Hello all. I have not abandoned this blog---I've just been lacking the time to write. In between academics and a recent illness, I've had few opportunities to really find out what's the story with the FIRST University Student Government Elections.
It is a most unusual election, truth be told. Apart from the implementation of the new government, there is the fact that the election appears to be unilateral. Yes, the rumor is true: TAPAT is not fielding any candidates at this point in time. This means that SANTUGON has to capture a majority vote of 50% + 1 in order to assure that their bets will hold office this upcoming academic year.
It's a double whammy, truth be told. There is no telling how prepared the SANTUGON bets are for the possibility of implementing the USG all by themselves---the fact is that last academic year, the USG was being pushed by TAPAT.
With regard to the SPOAs (specific plans of action)...all I can say is that I believe that some of these programs can aim higher and to do much more. La Sallians are more than capable of handling programs that are basically expansions or maintenance of initiatives that have happened in the past administrations. In this day and age, we need to innovate, not just to ensure the mandate and support of ALL the batches, but to address the needs of the student body.
The question of abstaining
This is tricky. Some quarters say that abstaining is the better way to go if one does not believe in the programs, platforms or profiles being raised this election. Basically this entails writing one's name on the ballot and dropping it in, blank. Others believe in outright boycotting of the election. I think that this latter step is not just foolhardy, but it can be construed as a violation. Boycotting WILL lead to a dreaded scenario known as "failure of elections". This is what happens when majority of the student body does not turn up at the polls. And surely La Sallians cannot leave their student government unmanned, can they?
Now what about abstaining? This is a two edged sword: a statement and a roadblock as well. It can very well lead to some people getting elected, and some posts being left without a properly elected person to fill them in. But at the very least, there would be some governance.
My stand: vote who you want to, and leave the space blank if you believe that another person is better suited for the job. You do not have to go derecho or nothing.
This weird situation has raised a few philosophical questions in my mind about student governance and its role. Which I may have to discuss elsewhere. For now, I'd better head back to work, and if I am lucky, to the miting de avance.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, August 3, 2009
microcosm, macrocosm
Yes, it's time again. Actually I was debating if I should resurrect this blog. Given recent circumstances, I think a post here is timely. Thank God that finally I found some room to post this.
Part 1: The Microcosm
Freshman elections. I only realized that campaign season was on when one of my COE frosh friends sent a text message to everyone asking them to vote ________.
Not surprisingly, I did not really recognize anyone on either the TAPAT or SANTUGON slates. Still, the events of FE campaign week 09 are still the same things that I saw being played out when I was a freshman. Same cadence in RTRs. Same answers to national issues. Same lengthy resumes...we LaSallian really do begin leadership training at a young age. Still, I don't think freshmen are too young to begin learning to make cohesive platforms, and to pitch them to their batchmates. It's not that high school credentials don't matter when picking freshmen representatives. Though track records are a good thing, the point still is platforms and representation. Inasmuch as we need to train leaders, we also need to train participants. Can it be a challenge to the youngest leaders to find ways to get their batchmates involved beyond just the nominal levels of being listed under their batches?
For the first time this year, I saw what I consider an en masse disruption of RTR activity. Unfortunately for this freshman batch, the last day of campaigning happened to fall on the first day of the University's PAASCU accreditation. Now I am really not sure if this is disadvantageous, as seen by the RTR groups that had to postpone their classroom visits because of the presence of the accreditors. Or is it advantageous in the sense that the accreditors could have some first hand insight into how involved DLSU students can be in campus politics? I do hope they will not be disappointed.
Some of my freshman friends asked me, "Ate, do I have to vote derecho or straight?" I feel that this is one sign that we are teaching some of our freshmen to value "party loyalty" as a voting criterion more than actual ideology or platforms. Sometimes these kids feel they have no choice in the matter of voting: it's either yellow and blue, or red and orange. It need not be always the case. While it may be nice to see sweeps in the various college assemblies, it need not be at the expense of truly informed choice.
One sign of hope though: while discussing these things with my friends, one guy said, "Ate, di ko alam kung sino pa ang iboboto ko...pero basta, boboto ako!". Now there's something for you: no pressure with parties as of yet. But a need to exercise his right of suffrage? Yes!
Part 2: The Macrocosm
Botong Lasalyano! Sulong Pilipino!. This campaign was launched just a week ago. I really wish I could have blogged about this during the actual campaign, but I had no way of doing so till tonight.
