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USM did it again : they gave a crony photo studio from UKM the right to take all Convocation photos for the current batch of graduates. This monopoly studio was quick to hike the price to about RM100.00/set of photo -on excuse that they supply the picture frame. When the graduates refused to be extorted -causing the photos without the frames to be cut to about RM50.00/set the photo studio company refused to sort out the photos for the graduates ! The result was what you see in the photo. (Pix: FLOORED: Graduates, some with their parents' help, searching for their convocation photos strewn all over the USM chancellery ground on Saturday.) |
Apparently some photos had been removed from USM and the campus authotity, while denying a brawl with the photo studio, promised to bring back the photos for the affected students
Monday August 15, 2005
A picture of chaos at USM
BY EMMELINE TAN
PENANG: They wanted mementoes of their being proudly capped as Universiti Sains Ma-laysia(USM) graduates. But they found only chaos, missing photographs, and no explanation. They had to sort through thousands of unmarked photos in boxes to find their own. The graduates, who turned up on Friday and Saturday at the USM chancellery, found themselves going on their knees to sort through the photos scattered all over the floor
The problem started after they were asked to buy the entire set of three photo-graphs together with frames for RM95. When many of them complained about not needing the frames, the price was reduced to as low as RM55.
Applied Science graduate Cheryl Kok expressed her dismay when she had to search for her own pho- tos from boxes just placed there. In previous years, small photos would be numbered and pinned on a notice board according to your convocation session. You would look for your face and jot down your number. Photo studio staff would then hand you the correct plastic bag with all your photos and negatives and you just pay your money and leave, said Kok, 24.
The situation turned chao-tic when scores of graduates turned up to collect their photographs on Friday.Kok said people just took out batches of photos from the boxes to sort through them and none of the photo studio staff offered to help. A father who wanted to be known as L.K. Yong, 52, said his family went there on Saturday to get his daughter and they took two hours before they could locate them.
These are precious photos. It’s frustrating such a thing could happen in a univer- sity. It was a free-for-all with some leaving without pay- ing for their photos and others crying when they couldn’t find theirs,” said Yong, whose daughter is a Translation and Interpre-tation graduate
USM principal registrar Mohamad Abdullah said the university would resolve the problem with the photo studio. The studio did not have a system in selling the photographs and they said we were not helping them when the situation blew up The photos are now with the independent studio at its base in Universiti Kebang-saan Malaysia, Bangi said Mohamad, adding that it was the first time this studio was chosen for the USM convocation. Mohamad said USM would do its best to get the photos for the graduates. Graduates who have any enquiries or complaints could e-mail him at pro@notes. usm.my