Regular GA #18: April 14, 2021
Agenda
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Attendance
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Midsem Evals Calendaring (c/o Chair)- 5 min
We can’t expect people to answer it during the midterms. What do you guys think? When can we schedule the midsem evals period?
Can we meet Saturday afternoon?
Shin: I think it would be more appropriate to allocate it to after the reading break na lang so that people have more time.
.
Standmaking: Dean Endorsement - 45 min
DEAN NOMINATION STANDMAKING
Andi: My suggestion for the flow is to go through the criteria we have already agreed upon in the last standmaking session.
Mario: When I was under Sir Arcenas, I like how he delivered the class. He was also very flexible with the deadlines. I remember we asked him once if kayang i-move ‘yong presentation and he said na okay siya if okay ‘yong class. That’s how I saw that he was able to balance the students’ view on issues.
Andi: Sir Arcenas was also the college secretary before from 2007 – 2008 and 2012-2013.
Emman: Very rounded out. PR Office and Graduate office. Evident sa kaniyang plans and explanation nung Monday na very in tune siya sa kung ano ‘ypng gusto ng graduates. Very consultative siya and based sa sinabi niya last Monday, ganoon rin siya sa mga graduate students. Napansin ko rin na okay siya sa mga staff rin. Every single time, napaka-courteous rin niya sa mga staff.
Andi: I’ll add lang na Sir Arcenas is actually the nominee of the staff.
Shin: Ma’am really wants the students to learn. One good point I saw from her is that she really makes sure to ask if people get it. But, I have one con. Kasi according to Hazel, between Ma’am Magno and Ma’am Abrenica. Ma’am Abrenica was the one who was g to go with it, but on the downside wala parin kaming balita.
Jaro: I think doon sa entire forum last time. I think nag-manifest how Ma’am Abrenica was familiar with the bureaucratic process. Given na she’s the current department chair, alam niya kung kanino makikipag-coordinate. I think that’s one of the good points about her. Agree rin ako sa sinabi ni Emman about Sir Arcenas and he’s a very kind person. Even though he’s never been my professor, napaka-approachable parin niya. Isang good thing rin kay Arcenas is how detailed his action steps are and how particular they were sa presentation niya. Mannifestation ‘yan ng how prepared siya sa nagging forum. One thing I super like about his initiative is that he really puts a premium on how mental health should be promoted, especially now na super difficult ng situation.
Mario: Sa plans niya, nare-recognize na there’s a need for more faculty. That’s something na napansin ko rin sa Econ kasi parang pahirapan na kumuha ng profs. I think the fact that he realizes the fact that the School needs to aggressively recruit more people for the faculty is really telling pa
EJ: I’d like to give an insight kay Sir Arcenas. I did not have him as my professor, but some of my friends have taken him. If I’m not mistaken, specialty ni Sir ‘yong environmental economics. I think that it’s very unique to find an economist that specializes on that, and I think that because of it he gives new perspectives on different issues.
Belle: This is for Arcenas. I noticed in his plans that he proposing for more scholarships for grad students that are not merit-based. I think that goes to show that he really wants education to be more accessible, kasi not everyone can get good grades especially if you are not privileged. Those who need scholarships are struggling and because they are struggling it’s harder for them to get better grades.
Mitch: Ang nag-struck sa akin under Sir Arcenas is that bukod sa ili-link ‘yong students sa PsychServ, itre-train rin raw ‘yong staff ng Econ sa PsychServ para mas maging accessible sa econ students ‘yong mga ganitong issues.
Third: A pro I would say from Ma’am Abrenica is that I think she’s been very proactive when it comes to grievances. For example, I just recently sent a grievance letter to the admin, and Ma’am Abrenica was very quick to reply naman and sort things out.
Mario: From her CV and mga tinanungan ko, very intensive ‘yong background niya when it comes to computational Econ. Other than that, she’s also very recognized. Mas gusto niya na may computational econ, which I understand coming from her point of view. Akala ko kasi nung una more 106 and hardcore math siya, but it really is more similar to statistics which might actually help the students depending on how you want to look at it.
