“INTEGRATING” TWO MAJOR festivities, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) officially launched the opening of the week-long Sportsfest and the much-awaited Integration last March 17 at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium.
Opening the week-long celebrations, respective Presidents of the different professional organizations from the CAS community came together for the cauldron-lighting ceremony at the Centennial Plaza.
This was then followed by a Thanksgiving Mass presided over by Rev. Fr. Placido Ma. B. Acta, OSB, at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium. Afterwards, the official opening program commenced, comprising various segments including special presentations from the performing organizations of the CAS, as well as the exposure of the candidates for the Mr. and Ms. Sportsfest, hailing from the different professional organizations of the CAS community while flaunting their creative headdress piece.
One of the highlights of the program was the sharing of the Integration experience wherein Asst. Prof. Gregorio G. Borja, MBA, CPE, the Chairperson of the Department of Marketing Management and alumnus of the then-San Beda College, discussed the importance of the event.
“Ang Integration natin dito sa San Beda kakaiba kasi we also see this as a rite of passage. All out dapat kayo palagi kapag kayo nagjojoin ng mga Institutional events, minsan lang kayo bata, minsan lang po kayo college, you might as well give your all already,” said Asst. Prof. Borja.
Following the event’s egress, Chriselle Tamares, the CAS Student Council (SC) External Vice President and the activity chairperson for this year’s Sportsfest, explained the importance of the alumni in highlighting the essence of the Integration. “Naliwanagan yung mga students and at the same time, naintindihan nila kung bakit natin ginagawa ‘yung Integration,” said Tamares.
In regard to the opening program itself, the SC-EVP talked to The Bedan how the event’s preparations were “not without challenges,” having cited a few constraints which includes the “difficulty of fusing two major activities in a week, the interruption of classes following the uncertainties of the weather, as well as the delays at the administrative level.”
Moreover, staple performances from the SBU Band and the Red Corps were also noticeably absent throughout the program. Tamares unveiled the reason, stating, “We stand with the San Beda University Manila’s band,” adding how “It’s more of a protest, na hindi siya very exciting without them.” As for the Red Corps, “it was due to the venue,” explained the SC-EVP.
Lastly, the inclusion of the Laudato Si’ mission also led to certain omissions of long-held traditions of the Integration such as the usage of colored powder and bubble foam.
In line with this, Prof. Marvin Reyes, Ph.D., the Prefect of Student Activities, testified that there definitely will be changes. “Wala na yung mga blindfold-blindfold, wala na rin yung mga tinatapon-tapon kasi we’re in accordance with the Laudato Si mission,” he added.
Nevertheless, the Prefect assured that the Red Baptism, more commonly known as the basaan, will still push through with certain adjustments to avoid compromising the ideals of Laudato Si’
Following the “successful conduct” of the opening program, Prof. Reyes said that “I’m happy…dahil in a way this is a tradition which has been taught down not by people or San Beda itself, but by nature.”
He attributed the success to repeated dialogue of the SC with the Office of the Prefect of Student Activities (OPSA) and Prof. Christian Bryan S. Bustamante, Ph.D., the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
Finally, Tamares urged the students to look forward to the Integration’s conclusion on its closing rites, saying “Abangan niyo nalang sa Saturday kung anong pasabog namin…rest assured na all students will enjoy.”
(with Aliyah Buene Aya-ay)