THE LION’S DEN roared with excitement as the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) opened its doors to welcome the newest members of the pride, Class of 2027, during the Freshmen Welcoming Day (FWD) last August 5.
The FWD marks the official welcome for the freshmen of San Beda University (SBU) and the newest members of the Bedan community by providing them a glimpse of the vibrant Bedan spirit and preparing them for the journey that awaits them in the four corners of the University.
The initial half of the whole-day event was an orientation organized by the Guidance and Counseling Office (GCO), called the Freshmen Orientation Day (FOD). They were in charge of “orienting new students and parents” and ensuring Bedan freshmen of “what it means to be a part of San Beda,” Ms. Ma. Lorena Galang, the head of the GCO, expressed.
A thanksgiving mass was presided over by Rev. Fr. Leander Mary Angngad, OSB during the morning session. This was followed by speakers from the different administrative offices of SBU who all delivered their insights for the Class of 2027 on academic policies.
Dr. Christian Bryan Bustamante, PhD., CAS Dean, gave the opening remarks who was then followed by the chairperson of the Department of Social Sciences, Prof. Luisito Dela Cruz who delved further into the University’s mission-vision statement as well as their expectations of future graduates.
Addressing the academic policies and grading system was the Vice Dean of the Accountancy and Business Cluster, Dr. Jackui Moreno, CPA who was then followed by Atty. Michael Daguinod, chairperson of the Department of Legal Management discussed online copyrights to educational materials.
Institutional policies like bullying, harassment, and unauthorized student memberships were discussed by Dean of Student Affairs, Mr. Dominador Manlincon. Health and safety issues were emphasized by Ms. Chrisadelle Cardenas-Agbanlog, a nurse from the Health Services Office.
Prof. Esther Cuaresma, Prefect of Student Discipline, provided insights into the code of discipline and conduct for both online and onsite classes while Dr. Marvin Reyes, Ph.D., Prefect of Student Activities, shed light on student organizations and their activities.
The introduction of the institutional religious guidance and services also introduced through the Campus Ministry’s representative, Ms. Sally Tacorda.
Lastly, the University’s library resources were introduced by Ms. Jennifer Comabig, Head of Libraries, while Prof. Rosemarie Pererras, the chairperson of the Department of Information Technology, presented RedCanvas, the online student learning platform of the CAS.
The rest of the event was organized by the Student Council (SC) in which each course dressed their assigned rooms based on their chosen Netflix series as its welcome theme.
With the institution’s warm welcome, freshmen from the various programs shared their impressions and expectations. Miles Geriane, a Marketing freshman, expressed her appreciation for “how the seniors shared their experiences.” A Legal Management freshman, Mikyle Calara also shared her anticipation since SBU was apparently her “dream school.”
As the curtain rises on Class of 2027’s college journey, Ms. Galang left an encouraging message to the Bedan freshies, “’Di ba, you had your admission interview sa amin, you had your orientation sa amin, kung gaano man karami sila, we hope that 100% na sila [rin] ang i-eexit interview namin at bibigyan namin ng Career Preparedness Seminar bago sila grumaduate in four years time.”
(with Rizian Veniz Balleta)
