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VOLUME 34 ISSUE NO 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN
Gearing for F2F:
UPM Administrations’ Plans for the Next Semester BY ROCHEL M. FLORON IV, LANZ ETHAN GALVAN, AND MIRAFLOR ANACIO Nearly two years after the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) closed its doors to its students due to the health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the university, along with the entire University of the Philippines (UP) System, is now gearing to expand its gradual reopening of face-to-face classes (F2F) to cover more colleges and programs. Colleges’ Plans: F2F or Remote Learning? There are five colleges and an extension campus that have already been given permission and pioneer the conduct of F2F classes in the university. These are College of Medicine (CM), College of Public Health (CPH), College of Dentistry (CD), College of Nursing (CN), College of Pharmacy (CP), and School of Health Sciences (SHS) Palo campus. For the next semester, these colleges plan to continue and expand the scope of the F2F classes. CM will continuously conduct face-to-face classes, limited to internships, that began last November 2020. The SHS Palo campus started face-to-face classes in August 2021, but only limited to medicine, nursing, and midwifery students undergoing intensive clinical practicum. According to SHS Palo Student Council (SPSC), the SHS plans to fully reopen the F2F classes in January 2022. The CPH, which started limited F2F classes during the midyear, is now gearing to expand those with F2F classes to include second year students who will be having their biochemistry and microbiology courses in the second semester of AY 2021-2022. Both the CN and CP conducted short F2F classes at the beginning of the first semester of AY 2021-2022 but unfortunately, classes were halted due to the surge of COVID-19 cases and implementation of stricter quarantines in Manila. Currently, fourth year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students are having their clinical duties in the partnered health centers in Manila City and will continue to be prioritized for F2F classes. The CP is also preparing for the limited F2F classes, prioritizing graduating Bachelor of Science in Industrial Pharmacy (BSIP) students. On the other hand, the College of Allied Medical Profession (CAMP) and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) are planning to conduct F2F classes.
INFOGRAPHICS BY TREVOR LOMOTOS
The CAMP is planning and waiting for approval to reopen next semester and will be prioritizing internships. Meanwhile, CAS, composed of ten undergraduate programs and three masteral programs, will continue under a remote learning setup in the next semester. According to Claude Simon Naco, CAS Student Council Chairperson, the earliest possible F2F classes for CAS students will be midyear 2022. Rules and Regulation The implementation of F2F classes is guided by strict implementation of minimum health standards. The Bayanihan Na! Employee Symptoms Tracking System (BESTS) app plays a vital role to track the health and possible symptoms of COVID-19 of all faculty and students. A Crisis Committee was also formed in all colleges to observe the implementation of the formulated protocols and advisers in case infection is recorded. Classrooms are retrofitted to cater to the students and implement health protocols. In addition, classes follow a cyclical shift. The CP and CPH students follow a cyclical shifting of four to 10 cycles per semester and the CD follows a five-10 (five days learning and 10 days quarantine) schedule. The students also are required to avail health insurance before participating in F2F classes and encouraged to get vaccinated. In case a student or faculty shows symptoms, they are required to be quarantined. If a student or faculty test positive for COVID-19, the university may offer assistance from testing, quarantine to monitoring. In the guidelines released by CD, it was mentioned that “the college will not be able to cover everything for a student who will be infected and hospitalized due to COVID-19. However, all of the assistance within the means of the college and the university will be given to students. Starting from the algorithm and activation of the COVID-19 response team, to isolation/ quarantine, swabbing, and assistance for admission at UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), sending of COVID-19 care kits, and continuous monitoring until discharge are the forms of support that the college and the university can give to our students.”
Response of students to 2nd Semester Plan Although the student body has generally welcomed the university’s moves to fast-track F2F classes for programs beyond the white colleges, they have equally raised health, academic, logistical, and financial concerns that they hope would be addressed. In a report by the SPSC, students were found to be generally ready for F2F classes yet also weary due to the financial problems that an abrupt return to F2F classes would bring since most students in college mainly rely on scholarships to support their studies. With this, the SPSC has begun coordinating with the administration to provide practicum allowances to finance the following expenses currently shouldered by the students: RT PCR tests, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), and board and lodging. In addition, the SPSC is also organizing a PPE donation drive to support Midwifery, Nursing, and Medicine students who will begin their clinical rotations in January 2022 on top of working with different sectors to provide additional scholarships for students. These concerns were also echoed by students of the white colleges who stressed the need for the university to provide students with sufficient financial aid and logistical support to cushion students from the expenses that would be incurred during the transition period. Apart from this, logistical issues also prove to be top concerns among students. In particular, the availability and affordability of housing and accommodations have been highlighted as a primary challenge among students currently having limited F2F classes. In line with this, students have also had their fair share of academic concerns that expose the inefficiency of the university bureaucracy. These include problems regarding schedule availability, the lack of slots, the switching of schedules, and schedule conflicts with other classes alongside the difficult communication lines between students and faculty members. Despite the administration assuring the students that it would try its best to accommodate all stakeholders’ concerns, they admitted that the university, being limited in funds, faculty, and facilities can only do so much.
MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PREVAELEBIT