I wasn't really planning to attend the launch, actually. I just happened to find my way blocked to the central plaza, where I usually hang out with my friends from one of my orgs. However, Mr. Lysander Rivera and Ms. Amelia Galang saw me trying to circumvent the cordon, and suggested that I attend the gathering. Thank God I sat in. Though the program consisted mostly of addresses from various officials in the DLSU community and the national scene (even Mike Enriquez of GMA-7!), it was good in the sense that we young people may have gotten some insight into the importance of our role as voters.
So the aim is to get almost all DLSU students of voting age to register. I think this is probably one of the best initiatives I have seen from the SC this year. With the multipronged approach (RTR, pin selling, TV coverage)I think a good part of the DLSU community was reached. Personally, my favorite part was the pin selling, proceeds of which went to the One La Salle scholarship fund. These button pins begin with "Gusto kong bumoto para sa..." and list causes such as kalikasan, kabataan, kababaihan, sining, katotohanan, karapatan, edukasyon, LGBT, kalusugan, and others. Pick your advocacy anyone? My buddies and I got 3 to 4 pins each, and lined them all up on our bags.
I hope that after the registration phase of the campaign that the SC will engage is some voter's ed. We had a Kamalayan forum some months back (featuring Juana Change), and perhaps we can have another one. Invite the presidentiables? Senatoriables? Or anyone worth listening to?
And since the school is covered in yellow...
It's pretty amazing how many of us young people can really feel something about the passing of Corazon Aquino. Most of the students in residence in DLSU were not born in 1986 (probably all of batch 106 was not even conceived yet). Yet many of us students were either raised by parents who knew how it was to be on EDSA. Otherwise we heard of it from school. Maybe we will never fully understand how it was to be facing up to the Marcos regime. We probably never will. That doesn't mean though that we cannot honor one of our nation's prime movers. Not just by wearing yellow. Not just by attending her funeral procession. Carrying on the legacy she left would be the greater honor.
Panahon natin ito.
Part 1: The Microcosm
Freshman elections. I only realized that campaign season was on when one of my COE frosh friends sent a text message to everyone asking them to vote ________.
Not surprisingly, I did not really recognize anyone on either the TAPAT or SANTUGON slates. Still, the events of FE campaign week 09 are still the same things that I saw being played out when I was a freshman. Same cadence in RTRs. Same answers to national issues. Same lengthy resumes...we LaSallian really do begin leadership training at a young age. Still, I don't think freshmen are too young to begin learning to make cohesive platforms, and to pitch them to their batchmates. It's not that high school credentials don't matter when picking freshmen representatives. Though track records are a good thing, the point still is platforms and representation. Inasmuch as we need to train leaders, we also need to train participants. Can it be a challenge to the youngest leaders to find ways to get their batchmates involved beyond just the nominal levels of being listed under their batches?
For the first time this year, I saw what I consider an en masse disruption of RTR activity. Unfortunately for this freshman batch, the last day of campaigning happened to fall on the first day of the University's PAASCU accreditation. Now I am really not sure if this is disadvantageous, as seen by the RTR groups that had to postpone their classroom visits because of the presence of the accreditors. Or is it advantageous in the sense that the accreditors could have some first hand insight into how involved DLSU students can be in campus politics? I do hope they will not be disappointed.
Some of my freshman friends asked me, "Ate, do I have to vote derecho or straight?" I feel that this is one sign that we are teaching some of our freshmen to value "party loyalty" as a voting criterion more than actual ideology or platforms. Sometimes these kids feel they have no choice in the matter of voting: it's either yellow and blue, or red and orange. It need not be always the case. While it may be nice to see sweeps in the various college assemblies, it need not be at the expense of truly informed choice.
One sign of hope though: while discussing these things with my friends, one guy said, "Ate, di ko alam kung sino pa ang iboboto ko...pero basta, boboto ako!". Now there's something for you: no pressure with parties as of yet. But a need to exercise his right of suffrage? Yes!
Part 2: The Macrocosm
Botong Lasalyano! Sulong Pilipino!. This campaign was launched just a week ago. I really wish I could have blogged about this during the actual campaign, but I had no way of doing so till tonight.