Emman: For Ma’am Abrenica, she’s seen as a friend of the court when it comes to electricity prices. She also really wants to become globally competitive. Ang napulot ko ay sa computational econ ay kasama na rin ‘yong programming like Stata or R, which I think is a very important skill ngayon. May rigorous ‘yong amgiging outcome ng training for students. For Sir Arcenas, one of the things we wanted was that future dean is appreciative of the culture of the students here in Econ e.g. org life/culture, to Sir Arcenas’ credit, BS Org rin kasi siya when he was a student. As a prof, very supportive rin siya of orgs, naging adviser rin siya ng ETC. That’s something you don’t really see when it comes to Econ.
Jaro: For Arcenas, Ma’am Abrenica is that she’s for competition, but Sir Arcenas said that if we have 10 economists, we’re going to have 10 opinions, so it speaks highly of how he will act as the dean should he be appointed.
Rejam: He wants to make a mental health program raw which is very important kasi we’re all going something. He also emphasized that he wanted students and faculty are always working together.
JC: Minention ni Ma’am Abrenica sa kaniyang paper na she wanted to rebuild trust. She gives importance to the faculty as a valuable resource to the school. Ang sabi niya rito ay that she wanted skills training to continue for the faculty.
Mario: Sa pro-staff under Abrenica, there was one question about financial literacy training sa staff. The point of the question was that the staff should also be equipped with knowledge in econ. Sir Arcenas was saying that it was a good idea. Ma’am Abrenica kind of dismissed it.
Emman: Quick point kay Ma’am Abrenica when it comes to faculty. Si Ma’am Abrenica ‘yong lubog sa issues ng faculty. Naka-sabbatical leave kasi si Sir since 2020. Mas maalam siya since siya ‘yong faculty.
Jaro: Sir Arcenas was able to list down kung saan niya kukunin ‘yong funding ng plans niya. I think that it wasn’t super specific though with regards to how he can get those sources of funding. Add ko lang rin sa sinabi ni EJ na given na he teaches environmental econ, I think that ‘yong plan niya na Econ being more green. I think he also mentioned about reducing the footprint, evident naman ‘yong perspective niya sa environmental econ, which shows how he perceives the change in the physical infrastructure of Econ in the coming years.
Andi: Since we already talked about the nitty gritty of their plans, let’s talk about the big picture things in their vision paper.
Emman: They both kind of focused more on the graduate students as compared to the undergraduate students.
Mario: What I liked about Sir Arcenas was that his vision paper was very forward looking. What I really liked is that he’s also very realistic, kasi he said sa end na he doesn’t think it can easily be finished in under three years but atleast he’s able to lay the foudnations of further change for the dean after the next one.
Andi: We’re done going through the criteria we have already decided on in the last standmaking GA. Does anyone want to motion for the appointee?
[Motion] Mario: Motion to formally adopt Sir Arcenas as the SESC endorsee for the position of Dean.
Mitch: I second the motion.
Andi: The motion flies, Sir Arcenas is officially our endorsee.
R Seminar Evals + Stata Seminar Updates (c/o JBreps & SeBreps) - 10 min
R Seminar
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Stata Seminar
UPDATES
STRAW Updates (c/o STRAW-Sec) - 5 min
Tuklas:
Grievances.
- Three grievances received by STRAW! Please answer the Dear STRAW if may mga issues or concerns, so that we can act on it.
1. Econ 163: This kind of turned into an isolated case, kasi apparently, I’ve asked JC and Yas to talk to the students in the class and not everyone shares the same sentiments pala regarding the prof. Most of the people in the class really like her kahit mabigat raw. Moving forward, we’ll have a dialogue na lang with the admin about more compassionate course policies that are felt by everyone.
2. I have received a concern about graduation. One of the seniors was tagged as ineligible raw, pero upon checking the relevant documents, he was put on the wrong degree program kaya mukhang kulang siya ng units. I’ve talked to Tita Joyce na and the issue is nore resolved.
