Tuition, miscellaneous fees hike anew

By Justin Royce Z. Baluyot and Norelyn M. Villaruel

Published in the FEU Advocate, Vol. XVI No. 8

Far Eastern University (FEU) administration announced a 3.5 percent hike on next school year’s tuition and an 850-peso additional charge on miscellaneous fees.

The increase in tuition was announced on a forum among the administration, students and parents at University Conference Center (UCC) last February 8.

However, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Teresa Trinidad Tinio said that her office was not that prepared to bare concrete plans for the allotment of the 3.5 percent tuition increase, thus was only able to bare prospects.

Among the administration’s plans for next school year are the improvement of online services and acquisition of new software for instructional facilities, renovation of Nicanor Reyes Hall (NRH), modernization of University Library and construction of new and “state-of-the-art” science laboratories.

Moreover, the tuition increase is also expected to aid revisions of Bachelor of Secondary Education and Bachelor of Elementary Education’s curricula to offer a new program on pre-school education.

Bachelor of Arts (AB) in English, AB Literature and AB Political Science, as well as Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology, MA Education and Doctor of Education are set to apply for Level 1 accreditation from private accrediting agencies next school year.

Tinio added that strengthening research and publications of faculty members is also a priority.

“We might call for a second consultation with you…regarding the tuition hike. Because unlike the previous tuition discussion meetings we had before, we are not that much prepared to discuss the allotment of the hike [this time],” Tinio said.

Miscellaneous fees swell

Vice President for Academic Services Miguel Carpio presented the new breakdown of miscellaneous fees and explained the causes of the hike during a meeting on miscellaneous fee increase at UCC last February 28.

Energy fee had the highest raise among all parts of the miscellaneous fees which increased by 200 pesos; from 1,100 pesos in the current school year to 1,300 pesos next school year.

Carpio pointed out Manila Electric Company’s recent announcements about increasing electric fees as the top reason of the energy fee’s hike. Air conditioning systems and facilities in classrooms and offices will also be improved, he said.

Audio-visual fee raised by 194 pesos (from 156 to 350 pesos) to support academic multimedia services, Carpio stressed.

“We want all of us to be given quality education that we all long for and I am pretty sure that you have noted as well that our classrooms are equipped not only with all these facilities… We are still improving the things that we can offer to you,” Carpio said.

Meanwhile, athletic fee soared by 158 pesos (from 592 to 750 pesos) to continue supporting the University’s sports programs.

Carpio admitted that FEU only has few athletic venues for athletes that can be available for training, thus increasing athletic fee to improve FEU’s sports facilities.

Registration fee, moreover, boosted by 129 pesos (from 438 to 567 pesos) while guidance fee hiked by 88 pesos (from 262 to 350 pesos). Medical fee increased by 81 pesos; from 419 to 500 pesos.

“The 419 [pesos] that we charge now [in medical fee] is no longer able to meet the needs of our medical requirements so we have to really put an increase in it; not only that we have to hire additional medical practitioners but we also are continually improving the services that we offer,” Carpio said.

FEUCSO Vice President Andrea Sarile said that even though the event was supposed to be a consultation to FEU’s stakeholders, the administration will still increase the fees anyway.

“I honestly think that what we are paying for energy fees is a little too much… It is good they let us know [about the increase] although at the end of the day, there is actually nothing we can do about it because they will raise the fees regardless of what happens here [in the meeting],” she commented.

Sarile added that she just hopes every student will really have access to the school’s facilities and will be able to utilize its academic services.

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4 April 8 Permalink

Comm studes win nat’l advertising tilts

By Kliezl Joie S. Demasuay and Justin Royce Z. Baluyot

Published in the FEU Advocate, Vol. XVI No. 8

Junior and freshman communication students bagged top spots in two recent national advertising competitions, adding honor to one of the University’s respected programs.

Third year Mass Communication (MassComm) students emerged big in the AdSpeak Convention, a values advertising competition among communication and advertising students held at Colegio de San Juan de Letran last February 8.

All advertising outputs that won in the said congress were produced by junior MassComm students who were taking up Advertising Production course last semester, under Department of Communication (DepComm) professor Karen Panela.