I wasn't really planning to attend the launch, actually. I just happened to find my way blocked to the central plaza, where I usually hang out with my friends from one of my orgs. However, Mr. Lysander Rivera and Ms. Amelia Galang saw me trying to circumvent the cordon, and suggested that I attend the gathering. Thank God I sat in. Though the program consisted mostly of addresses from various officials in the DLSU community and the national scene (even Mike Enriquez of GMA-7!), it was good in the sense that we young people may have gotten some insight into the importance of our role as voters.
So the aim is to get almost all DLSU students of voting age to register. I think this is probably one of the best initiatives I have seen from the SC this year. With the multipronged approach (RTR, pin selling, TV coverage)I think a good part of the DLSU community was reached. Personally, my favorite part was the pin selling, proceeds of which went to the One La Salle scholarship fund. These button pins begin with "Gusto kong bumoto para sa..." and list causes such as kalikasan, kabataan, kababaihan, sining, katotohanan, karapatan, edukasyon, LGBT, kalusugan, and others. Pick your advocacy anyone? My buddies and I got 3 to 4 pins each, and lined them all up on our bags.
I hope that after the registration phase of the campaign that the SC will engage is some voter's ed. We had a Kamalayan forum some months back (featuring Juana Change), and perhaps we can have another one. Invite the presidentiables? Senatoriables? Or anyone worth listening to?
And since the school is covered in yellow...
It's pretty amazing how many of us young people can really feel something about the passing of Corazon Aquino. Most of the students in residence in DLSU were not born in 1986 (probably all of batch 106 was not even conceived yet). Yet many of us students were either raised by parents who knew how it was to be on EDSA. Otherwise we heard of it from school. Maybe we will never fully understand how it was to be facing up to the Marcos regime. We probably never will. That doesn't mean though that we cannot honor one of our nation's prime movers. Not just by wearing yellow. Not just by attending her funeral procession. Carrying on the legacy she left would be the greater honor.
Panahon natin ito.
Monday, March 30, 2009
what will they say Monday at school?
So I wasn't around for results night. I did try my best to hang around campus at about 5:30 pm, just to watch the proceedings and catch up with various friends. However, I still had to leave before dinnertime just to get some work done. I can only imagine the drama that must have been that evening in DLSU. After hearing the news from my friends about the various wins and losses, I could only wonder, "What's next?"
Sunday night had me talking with two of my cousins (one is a DLSU alumnus, and the other is also still in the university). We were talking about certain adverse developments in various organizations. One of my cousins said, "Well, if the SC can't do anything to help us, then why should I vote?"
Point taken to some degree. This is one of the first challenges the incoming SC will face.
Enter in Monday morning...the first day of the so-called "hell week", when understandably politics takes a backseat.
Of course congratulations were in order. I got to at least congratulate Chantal, Camille V, and Philip personally for their victories in their respective colleges. I also got to to discuss with a younger friend about the considerably narrow margin of votes that some candidates had over the others. Now I'm not sure what this means in terms of student body participation.
A hilarious case of misinformation: I heard from various text messages that either Carl Abaya or that Rocky de Castro had won in the CLA. When I congratulated Rocky on her win, she just laughed and kindly corrected me that it was Carl who won. Oops.
With the USG question still alive and kicking, with everything that is happening in preparation for the 2010 elections, for the centennial, and for another school year...the SC really has its work cut out for them.
Maybe I'll be able to post a "beginning of the school year" update...even if just to follow ID 109 during its first venture into DLSU campus politics. Or maybe my next entry will come earlier than that. But for now, this blog will take a breather as I refocus on student life.
Sunday night had me talking with two of my cousins (one is a DLSU alumnus, and the other is also still in the university). We were talking about certain adverse developments in various organizations. One of my cousins said, "Well, if the SC can't do anything to help us, then why should I vote?"
Point taken to some degree. This is one of the first challenges the incoming SC will face.
Enter in Monday morning...the first day of the so-called "hell week", when understandably politics takes a backseat.
Of course congratulations were in order. I got to at least congratulate Chantal, Camille V, and Philip personally for their victories in their respective colleges. I also got to to discuss with a younger friend about the considerably narrow margin of votes that some candidates had over the others. Now I'm not sure what this means in terms of student body participation.
A hilarious case of misinformation: I heard from various text messages that either Carl Abaya or that Rocky de Castro had won in the CLA. When I congratulated Rocky on her win, she just laughed and kindly corrected me that it was Carl who won. Oops.