3. On a harsher note, I have also received a grievance on Econ 121. The student involved had personal issues that made it completely difficult for them to accomplish the academic requirements for the course. Upon contacting the professor, they were merely told to be resilient. I have received the grievance last night and we are already in contact with the admin as of now. Ma’am Abrenica already said that she will be talking to Professor Reside. (student was given enough time to fulfill their academic requirements)
Mario: May pinapa-remind lang. When it comes the protocol, there’s a difference when it comes to grievances and specific grievances. When it comes to certain cases, we can’t divulge the details easily to other people. Moving forward, BRA maybe we can keep working on asking how our constituents are right now.
Emman: The first thing na brining up naming kay Ma’am. Okay na ‘yong na-resolve na siya and na-movev na ‘yong exam. Sobrang bigat kasi ng class. Ang approach kasi ni Ma’am, ay parang law class. 5 units ‘yong feeling niya. What students feel is that hindi enough ‘yong time within the week. 80 pages per week and may cases pa siya. I guess maganda na ‘yong na-mention na ipa-remind na lang ‘yong admin na hindi law students ‘yong mga estudyante. Okay naman siya.
Partnership Proposals (c/o WaM) - 10 min
PARALUMAN: An Art Exhibit and Fundraising Event
PLM Business School Partnership
UP OBEM: Yugto: A Donation Drive
Ways and Means Update
EJ: I second the motion.
Other Matters - 10 min
Third: I’d just like to let the body know that certain constituents have been constantly asking what the council is doing with regards to student grievances. This is all valid. I do feel that they deserve to know every bit of information whenever possible, especially given the current setup and state of things.
In answering these inquiries, we explain what we have been doing since the past semester. We have been collating details regarding the situation of the students, whether it be specific or not, through different channels, such as the Dear STRAW initiative and the ECONsult. The batch reps, as far as I know, also have their own grievance forms, and I have worked with the batch representatives naman regarding these concerns. Other than that, we’ve been having these dialogues naman with the admin, starting from the Townhall last semester to the SEtuationer held just recently. In addition to that, we’ve been firm on our stand for more compassionate policies naman and have been setting meetings with the admin naman, although it’s an uphill battle, we’re willing to go through it.
Moving forward, I guess we still have a lot to improve on regarding our presence in UPSE. It really is not enough to just work on these grievances but to make sure that people know that they can always come to us whenever they need to help. I will be working more on the systems and protocols we have right now to make sure that this problem is addressed.
Emman: Gaano kalat? Hindi siya issue of substance. Marami naman tayong mechanisms. It’s more an issue of messaging and communication. Ang parating excuse ng admins is academic freedom ng profs. Generally, mga batch reps ‘pag kino-communicate nangangamusta kayo regularly. Be mindful na lang sa pagka-frame niyo. Ang magkakaalyado, tayong mga estudyante. Nahihirapan tayo i-process ‘yong ganitong mga grievances. May sentiments na hindi proactive enough ‘yong council. Generally, two pronged ‘yong response sana natin, communicate the issues more. Really building up the narrative na tayo ang magkakaalyado.
Haqq: With regards sa being proactive, I feel like proactive na rin naman talaga tayo. Sadyang systems lang talaga, walang gumagamit. Kami ni Kyla may suggestion sana kami.
Kyla: Diba you mentioned na may separate grievance from this other person, academic easing.
Third: Yes. We’ve been trying to work on it with the admin, pero the admin has been using academic freedom as a case against it.
Haqq: Pwede ba nating sabihin ‘yan? What if we solve it publicity wise? Mga initial plans anmin ni Kyla. Dapat visible na may ginagawa tayo. Dapat ma-engage natin ‘yong students na mag voice out ng concerns. What if ‘yong Dear STRAW gawin nating more aggressively. Sa stars, pwede ba natin i-rate ‘yong class nila. Every week na ginagawa natin ‘yong Dear STRAW, buksan na rin nila and buksan nila ‘yong google form. Tapos, lahat ‘yon na ginawa natin, gawing external.
Kyla: Since isa sa mga grievance ay academic ease, baka we can exhaust all means to try. Kasama sa Dear STRAW, baka we can release a weekly report rin on grievances.
Jaro: ‘Yon lang, if ever matuloy ‘yong statement. Let’s be careful and strategic and mag-sensing talaga nang maayos. We should get a sufficient number of people. Majority of people should be g with it. We don’t want to ruin any good relationship we have left with the admin.