The print advertisement “They will feed you what you feed them,” an environmental promotion of solid waste management, bagged first runner-up in the Practitioner’s Choice Award category.

The print ad shows an image of a sliced fish placed on a chopping board, showing wastes such as candy wrappers and plastics inside its belly.

“The powerful visual which dominated the ad complemented by a provocative headline were the two factors I strongly felt captured the judges’ interest,” Panela said.

The group who produced the print ad was composed of Lorniel Cid Catanghal, Charles Kevin Jimenez, Jessica Joy Morales and Allen Jenyssie Tolentino.

“It was able to leave mark and serve its purpose to advocate environmental awareness,” Catanghal said.

Moreover, “Bentsinko,” a television advertisement that promotes the value of a 25-centavo coin, ranked second runner up in the Students’ Choice category.

“This Guy’s Disguise,” another television advertisement, landed as a finalist in both Practitioner’s Choice Award and Students’ Choice Award categories while “Masikip na nga, magdadagdag ka pa,” another television advertisement about the country’s overpopulation, was also a finalist in the Practitioner’s Choice Award category.

Furthermore, television advertisement on water conservation titled “Save water, secure our future” was a finalist in the Students’ Choice Award category.

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3 April 1 Permalink

Editorial Board 2013-2014.

Our term as FEU Advocate’s editorial board for School Year 2013-2014 has already started yesterday (yes, on April Fools Day).

This was us (obviously) during our first board meeting sometime last week.

I am looking forward to a powerful drive with them on our term!

2 April 7 Permalink

No Students’ Congress again this year

By Justin Royce Z. Baluyot and Ma. Karlota S. Jamoralin

Published in FEU Advocate, Vol. XVI No. 8

Far Eastern University Central Student Organization (FEUCSO) has failed to come up with Students’ Congress (StudCon), having the same fate that it had last year.

StudCon, under the responsibility of FEUCSO, is an administration-students forum where both parties discuss university issues. Student-representatives from institute student councils (SC) and academic organizations also make resolutions which Office of Student Affairs (OSA) or other academic support services offices can endorse to the administration.

OSA Student Leadership Coordinator Marcon Espino revealed that FEUCSO was supposed to come up with StudCon last November, based on its General Plan of Actions.

Espino emphasized the importance of Students’ Congress particularly to the relationship of students and the administration.

“The Students’ Congress…is very important because from here, they could see the university-wide concerns… And from there, they could cluster or classify these particular concerns,” Espino said, adding that concerns may be about facilities, tuition, faculty members, students’ behavior or academic support services.

However, FEUCSO Vice President Andrea Sarile defended that StudCon is not mandatory although it is expected to happen every year. She said that even without StudCon, students can still have their concerns addressed to their respective student councils’ Houses of Congress.

“With the student councils having their own House of Congress, I didn’t see that it would be pressing at the time to have a Students’ Congress. The students are mostly working with the student councils, the deans and their program heads,” Sarile explained.

Institute-specific issues

Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (ITHM) SC President Charles McCay raised ITHM students’ concerns about facilities in Alfredo Reyes Hall (ARH), faculty members and breakdown of tour fees.

“Katulad sa ARH, ‘yung may mga floor na medyo basag-basag na then may rooms na wala masyadong air-con (Like in ARH, the floors are broken then there are rooms without air-con),” he said.

Meanwhile, Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (IARFA) SC FEUCSO Representative Justine Rigor specified that the recent acts of violence involving FEU students must have meant that StudCon is more necessary where they can change the mindset of students.

He also raised one of IARFA students’ grievances.

“Gusto nalang nila kahit buksan nalang ‘yung mga classrooms; kung pwede ba sila pumasok and do their plates (They wanted to use classrooms where they can do their plates),” Rigor explained.

Although they have the newest facilities, Institute of Education (IE) SC no longer has an office since the renovation of Education Building (EB).

“Student organizations, in order to function properly, must have an office where the letters would be sent or where the student organization members can talk or deliberate… Because there was renovation in EB, we were not able to claim our own office and so we were like nomads in IE,” IE SC Treasurer Arjean Banting said.

He also hopes for lockers for at least 30 to 50 percent of the IE population.