With the USG question still alive and kicking, with everything that is happening in preparation for the 2010 elections, for the centennial, and for another school year...the SC really has its work cut out for them.
Maybe I'll be able to post a "beginning of the school year" update...even if just to follow ID 109 during its first venture into DLSU campus politics. Or maybe my next entry will come earlier than that. But for now, this blog will take a breather as I refocus on student life.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tales from the All Purpose Walkway
This was one week when many DLSU students could not travel from building to building without being asked "Have you voted already?" Whether that question was asked by a member of the COMELEC or by a member of the political parties, one thing is clear: there really is a move to push for the highest number of student votes possible. Thankfully, at least from my perspective, this hope is somewhat materializing, judging from some of the feedback from my friends who have either been watching the elections...or who have been asked one too many times about exercising their duty of suffrage.
Election specials courtesy of TLS and Plaridel have been making the rounds of the campus. TLS' glossy publication was the first to hit the walkways, while Plaridel's election special was distributed only today. As usual, write-ups about the outgoing SC's work, excerpts of campaign spiels and interviews, and the candidate profiles were featured in both publications. This year, both publications seem to have better chances of escaping any post-election controversies, owing perhaps to the more cautious journalistic and campaign strategies being employed by the student journalists and SC hopefuls, respectively.
One of the busiest places this week on campus had to be that strip of space that is roughly divided into the Miguel Walk and the Eng Walk. Apart from the voting booth set up right in the middle of everything, there were the lines of candidates and their campaigners simply observing the voting process and asking every student who passed by the "inevitable question of the week." As crucial as this relatively safe form of pollwatching is, it did have its logistical drawback of crowding out the different booths and tambayans of various groups and organizations that frequent the benches along the walkways. Some of the candidates and campaigners who frequented this particular walkway also discovered the hard way that their pollwatching duties came with the added task of answering different scales and questionnaires being circulated by frantic psychology students seeking to complete their research requirements for a major subject. Student life still goes on after all.
While passing around some questionnaires, I got the chance to chat up Bugs (of Santugon) and commend her on her show of support for a high school friend, (one of the EB candidates of Tapat) during the miting de avance last week. It is particularly good to know that not even fierce campus politics can make a significant dent in some friendships. Now if only campus politics could cement instead of break certain partnerships...
...then maybe more than just student life could go on.
Election specials courtesy of TLS and Plaridel have been making the rounds of the campus. TLS' glossy publication was the first to hit the walkways, while Plaridel's election special was distributed only today. As usual, write-ups about the outgoing SC's work, excerpts of campaign spiels and interviews, and the candidate profiles were featured in both publications. This year, both publications seem to have better chances of escaping any post-election controversies, owing perhaps to the more cautious journalistic and campaign strategies being employed by the student journalists and SC hopefuls, respectively.
One of the busiest places this week on campus had to be that strip of space that is roughly divided into the Miguel Walk and the Eng Walk. Apart from the voting booth set up right in the middle of everything, there were the lines of candidates and their campaigners simply observing the voting process and asking every student who passed by the "inevitable question of the week." As crucial as this relatively safe form of pollwatching is, it did have its logistical drawback of crowding out the different booths and tambayans of various groups and organizations that frequent the benches along the walkways. Some of the candidates and campaigners who frequented this particular walkway also discovered the hard way that their pollwatching duties came with the added task of answering different scales and questionnaires being circulated by frantic psychology students seeking to complete their research requirements for a major subject. Student life still goes on after all.
While passing around some questionnaires, I got the chance to chat up Bugs (of Santugon) and commend her on her show of support for a high school friend, (one of the EB candidates of Tapat) during the miting de avance last week. It is particularly good to know that not even fierce campus politics can make a significant dent in some friendships. Now if only campus politics could cement instead of break certain partnerships...
...then maybe more than just student life could go on.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
alea jacta est
It was definitely not a quiet day on campus, but it was one of the more decisive,purposeful days. At least this much I could tell as early as 9am, watching the COMELEC preparing the paraphernalia for the elections.
Before that, I spent about fifteen minutes wondering with a friend about elections and lesser evils, and later yet another half an hour debating/agonizing with another friend about the different pros, cons, upcoming plans, and track records throughout this election. Even if I eventually cast my vote rather early in the day, I ended up thinking this process over more than in the past--maybe because of the nature of this year's campaign.