Jaro: Siguro before we move forward, I take offense. It’s nothing short of an insult. Not just to me, but also to everyone in the council. Nothing but invalidating all the things we’re doing. We’re working. This is a reminder na we’re all doing our part. We’re checking on people. Pangalawa, maybe this can inspire us further to double our efforts. Mas maging aggressive ‘yong
EJ: Pero just to like synthesize everything that we said. The hard part about it is even if we have these negative comments, it doesn’t change our responsibilities. Let’s just be more aggressive with our pubs. You can’t solve our problem if you can’t communicate that there is a problem. Let’s take it with a grain of salt, and let’s just be more aggressive with what we want to communicate to UPSE. Let’s just remind them na kaya tayo Council is because kahit ano sabihin ng Council parati nating kasama ‘yong students.
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We can’t expect people to answer it during the midterms. What do you guys think? When can we schedule the midsem evals period?
Can we meet Saturday afternoon?
- Third and Mitch I’ll be messaging you later for the evaluation forms.
- We’ll set it for May 8 for now, and then Mario and Jaro, update us sa exam niyo if it’s whole day or not.
- Reuse the pubs and we’ll change the link na lang on it.
Shin: I think it would be more appropriate to allocate it to after the reading break na lang so that people have more time.
.
Standmaking: Dean Endorsement - 45 min
DEAN NOMINATION STANDMAKING
Andi: My suggestion for the flow is to go through the criteria we have already agreed upon in the last standmaking session.
Mario: When I was under Sir Arcenas, I like how he delivered the class. He was also very flexible with the deadlines. I remember we asked him once if kayang i-move ‘yong presentation and he said na okay siya if okay ‘yong class. That’s how I saw that he was able to balance the students’ view on issues.
Andi: Sir Arcenas was also the college secretary before from 2007 – 2008 and 2012-2013.
Emman: Very rounded out. PR Office and Graduate office. Evident sa kaniyang plans and explanation nung Monday na very in tune siya sa kung ano ‘ypng gusto ng graduates. Very consultative siya and based sa sinabi niya last Monday, ganoon rin siya sa mga graduate students. Napansin ko rin na okay siya sa mga staff rin. Every single time, napaka-courteous rin niya sa mga staff.
Andi: I’ll add lang na Sir Arcenas is actually the nominee of the staff.
Shin: Ma’am really wants the students to learn. One good point I saw from her is that she really makes sure to ask if people get it. But, I have one con. Kasi according to Hazel, between Ma’am Magno and Ma’am Abrenica. Ma’am Abrenica was the one who was g to go with it, but on the downside wala parin kaming balita.
Jaro: I think doon sa entire forum last time. I think nag-manifest how Ma’am Abrenica was familiar with the bureaucratic process. Given na she’s the current department chair, alam niya kung kanino makikipag-coordinate. I think that’s one of the good points about her. Agree rin ako sa sinabi ni Emman about Sir Arcenas and he’s a very kind person. Even though he’s never been my professor, napaka-approachable parin niya. Isang good thing rin kay Arcenas is how detailed his action steps are and how particular they were sa presentation niya. Mannifestation ‘yan ng how prepared siya sa nagging forum. One thing I super like about his initiative is that he really puts a premium on how mental health should be promoted, especially now na super difficult ng situation.
Mario: Sa plans niya, nare-recognize na there’s a need for more faculty. That’s something na napansin ko rin sa Econ kasi parang pahirapan na kumuha ng profs. I think the fact that he realizes the fact that the School needs to aggressively recruit more people for the faculty is really telling pa
EJ: I’d like to give an insight kay Sir Arcenas. I did not have him as my professor, but some of my friends have taken him. If I’m not mistaken, specialty ni Sir ‘yong environmental economics. I think that it’s very unique to find an economist that specializes on that, and I think that because of it he gives new perspectives on different issues.
Belle: This is for Arcenas. I noticed in his plans that he proposing for more scholarships for grad students that are not merit-based. I think that goes to show that he really wants education to be more accessible, kasi not everyone can get good grades especially if you are not privileged. Those who need scholarships are struggling and because they are struggling it’s harder for them to get better grades.
