JOURNALISM defined, dissected and discussed by the country?s most respected.

In the recent Inkblots: The 10th University of Santo Tomas National Campus Journalism Fellowship, campus journalists from all over the country flocked to the University of Santo Tomas to hear what practitioners had to say about different aspects of journalism. For some of the fellows, it was also a chance to meet the faces behind the bylines.

?Our professor always uses the works of Romeo Gacad as samples for our photography classes,? said fellow Jayvee M. Belmonte, a senior from Saint Mary?s University in Nueva Vizcaya, referring to the parallel session on photojournalism handled by the Filipino Pulitzer nominee. ?It was exciting to finally meet him and hear his lectures about getting good photos even in dangerous times,?

Organized annually by the 80-year-old UST Varsitarian, the oldest Catholic campus paper in the country, Inkblots has become a yearly rite of passage for campus press editors, writers and advisers as well as journalism educators from all over the country who have come to rely on the three-day conference for training and to brush up on journalistic currents. Lectures in the three-day workshop included newswriting, features, sports, opinion, writing a book review, Catholic journalism, investigative journalism, broadcast journalism, cartooning and campus paper management.

The speakers were award-winning journalists and writers such as Ces Drilon, Nestor Cuartero, Vergel Santos, Michael Coroza, Quinito Henson, Sandra Aguinaldo, Felipe Salvoza III, Eldric Peredo and Alice Colet-Villadolid. The roster also included Inquirer?s own Manix Abrera, Volt Contreras, Ruel de Vera, John Nery and Conrado de Quiros.

The seminar aptly ended with Villadolid and Peredo going over the draft of a campus press code of ethics by the Varsitarian. Peredo, a lawyer and former Varsitarian editor, said the draft will be submitted to campus papers for adoption. ?Journalism is a vehicle that allows you to see places, see yourself and get to know your country but we are also set by rules,? says Villadolid to remind the fellows about their responsibilities as a journalist.

Sparks flew between her and Drilon as they shared their points of view on how to cover events by zeroing in on last year?s Peninsula Manila siege. Drilon did the closing remarks by sharing her own journey as a broadcast journalist.

Oversubscribed

This year, around 250 campus journalists from 37 schools participated in the event. Inkblots chair and Varsitarian sports editor Ana Mae Roa said that they usually limit the number of participants to 200 but a number of the schools requested for additional slots.

?Most of the issues and problems that other school publications face is the lack of funds. So in campus paper management, our speaker suggested some tips on how to handle their money,? she said.

Inkblots fellow Churchille Montealto from West Visayas State University says that Inkblots has served as a motivation for them. She says that they will implement some of the things that they have learned from the workshop to their own publication when they get home.

?We were also inspired by Inkblots and are thinking of mounting our own in Visayas. I?m not sure yet if it?s going to be regional or also on national level but we are definitely going to have one soon,? she says.

Because the fellowship was marking its 10th anniversary, the Varsitarian pulled all stops to make the celebration memorable. On the final day, a fellowship dinner was held. Varsitarian editor in chief Anthony Divinagracia and adviser Lito Zulueta (also Inquirer editor) blew the 10 candles on the Inkblots birthday cake. Then fireworks lit up the UST football field to the surprise of the fellows.

Then at the UST Quadricentennial Square, the Varsitarian unveiled a concert by three of the country?s top bands?6cycle mind, Urbandub and Hale.

A fellow from Ateneo de Zamboanga says she kept sending pictures of the bands home through her cellphone. ?Everyone?s jealous down south because despite all the odds, we came to UST for Inkblots,? she says.