Clearly, because of the many things that have been promised, said and done in the last few days, it really is not going to be easy for some of the student body to decide who to vote for. While asking my classmates and other friends about whether they had voted yet, I realized that some people are in no hurry to cast their votes simply because they have to think their choices over. Now that's what I want to see: more deliberate voting. It's better than voting haphazardly, or abstaining.
Throughout the day, I encountered the different candidates, making the rounds, watching the proceedings, and encouraging students to vote. It was good of the candidates to just encourage suffrage, never mind what advantages or disadvantages this may entail. I think that they could have done it a little better though if they'd been wearing white, or green, or some non-partisan colors.
So far, the student body seems to be more responsive than I expected this general election. Now if only this pace will continue...
Before that, I spent about fifteen minutes wondering with a friend about elections and lesser evils, and later yet another half an hour debating/agonizing with another friend about the different pros, cons, upcoming plans, and track records throughout this election. Even if I eventually cast my vote rather early in the day, I ended up thinking this process over more than in the past--maybe because of the nature of this year's campaign.
Clearly, because of the many things that have been promised, said and done in the last few days, it really is not going to be easy for some of the student body to decide who to vote for. While asking my classmates and other friends about whether they had voted yet, I realized that some people are in no hurry to cast their votes simply because they have to think their choices over. Now that's what I want to see: more deliberate voting. It's better than voting haphazardly, or abstaining.
Throughout the day, I encountered the different candidates, making the rounds, watching the proceedings, and encouraging students to vote. It was good of the candidates to just encourage suffrage, never mind what advantages or disadvantages this may entail. I think that they could have done it a little better though if they'd been wearing white, or green, or some non-partisan colors.
So far, the student body seems to be more responsive than I expected this general election. Now if only this pace will continue...
Monday, March 23, 2009
Anticipation
Last ditch efforts? Quiet anticipation? Question and answer?
I suppose it depended where one happened to be on this day. For my classmates and I, today was surprisingly free of election-related discussion, apart from copies of a comprehensive explanation of the Santugon SPOA arriving in our physics lab class, as well as the ensuing discussion about who to vote for.
Sure I saw the two parties rallying their candidates and campaigners as early as 7:45 a.m. Sure, I heard discussion about last week's miting de avance, as well as the different answers the candidates have been giving over the RTRs. Sure I saw people running about the hallways just to campaign. Sure I heard the video of Ron Semira's miting de avance speech being replayed at the Tapat tambayan. But on the whole, today felt much like a "lull".
This could be a sign of either a weary student body because of the campaign trail, or a weary student body because of the usual "third term" pile up. As it is, I hope we students take the time and effort to actually vote.
What I hope to see: the political parties uniting to promote student suffrage, for the sake of encouraging active participation in the student body...never mind who gets to serve in the SC this year. It is time we changed the focus to an aware and proactive student body for the next few days.
Personally, I'm keeping to myself my decisions about my choice of candidates. I have explained and mulled over certain points and merits with my friends from both sides and no sides of the campaign, and still I can say the same thing I have been saying all campaign:
Chopseuy vote na ito.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a better coverage of the first day of the elections.
I suppose it depended where one happened to be on this day. For my classmates and I, today was surprisingly free of election-related discussion, apart from copies of a comprehensive explanation of the Santugon SPOA arriving in our physics lab class, as well as the ensuing discussion about who to vote for.
Sure I saw the two parties rallying their candidates and campaigners as early as 7:45 a.m. Sure, I heard discussion about last week's miting de avance, as well as the different answers the candidates have been giving over the RTRs. Sure I saw people running about the hallways just to campaign. Sure I heard the video of Ron Semira's miting de avance speech being replayed at the Tapat tambayan. But on the whole, today felt much like a "lull".
This could be a sign of either a weary student body because of the campaign trail, or a weary student body because of the usual "third term" pile up. As it is, I hope we students take the time and effort to actually vote.
What I hope to see: the political parties uniting to promote student suffrage, for the sake of encouraging active participation in the student body...never mind who gets to serve in the SC this year. It is time we changed the focus to an aware and proactive student body for the next few days.