Mitch: Ang nag-struck sa akin under Sir Arcenas is that bukod sa ili-link ‘yong students sa PsychServ, itre-train rin raw ‘yong staff ng Econ sa PsychServ para mas maging accessible sa econ students ‘yong mga ganitong issues.
Third: A pro I would say from Ma’am Abrenica is that I think she’s been very proactive when it comes to grievances. For example, I just recently sent a grievance letter to the admin, and Ma’am Abrenica was very quick to reply naman and sort things out.
Mario: From her CV and mga tinanungan ko, very intensive ‘yong background niya when it comes to computational Econ. Other than that, she’s also very recognized. Mas gusto niya na may computational econ, which I understand coming from her point of view. Akala ko kasi nung una more 106 and hardcore math siya, but it really is more similar to statistics which might actually help the students depending on how you want to look at it.
Emman: For Ma’am Abrenica, she’s seen as a friend of the court when it comes to electricity prices. She also really wants to become globally competitive. Ang napulot ko ay sa computational econ ay kasama na rin ‘yong programming like Stata or R, which I think is a very important skill ngayon. May rigorous ‘yong amgiging outcome ng training for students. For Sir Arcenas, one of the things we wanted was that future dean is appreciative of the culture of the students here in Econ e.g. org life/culture, to Sir Arcenas’ credit, BS Org rin kasi siya when he was a student. As a prof, very supportive rin siya of orgs, naging adviser rin siya ng ETC. That’s something you don’t really see when it comes to Econ.
Jaro: For Arcenas, Ma’am Abrenica is that she’s for competition, but Sir Arcenas said that if we have 10 economists, we’re going to have 10 opinions, so it speaks highly of how he will act as the dean should he be appointed.
Rejam: He wants to make a mental health program raw which is very important kasi we’re all going something. He also emphasized that he wanted students and faculty are always working together.
JC: Minention ni Ma’am Abrenica sa kaniyang paper na she wanted to rebuild trust. She gives importance to the faculty as a valuable resource to the school. Ang sabi niya rito ay that she wanted skills training to continue for the faculty.
Mario: Sa pro-staff under Abrenica, there was one question about financial literacy training sa staff. The point of the question was that the staff should also be equipped with knowledge in econ. Sir Arcenas was saying that it was a good idea. Ma’am Abrenica kind of dismissed it.
Emman: Quick point kay Ma’am Abrenica when it comes to faculty. Si Ma’am Abrenica ‘yong lubog sa issues ng faculty. Naka-sabbatical leave kasi si Sir since 2020. Mas maalam siya since siya ‘yong faculty.
Jaro: Sir Arcenas was able to list down kung saan niya kukunin ‘yong funding ng plans niya. I think that it wasn’t super specific though with regards to how he can get those sources of funding. Add ko lang rin sa sinabi ni EJ na given na he teaches environmental econ, I think that ‘yong plan niya na Econ being more green. I think he also mentioned about reducing the footprint, evident naman ‘yong perspective niya sa environmental econ, which shows how he perceives the change in the physical infrastructure of Econ in the coming years.
Andi: Since we already talked about the nitty gritty of their plans, let’s talk about the big picture things in their vision paper.
Emman: They both kind of focused more on the graduate students as compared to the undergraduate students.
Mario: What I liked about Sir Arcenas was that his vision paper was very forward looking. What I really liked is that he’s also very realistic, kasi he said sa end na he doesn’t think it can easily be finished in under three years but atleast he’s able to lay the foudnations of further change for the dean after the next one.
Andi: We’re done going through the criteria we have already decided on in the last standmaking GA. Does anyone want to motion for the appointee?
[Motion] Mario: Motion to formally adopt Sir Arcenas as the SESC endorsee for the position of Dean.
Mitch: I second the motion.
Andi: The motion flies, Sir Arcenas is officially our endorsee.
R Seminar Evals + Stata Seminar Updates (c/o JBreps & SeBreps) - 10 min
R Seminar
STRENGTHS
- We had an incentive for Sir Jandoc’s class.
- 2 or 3 lang ‘yong wala sa seminar na part ng 132 class.
- Thank you to council for coming kahit hindi siya required.
- Experienced ‘yong speaker. Marami siyang alam na advanced functions for R.