Meanwhile, Institute of Nursing’s (IN) main concern was regarding the tuition increase.

“We all know that IN is the most expensive institute… There will be another increase in tuition next year so that will be an additional burden to IN students,” IN SC President Don Ismael Sana said.

Another concern was the usage of FEU’s new bus.

“[Buying the new bus was] proposed by our dean for the use of IN students [for travel] from the campus to the hospital. Kaso, hindi yata natuloy (But it did not push through)… I do not know for what reason. Hindi namin siya nagagamit (We are not able to use it),” he added.

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2 April 1 Permalink

The chroniclers of Advocate.

Advocate News section had a two-hour talk (others from other sections called it “bible talk,” haha!) with Ate Abbey, my former news editor who just visited the Advocate office to give a “lecture” to us, last February 23 (yes, this is a long overdue post, LOL).

From left to right: Noreen, Buts, Ate Abbey, Juju, Janice, Mariel, Jess and Jelay. And yes, the news section is dominated by female. Haha! That’s why I got a lot of girlfriends!

Anyway, members of other sections would always say that the news section is boring, that we are always serious, and that the news page is always boring so they do not read it. Well, matatalino lang kasi ang nagbabasa ng news so kung hindi ka nagbabasa ng news… alam na! 

By the way, I will be working with, still, all of them on my term as news editor (related link) because none of them is graduating. Buts, however, has been appointed as officer-in-charge for the sports section so he will already be with the sports writers starting next school year.

God, I love these people.

1 April 3 Permalink

Senatoriables sit before FEU studes

By Justin Royce Z. Baluyot

Published in the FEU Advocate, Vol. XVI No. 8

Four senatorial candidates for the upcoming national elections graced the first leg of Town Hall, a series of discussions among senatoriables, at Far Eastern University (FEU) Auditorium last February 11.

Liberal Party coalition’s Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV and Ramon Magsaysay Jr., United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) Ernesto Maceda and Ang Kapatiran Party’s John Carlos Delos Reyes sat before FEU students to discuss about their platforms and to answer the audiences’ concerns about national issues.

A psychology student asked the senatorial candidates if there should already be legislation on banning fraternities in schools, citing recent acts of violence that happened particularly within the University Belt area.

Maceda said that he was calling for schools to provide a tighter security for their students as well as for public governments to strengthen police visibility in all areas.

A law student then asked if each of them believes that there are better candidates than them who are more capable to win the elections.

Magsaysay answered, “I am sure there are others [who are] more capable than me. But I have shown my capacity of being tough and courageous against corruption.”

Moreover, Delos Reyes said that candidates who are advocates of the youth are always the most capable. “I’m running as a standard bearer of Kapatiran. We need new ideas in this country; we need to involve the youth,” he said.

Delos Reyes followed his take about political dynasty, considering that he admitted coming from one.

“I chose not to embrace political dynasty… Kasi kinikilala ko ang saligang batas (because I recognize the constitution),” he said, referring to Section VI, Article 2 of the Philippine Constitution that says “the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

Following Delos Reyes’s comment about the matter, Aquino said that he cannot be considered as part of a political dynasty because he is just a cousin of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. He stated that the law does not consider cousins of a current public official as part of the political dynasty.

Meanwhile, when asked by Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chair ambassador Henrietta De Villa to assess the rapid rise of peso, Maceda answered, “A strong peso shows that the country is strong… Okay lang sa akin na tumaas ang value ng peso (It is fine with me if the value of peso hikes).”

Furthermore, Delos Reyes was asked by another panelist if removing pork barrel is the right solution to eradicate corruption in the government.

“Yes po… Ang nangyayari ngayon, dahil nga hawak ng gobyerno ang pera (What happens now, because the government holds the money), it becomes prone to corruption. The legislature has the power to stand for the money of the people. Kaya nagkandaleche-leche ang pera natin ay dahil sa activities ng gobyerno (The reason why our money has become chaotic was because of activities of the government),” Delos Reyes stressed.

Issues on cybercrime law, new graduates’ employment chances, and the need for proper certification and representation for Filipinos with disabilities were also discussed.

After the event, Maceda told the FEU Advocate in a chance interview that the change the country needs should start from the election itself.