Personally, I'm keeping to myself my decisions about my choice of candidates. I have explained and mulled over certain points and merits with my friends from both sides and no sides of the campaign, and still I can say the same thing I have been saying all campaign:
Chopseuy vote na ito.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a better coverage of the first day of the elections.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Windows of Opportunity
Today just happened to be one of those days that had me spending an inordinate amount of time outside the classroom. Apart from having a chance to finish up some field work for my major subjects, I also had more than enough time to talk to the different candidates, as well as collect some SPOAs (finally!) as well as a few more GPOAs. Unfortunately, due to certain logistical concerns, I could not collect all the materials I wanted. Therefore, I will not attempt a point-by-point comparison of all of the SPOAs and GPOAs per college, but rather, I will focus on the highlights of some of the materials that I gathered.
Thrust of the General Program of Action: "Lakas ng nagkakaisang Lasalyanong nangunguna sa pagbuo ng bansang progresibo." This can be translated into putting Lasallians at the forefront of nation building. Apparently, (if I am to interpret the Tapat's EB candidates correctly), the Student Council, both the Executive Board and the College Assembles, is to become a means for training and empowering LaSallians to become empowered citizens. This is evident in the way that Tapat has been tying in the GPOAs and thrusts with the need to prepare students for the 2010 national elections.
Thrust of the Specific Programs of Action: "Student Centered Student Council". Basically, Santugon platforms seem to focus on creating and implementing pro-student policies, as well as encouraging proactive student participation in the Student Council and its projects for the upcoming year. Internally focused yet relevant policies all the same. Santugon programs do require increased cooperation with the faculty and the administration of the university. This is an admirable goal that does pose a whole new set of challenges in addition to the already existing ones.
GPOA for the College of Liberal Arts: "Kalinga CLA". Finally, I got to talk to Veron, Betti, and Tats just to clarify what this program is meant to be. In line with Ron Semira's goal of using student competencies for nation building, basically the CLA students will be using their learnings and skills to assist an "adopted" community. Personally, I did feel a little ambivalent about this plan. I am thrilled to see how Liberal Arts (an area sometimes deemed as socially irrelevant) can become useful in nation-building. In fact, there is a lot of good skills-training, leadership training and interpersonal growth that can come out of directly involving Liberal Arts majors in competency-related projects. However, I really hope that we will not resort to the usual fallback of scheduling endless tutoring sessions in depressed communities. This is a much needed change--I challenge ANYONE to help the College of Liberal Arts out here!
SPOA for the College of Engineering: This SPOA is unique for its especial dedication to making the College of Engineering a center of excellence. Many of the programs here seek to assist engineering students with their academic concerns, to provide better course projection and even financial aid, as well as to promote unity within the college. This is good news for the COE, which is known for its difficult coursework and steep tuition fees. This particular SPOA however does not put as much emphasis on sociocivic work unlike the other SPOAs being distributed this year. As of now, the sociocivic aspect of the COE SPOA is limited to a short description of fundraisings for future projects. Hopefully this will be given more detail in the future...or tomorrow's Miting de Avance.
GPOA for the College of Education: This is one GPOA that aims very high (and to be honest, I understand why this has to be the case). Service oriented curriculum, teacher-leaders, and promoting a culture of excellence: these are the kinds of things that require more than just a single school year to accomplish. The service-oriented curriculum part alone will only be fulfilled when EDGE 2008 is about to graduate. Still, it's never too early to start, right?
SPOA for the College of Science: This is the SPOA that has an "ate/kuya" program: a kapatiran system for incoming freshmen to be paired with upperclassmen who will guide them around DLSU and help them adjust to college life. This is one scenario though that will probably have some COS upperclassmen mentoring two or more freshmen at any given point in time, owing to the admittedly high "mortality" in this college. To address the actual "mortality", the assistance offered in this SPOA extends beyond freshman year: mandatory consultations, NMAT reviews, and OJT exposure are also being offered for upperclassmen. That's a lot of promises to come through with though.
GPOA for the College of Business and Economics: Excellent and socially responsible business leaders is the vision of this GPOA. Perhaps this could be the GPOA that will defy the CBE-related stereotype of "walang iniiisip maliban sa pera." Corporate social responsibility is given the same weight as academic excellence, as well as alliances and cooperation with other organizations and sectors. Transparency, accountability and participation in college decisions are also highlighted here, in a context slightly different from the more academically related points of the previous principles. I find this GPOA to be one of the more feasible plans of action. Still, I'd like to see if the up and coming leaders can ensure that the transparency and accountability aspects of the GPOA do not remain solely within the student council level, but become part of the learning atmosphere they wish to promote in this college.