WEAKNESSES
- The topics were advanced and unfamiliar. Hindi makasuod but still value-adding
- Even though he tries his best to ask the audience, hindi parin masyadong participative mga tao.
- The event was also extended. Marami siyang pinag-usapan na topic.
OPPORTUNITIES
- Speaker explicitly expressed that he’s willing to give a seminar in R again.
- Maybe we can get incentives rin for Econ 131. Discretion na rin ng speaker on how they can touch up on 131. Maybe we can open future R seminars to 131 students as well.
- Francis had a couple more commands and topics h wanted to discuss but due to the time constraint, hindi na-discuss. Maybe we can allocate more time for this.
THREATS
- He had this initial list he wanted to teach, so why not focus on more advanced topics. I forwarded to him the training sessions. He said na he will work around it. Akala ko he will discuss commands and codes that would be related to the class syllabus mismo, but he sent the coverage na medyo unfamiliar talaga ‘yong mga commands.
Stata Seminar
UPDATES
- Speaker and the topics have been finalized by Shin and EJ.
- In addition, we also have incentives for 131. We’re waiting for replies na lang
- It’s going to be held on April 17. We’re going to have a demand sensing to gauge how many people are interested in attending.
- Not required for Council, but encouraged
STRAW Updates (c/o STRAW-Sec) - 5 min
Tuklas:
- Hard to gain partners, pandemic made it harder for them to partner with people. just generally the workforce is tapped out
- My core is doing their best. I guess the circumstances have changed a lot compared to the past semester.
Grievances.
- Three grievances received by STRAW! Please answer the Dear STRAW if may mga issues or concerns, so that we can act on it.
1. Econ 163: This kind of turned into an isolated case, kasi apparently, I’ve asked JC and Yas to talk to the students in the class and not everyone shares the same sentiments pala regarding the prof. Most of the people in the class really like her kahit mabigat raw. Moving forward, we’ll have a dialogue na lang with the admin about more compassionate course policies that are felt by everyone.
2. I have received a concern about graduation. One of the seniors was tagged as ineligible raw, pero upon checking the relevant documents, he was put on the wrong degree program kaya mukhang kulang siya ng units. I’ve talked to Tita Joyce na and the issue is nore resolved.
3. On a harsher note, I have also received a grievance on Econ 121. The student involved had personal issues that made it completely difficult for them to accomplish the academic requirements for the course. Upon contacting the professor, they were merely told to be resilient. I have received the grievance last night and we are already in contact with the admin as of now. Ma’am Abrenica already said that she will be talking to Professor Reside. (student was given enough time to fulfill their academic requirements)
Mario: May pinapa-remind lang. When it comes the protocol, there’s a difference when it comes to grievances and specific grievances. When it comes to certain cases, we can’t divulge the details easily to other people. Moving forward, BRA maybe we can keep working on asking how our constituents are right now.
Emman: The first thing na brining up naming kay Ma’am. Okay na ‘yong na-resolve na siya and na-movev na ‘yong exam. Sobrang bigat kasi ng class. Ang approach kasi ni Ma’am, ay parang law class. 5 units ‘yong feeling niya. What students feel is that hindi enough ‘yong time within the week. 80 pages per week and may cases pa siya. I guess maganda na ‘yong na-mention na ipa-remind na lang ‘yong admin na hindi law students ‘yong mga estudyante. Okay naman siya.
Partnership Proposals (c/o WaM) - 10 min
PARALUMAN: An Art Exhibit and Fundraising Event
- Four packages, co-presenter, major, minor, and donor
- For donor, no other responsibilities than a 500 pesos donation.
- Beneficiaries is Save the Schools Network.
- G MAJOR
PLM Business School Partnership
- PASS
UP OBEM: Yugto: A Donation Drive
- G Minor
Ways and Means Update
- Nagkaroon rin kami ng hard time gathering partners. Majority of the organizations have turned down the proposal given the situation ngayon. Exam month rin ngayon ko busy rin officers nila. For corporations, allocated na rin budget nila usually, so hirap na rin kami. Pasalamat lang rin ako sa M&P for the pub that was released.
