains, demands, dislike…!

APATHY, that’s our MAJOR problem… well, you can add negligence and lethargy to it too…  The REAL “Rebirth” won’t come on its own… Wanna ENJOY it? You better start getting ready for it, then…

A while ago I stumbled upon a very nice article on visual presentation. Unfortunately I cannot remember what the source is, but I suspect it is somewhat linked to Lifehacker - a multi-purpose blog on how to improve day-to-day life.

Anyways, it seems a lot of people could use a hand on how to better present their documents.

1. Use an extra-bold sans serif font for heads and subheads.
   Use a serif font for the body (preferably something other than Times New Roman).
2. Like white wine with fish, an extra-bold sans serif font pairs nicely with a regular or light sans serif font
   if you have a head or subhead that carries two separate concepts.
3. Set your paragraph line spacing to, say, 125% of the font size. Experiment with it.
   Different fonts tolerate line spacing differently. The idea is to give your type a little visual room between lines.
   But not too much (don’t use 1.5x or double line spacing).
4. Don’t run your body copy across the full width of the page with symmetrical margins.
   Instead, make the body copy roughly two-thirds the width of the page (after taking .75″ margins into account) —
   and make the margins different for left and right pages. For example, for odd-numbered pages,
   you should have 2/3 body copy followed by 1/3 margin. For even-numbered pages, you should have 1/3 margin followed by 2/3 body copy.
5. Don’t set your paragraphs justified (where the type on each line fills a fixed width). Type is always set unjustified, ragged right.
6. Captions and photos can be placed in the 1/3 margin. Set your captions in a serif font, italicized.
   Use a text box with the border set to None.
7. Use thin 0.5pt horizontal rules underneath heads or subheads. Don’t use hairline rules.
   Don’t go crazy with them, either — a little goes a long way.
8. Don’t overdo with footers and headers. Set them in 8pt sans serif type,
   and mix bold or extra bold plus regular or light on the same line for variety.

That would be all for now.

Happy self-improvement