SPOA for the College of Computer Studies: Keeping CCS students connected--to their courses (helping reduce the failure rate in major subjects), to the university (through implementation of policies, etc), and to external linkages is a key feature of this SPOA. This SPOA is actually very concrete in its way of tackling everything from matters as simple as the sockets and bulletin boards in the Gokongwei building, all the way up to ambitious projects such as curriculum review and an e-waste recycling program. The thing that bugged me though about this SPOA was a series of formatting errors that made at least two paragraphs/bullet points a bit difficult to differentiate.
But of course, this is only half of the equation
The other half of course is the student body. However, I seriously fear that a good portion of the students are becoming indifferent to this entire electoral process, and may even abstain from voting. While some of their reasons are understandable, there is still the fact that abstinence from suffrage represents a lost window of opportunity.
Window of opportunity? I believe so. After a trying year for the SC, I think that this election is one of those "make or break" opportunities. The kind of leadership that emerges in the next few days as well as the electorate that supports them will determine whether the SC will truly become a relevant force in student life and nation building, or if the SC will fail to fully involve another generation of LaSallians in its many goals and efforts.
This is the time when many preparations will be in order. It is almost time for the PAASCU reaccreditation. Plans are underway for the Centennial celebration of this university. Now if the students want to see an SC that meets the standards of a world-class university like DLSU, the students need to vote and participate in student government. An SC that does not have the mandate of the student body is at best crippled.
This, in my opinion is the crucial election for Batch 2007. For many of the students in this batch, next school year is their last full academic year in the university. This is the academic year that will probably have Batch 2007 at the helms of student organizations and projects. This is the academic year that has leaders from Batch 2007 in the executive board and as college assembly presidents. At the very least, the leaders elected next week will be the ones featured in Batch 2007's copies of Green and White. Now who would you want to remember as the student leaders of your graduating year? :)
Friday: the debate and the miting de avance. I don't know if I'll be able to cover the miting de avance...but I do pray that this year's proceedings will unfold with more passion and less drama than last year's.
For the net-savvy radio addicts: Tune in to Green Giant, the official radio station of DLSU. On Saturday, at about 5pm, the EB candidates will be debating on air. You can access Green Giant through the official website: http://greengiantfm.dlsu.edu.ph.
Thrust of the General Program of Action: "Lakas ng nagkakaisang Lasalyanong nangunguna sa pagbuo ng bansang progresibo." This can be translated into putting Lasallians at the forefront of nation building. Apparently, (if I am to interpret the Tapat's EB candidates correctly), the Student Council, both the Executive Board and the College Assembles, is to become a means for training and empowering LaSallians to become empowered citizens. This is evident in the way that Tapat has been tying in the GPOAs and thrusts with the need to prepare students for the 2010 national elections.
Thrust of the Specific Programs of Action: "Student Centered Student Council". Basically, Santugon platforms seem to focus on creating and implementing pro-student policies, as well as encouraging proactive student participation in the Student Council and its projects for the upcoming year. Internally focused yet relevant policies all the same. Santugon programs do require increased cooperation with the faculty and the administration of the university. This is an admirable goal that does pose a whole new set of challenges in addition to the already existing ones.
GPOA for the College of Liberal Arts: "Kalinga CLA". Finally, I got to talk to Veron, Betti, and Tats just to clarify what this program is meant to be. In line with Ron Semira's goal of using student competencies for nation building, basically the CLA students will be using their learnings and skills to assist an "adopted" community. Personally, I did feel a little ambivalent about this plan. I am thrilled to see how Liberal Arts (an area sometimes deemed as socially irrelevant) can become useful in nation-building. In fact, there is a lot of good skills-training, leadership training and interpersonal growth that can come out of directly involving Liberal Arts majors in competency-related projects. However, I really hope that we will not resort to the usual fallback of scheduling endless tutoring sessions in depressed communities. This is a much needed change--I challenge ANYONE to help the College of Liberal Arts out here!