“Kaya kayong kabataan, kayo dapat ang natututo kung paano ang tamang pagboto… Hindi ‘yung kung sino lang ang sikat o maraming pakulo (The youth should know proper voting… You should not just be voting those who are famous or who have a lot of gimmickries),” he said.

The forum was organized by Solar News Channel and PPCRV in partnership with FEU. Veteran anchorwoman Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan and PPCRV’s media and communications directress Ana De Villa-Singson hosted the event.

Apart from De Villa, other panelists included former Commission on Election commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal and PPCRV board member Marina Demetrio.

1 April 2 Permalink

Last send-to-press.

I was with some editors and members of FEU Advocate last March 22 for our last send-to-press this school year!

We were actually at the Advocate office at around lunch time already but we had to stay there until around 7:00PM because the layout artists were still polishing the layout of some pages.

And yes, you guessed that right: we left the Advocate office at dinner time already then we still went straight to the printing press somewhere in Anonas, Quezon City!

Actually, I should not have had any business there because editing dummy sheets (galleys) was a responsibility being done by editors and layout artists only. However, because Buts (current news editor) was not around during that day and also because I am the next news editor (though my term will officially begin on April 1), he and other editors let me edit the dummy sheets of the news page instead. 

Editing dummy sheets of a newspaper while wearing a brown leather jacket? #MedyoBadBoy

After bloody editing and stuff, managers of the printing press we were in asked us to stay  because they actually bought us gallons of ice cream to feed our hungry stomachs (it was then we we realized that we still haven’t had dinner yet)! So yes, because it was ice cream that we were talking about, of course we stayed even though it was midnight already. Haha! I did not know then that send-to-press can last until early morning.

Ice cream party on our last send-to-press for this school year. What a way to wrap the term up!

And look at our excited and giddy faces! Those gallons of ice cream made us be like kids again.

And then this is the seven-year-old Juju trapped in a 20-year-old body. Happy kid.

30 March 3 Permalink

FEUCS lands 4th in the nationals

By Lhea Jane S. Bagona and Justin Royce Z. Baluyot

Published in the FEU Advocate, Vol. XVI No. 8

Far Eastern University Cheering Squad (FEUCS) has to wait another year again to attempt in claiming the much-coveted national cheerleading crown.

FEUCS’s show was not enough to give them a merit to enter the podium as it crashed out of the top three, falling to fourth place from last year’s overwhelming second place finish, in this year’s National Cheerleading Championship (NCC) College Co-Ed Division Finals held at Philippine Sports Arena last March 10.

The breathtaking routine of FEUCS garnered a total score of 284.5; just four points behind third placer University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) Altas PerpSquad’s, 288.5.

National University (NU) Pep Squad made history as it won its first NCC trophy this year after showing off an excellent routine, garnering a score of 331 points – the highest score to be ever recorded in the history of NCC.

Four-time NCC champions, Central Colleges of the Philippines (CCP) Bobcats, fell to second place this year with its 327.2 finish despite having higher scores than NU in stunts and tosses.

It was a slim fight among the top four cheerleading squads as the fifth placer, Tarlac State University, only got a score of 232.5.

FEU showcased their gracefulness and versatility though in a different performing stage. Their energy and impact still proved that they are one of the best in the country and also the crowd-favorite.

The 2010 University Athletic Association of the Philippines Cheerdance Competition champions got a score of 65 in pyramids, 59.5 in basic elements and 59 in tosses. It achieved a mark of 57 in tumblings and 52 in stunts. Unfortunately, the Morayta-based cheering squad got a deduction of eight points due to unexpected and obvious mistakes, trimming down their chances of enjoying a podium finish.

Notre Dame of Dadiangas University ranked sixth while Colegio de San Juan de Letran placed seventh. Arellano University, City University of Pasay and Cavite State University landed at eighth, ninth and 10^th place, accordingly.

Other schools that competed in the college coeducation division finals are Taguig City University, Angeles University Foundation, Southern Luzon State University, San Pablo College of Business and Arts, University of Rizal System and Laguna College of Business and Arts, which placed 11^th to 16^th, respectively.

30 March 5 Permalink