- To BRA na rin for the emails. We’re in the process of emailing organizations and sending follow up emails sa mga hindi pa angre-respond.
- May isang minor partner na nakapag-deposit na ng 500 pesos. Two individuals who have deposited 8000 in general ,so we have 8500 in total.
- E-store now in the process of
- 8 active partnerships. Two pending.
EJ: I second the motion.
Other Matters - 10 min
Third: I’d just like to let the body know that certain constituents have been constantly asking what the council is doing with regards to student grievances. This is all valid. I do feel that they deserve to know every bit of information whenever possible, especially given the current setup and state of things.
In answering these inquiries, we explain what we have been doing since the past semester. We have been collating details regarding the situation of the students, whether it be specific or not, through different channels, such as the Dear STRAW initiative and the ECONsult. The batch reps, as far as I know, also have their own grievance forms, and I have worked with the batch representatives naman regarding these concerns. Other than that, we’ve been having these dialogues naman with the admin, starting from the Townhall last semester to the SEtuationer held just recently. In addition to that, we’ve been firm on our stand for more compassionate policies naman and have been setting meetings with the admin naman, although it’s an uphill battle, we’re willing to go through it.
Moving forward, I guess we still have a lot to improve on regarding our presence in UPSE. It really is not enough to just work on these grievances but to make sure that people know that they can always come to us whenever they need to help. I will be working more on the systems and protocols we have right now to make sure that this problem is addressed.
Emman: Gaano kalat? Hindi siya issue of substance. Marami naman tayong mechanisms. It’s more an issue of messaging and communication. Ang parating excuse ng admins is academic freedom ng profs. Generally, mga batch reps ‘pag kino-communicate nangangamusta kayo regularly. Be mindful na lang sa pagka-frame niyo. Ang magkakaalyado, tayong mga estudyante. Nahihirapan tayo i-process ‘yong ganitong mga grievances. May sentiments na hindi proactive enough ‘yong council. Generally, two pronged ‘yong response sana natin, communicate the issues more. Really building up the narrative na tayo ang magkakaalyado.
Haqq: With regards sa being proactive, I feel like proactive na rin naman talaga tayo. Sadyang systems lang talaga, walang gumagamit. Kami ni Kyla may suggestion sana kami.
Kyla: Diba you mentioned na may separate grievance from this other person, academic easing.
Third: Yes. We’ve been trying to work on it with the admin, pero the admin has been using academic freedom as a case against it.
Haqq: Pwede ba nating sabihin ‘yan? What if we solve it publicity wise? Mga initial plans anmin ni Kyla. Dapat visible na may ginagawa tayo. Dapat ma-engage natin ‘yong students na mag voice out ng concerns. What if ‘yong Dear STRAW gawin nating more aggressively. Sa stars, pwede ba natin i-rate ‘yong class nila. Every week na ginagawa natin ‘yong Dear STRAW, buksan na rin nila and buksan nila ‘yong google form. Tapos, lahat ‘yon na ginawa natin, gawing external.
Kyla: Since isa sa mga grievance ay academic ease, baka we can exhaust all means to try. Kasama sa Dear STRAW, baka we can release a weekly report rin on grievances.
Jaro: ‘Yon lang, if ever matuloy ‘yong statement. Let’s be careful and strategic and mag-sensing talaga nang maayos. We should get a sufficient number of people. Majority of people should be g with it. We don’t want to ruin any good relationship we have left with the admin.
Jaro: Siguro before we move forward, I take offense. It’s nothing short of an insult. Not just to me, but also to everyone in the council. Nothing but invalidating all the things we’re doing. We’re working. This is a reminder na we’re all doing our part. We’re checking on people. Pangalawa, maybe this can inspire us further to double our efforts. Mas maging aggressive ‘yong
EJ: Pero just to like synthesize everything that we said. The hard part about it is even if we have these negative comments, it doesn’t change our responsibilities. Let’s just be more aggressive with our pubs. You can’t solve our problem if you can’t communicate that there is a problem. Let’s take it with a grain of salt, and let’s just be more aggressive with what we want to communicate to UPSE. Let’s just remind them na kaya tayo Council is because kahit ano sabihin ng Council parati nating kasama ‘yong students.
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