FOLLOWING AN OVERWHELMING series of activities, Bedans expressed their frustration over the “jam-packed schedule for the first week” of April—pertaining to the overlapping events of the Student Council (SC) Bedan Sports Fest, ECHOES Graduation Photoshoot, and the Electoral Board’s (ELBO) Register Anywhere Program.
Recently, attention was drawn towards the Facebook Page of San Beda University’s (SBU) Freedom Wall as multiple entries expressed their grievances over the schedule with three activities colliding with on one another. In response to the sentiments of the student body, The Bedan sat down with representatives from the SC, ECHOES, and ELBO as these organizations shed light to the matter and explain how things can be further improved on.
Speaking on behalf of ECHOES, Dolly Anne Camantigue, the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), shared how imperative it is for any organization “to do the task of making announcements regarding its event or activities,” reflecting upon the great deal of false details being disseminated among the students—which contributed to the expansion of the issue. Nonetheless, she also disclosed how the sentiments expressed by the students in the Freedom Wall were “noted.”
From the side of the Bedan Sportsfest by the SC, Athletics Committee Head, Aaron Ramos, shared how the annual sports event was “a chance for the student body to showcase their athletic abilities and break away from their academic responsibilities.” But with the overlapping events that occurred in the first week, Ramos saw a better participation if there had only been one event that occurred. To avoid having the same issue on scheduling, Ramos proposed having “town hall meetings with student organizations heads” to have an idea of the schedule of events and activities, and therefore avoid further conflicts in the future.
Lastly, with ELBO’s event, in partnership Commission on Elections (COMELEC), on the Register Anywhere Program (RAP), Kurt Andrei Catolico, the Vice Chairperson of ELBO and Activity Chairperson of the event, provided how the three-day registration drive’s agenda was to provide convenience to Filipinos by making voter registration more accessible. Catolico further mentioned that the turnout of participation exceeded their initial estimation.
Addressing the scheduling concerns, Catolico disclosed how it was up to the COMELEC to conduct the program. Moreover, a reschedule was allegedly not feasible due to other conflict of activities. Suggesting some room for improvement, Catolico does not seem to have any conflict on conducting multiple events at a time, especially on events or activities that are not mandatory.
“I do think it’s important to avoid scheduling mandatory events that clash with each other as this could prevent students from fully participating in the events they are interested in. Therefore, I strongly suggest to have an accessible calendar whereby all organizations can input, update, or plan their respective event/activities,” he added.