SPOA for the College of Engineering: This SPOA is unique for its especial dedication to making the College of Engineering a center of excellence. Many of the programs here seek to assist engineering students with their academic concerns, to provide better course projection and even financial aid, as well as to promote unity within the college. This is good news for the COE, which is known for its difficult coursework and steep tuition fees. This particular SPOA however does not put as much emphasis on sociocivic work unlike the other SPOAs being distributed this year. As of now, the sociocivic aspect of the COE SPOA is limited to a short description of fundraisings for future projects. Hopefully this will be given more detail in the future...or tomorrow's Miting de Avance.
GPOA for the College of Education: This is one GPOA that aims very high (and to be honest, I understand why this has to be the case). Service oriented curriculum, teacher-leaders, and promoting a culture of excellence: these are the kinds of things that require more than just a single school year to accomplish. The service-oriented curriculum part alone will only be fulfilled when EDGE 2008 is about to graduate. Still, it's never too early to start, right?
SPOA for the College of Science: This is the SPOA that has an "ate/kuya" program: a kapatiran system for incoming freshmen to be paired with upperclassmen who will guide them around DLSU and help them adjust to college life. This is one scenario though that will probably have some COS upperclassmen mentoring two or more freshmen at any given point in time, owing to the admittedly high "mortality" in this college. To address the actual "mortality", the assistance offered in this SPOA extends beyond freshman year: mandatory consultations, NMAT reviews, and OJT exposure are also being offered for upperclassmen. That's a lot of promises to come through with though.
GPOA for the College of Business and Economics: Excellent and socially responsible business leaders is the vision of this GPOA. Perhaps this could be the GPOA that will defy the CBE-related stereotype of "walang iniiisip maliban sa pera." Corporate social responsibility is given the same weight as academic excellence, as well as alliances and cooperation with other organizations and sectors. Transparency, accountability and participation in college decisions are also highlighted here, in a context slightly different from the more academically related points of the previous principles. I find this GPOA to be one of the more feasible plans of action. Still, I'd like to see if the up and coming leaders can ensure that the transparency and accountability aspects of the GPOA do not remain solely within the student council level, but become part of the learning atmosphere they wish to promote in this college.
SPOA for the College of Computer Studies: Keeping CCS students connected--to their courses (helping reduce the failure rate in major subjects), to the university (through implementation of policies, etc), and to external linkages is a key feature of this SPOA. This SPOA is actually very concrete in its way of tackling everything from matters as simple as the sockets and bulletin boards in the Gokongwei building, all the way up to ambitious projects such as curriculum review and an e-waste recycling program. The thing that bugged me though about this SPOA was a series of formatting errors that made at least two paragraphs/bullet points a bit difficult to differentiate.
But of course, this is only half of the equation
The other half of course is the student body. However, I seriously fear that a good portion of the students are becoming indifferent to this entire electoral process, and may even abstain from voting. While some of their reasons are understandable, there is still the fact that abstinence from suffrage represents a lost window of opportunity.
Window of opportunity? I believe so. After a trying year for the SC, I think that this election is one of those "make or break" opportunities. The kind of leadership that emerges in the next few days as well as the electorate that supports them will determine whether the SC will truly become a relevant force in student life and nation building, or if the SC will fail to fully involve another generation of LaSallians in its many goals and efforts.
This is the time when many preparations will be in order. It is almost time for the PAASCU reaccreditation. Plans are underway for the Centennial celebration of this university. Now if the students want to see an SC that meets the standards of a world-class university like DLSU, the students need to vote and participate in student government. An SC that does not have the mandate of the student body is at best crippled.
This, in my opinion is the crucial election for Batch 2007. For many of the students in this batch, next school year is their last full academic year in the university. This is the academic year that will probably have Batch 2007 at the helms of student organizations and projects. This is the academic year that has leaders from Batch 2007 in the executive board and as college assembly presidents. At the very least, the leaders elected next week will be the ones featured in Batch 2007's copies of Green and White. Now who would you want to remember as the student leaders of your graduating year? :)
Friday: the debate and the miting de avance. I don't know if I'll be able to cover the miting de avance...but I do pray that this year's proceedings will unfold with more passion and less drama than last year's.
For the net-savvy radio addicts: Tune in to Green Giant, the official radio station of DLSU. On Saturday, at about 5pm, the EB candidates will be debating on air. You can access Green Giant through the official website: http://greengiantfm.dlsu.edu.ph.
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