Well, It's a New Semester | Hajime Yoshino (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2004.04.14
The graduation and entrance ceremonies both finished safely, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, just like every year. The latter was decent with good weather, but the former was held on a remarkably cold, overcast day, and the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall, which relies on portable kerosene heaters for warmth, was very cold. Still, it was better than the out-of-place seasonal feeling of last year, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom for the graduation ceremony and had already turned to leaves for the entrance ceremony. An entrance ceremony without cherry blossoms just doesn't feel right. That's why if we were to start the academic year in the fall like in Europe and the US, it would be a bit of a letdown in that regard. At next spring's graduation ceremony, the first class of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care will graduate, and I'll finally be on the stage. I can't be on the stage because we have no graduates, and it feels a bit strange to be the only dean not up there.
Meanwhile, this year's new students for our faculty are the class that will eventually become fourth-years. While they have a good feel to them as always, was it just me who felt they had a particularly striking freshness?
Speaking of spring, it's all about flowers. What's impressive to me at SFC are things like the lonely-looking yellow flowers of the single Oriental paperbush (mitsumata) along the tree-lined path on the Policy Management and Environment and Information Studies side; the white and red plum blossoms, the winter daphne of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care; and the large peach tree used as "borrowed scenery." These white and red plum trees were donated by the "Kobai-kai" alumni association of the Juku Nursing Junior College and Kosei Women's College, the predecessors of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. There is one of each among the many Katsura trees, and they are quite a sight to behold.
The spring Tokyo Big6 Baseball League season has also begun. Juku lost its first game against Rikkyo (who have a reputation for not being strong), but I was relieved when they recovered to win the next two, earning a point. To think that Waseda, aiming for an unprecedented fifth consecutive championship, would lose to the University of Tokyo for the first time in 21 games, even after sending off so many excellent graduates. I hope Juku does its best and beats Waseda this season for the first time in a while.
This Sunday (the 18th) is the Sumida River Keio-Waseda Regatta. I wonder if Juku, which became the champion of last year's All-Japan Student Championships, will be able to avenge last year's defeat. But I'm worried because Waseda finished ahead of them at the recent Ohanami Regatta.
With no evening division or specialized sports department, and with little weight given to recommendations from the Athletic Association in university entrance exams, what color would you say the future of sports at Juku is? It's a tough situation.
On another note, I wonder what is happening with the three Japanese hostages in Iraq. It's already been two days since the deadline for their release passed. All we can do is pray for their safety.
(Date of publication: 2004/04/14)