The MARIAN | SMU 94th Anniversary Special Newsletter Issue

TheMARIAN

SMU REACHES 94TH-YEAR MILESTONE

‘Job well done despite the challenging times’ - Palina

Saint Mary’s University (SMU) celebrated its FoundingAnniversaryon December 8, commemorating 94 years of Mission and Excellence.

In his opening remarks, University President John Octavious Palina commended the university’s stakeholders “for a job well done despite the challengingtimes.”

“Looking back, we have realized that there are many reasons to be announced and sharedviasocialmediaandthose

printed tarpaulins installed in various parts of SMU and the province,”Palinasaid.

More so, the University PresidentsharedSMU’sjourney towards achieving excellence, not just at the national level, but also in its international recognitionandlinkages.

“What we have

accomplished is not due to the effortsof fewindividualsorunits. These accomplishments spring fromourvalueofcommunionand collaboration,”hesaid.

“May we continue to work together as a team, as one community inspired by our mission to serve and always drivenbyexcellence,”headded.M

Marians donate blood; accumulate 95 bag reserves

by BlessingJoyDelim

Saint Mary’s University (SMU) conducted a universitywide blood donation drive dubbedas“DugongMarian,Alay sa Mamamayan” as part of its 94th Founding Anniversary on

December 8. The main purpose oftheactivityistohaveavailable blood in the University’s blood accountatRedCrossandRegion II Trauma and Medical Center foruseduringemergency.

SMU studes join ‘Gabi ng mga Marian’ amidst delay, light rain

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY, BAYOMBONG, PHILIPPINES

by ZheinCarloMolina

Photo byRellyJose

DUGONG MARIAN. A Marian student takes part in the bloodletting activity during the university-wide event called“DugongMarian,AlaysaMamamayan”atSacred HeartCenter,December8.(PhotobyGeraldineManuel)

SMU studes join ‘Gabi ng mga Marian’ amidst delay, light rain

mga Bagong Marian,” which was solely for first-year students and transferees,buttheCouncilopened ittoallMariansthisyear.

“The reason behind renaming it is [that] during the pandemic, a lot of students were not able to celebrate this in a face-to-face setup,”hesaid.

“Andnowthatwearenolonger in Zoom, Learning Management System,andGoogleMeet,wewant torebuildandreignitetheburning eagerness of Marian students to gatherasone,”headded.

Marians donate blood; accumulate...

In an interview with The MARIAN, Mr. Sherwin Marciano, National Service Training Program coordinator andMarianEmergencyResponse Teamadviser,saidthat95bagsof bloodwereaccumulatedfromthe students and employees, which canbeusedbyaMarianstudent, faculty,andeventheirrelativesin casetheyneedblood.

by ZheinCarloMolina andJemimahZizGrospe

Despitethedelayandsudden drizzle, the Marian community stayed the night to celebrate the first-ever “Gabi ng mga Marian”

organized bythe Student Central Council (SCC) on Tuesday, December 6, in front of the Four Pillars.

In an interview with The MARIAN, SCC President Isaac Divina mentioned that the event was formerly called “Gabi ng

Various contested activities took place, such as Radio Drama, Spoken Word Poetry, Tula Dula, Storytelling, and Battle of the Bands, which were joined and performed by the representatives of eachschool.

Meanwhile,thisyear’sofficial Mr. and Miss Campus Personality candidateswereintroducedaspart of theprogram.

More so, Marians celebrated therestofthenightthroughsinging along with the performances from theSMUBand.M

Lalaine Kimayong, a firsttime blood donor and a fourth yearnursingstudent,sharedthat she wanted to help other people becausesheencountereddifferent casesthatneededblooddonations inherclinicalduty.

"Iconsidereddonatingblood as helping other people kasi as a student nurse, marami na ako na-encounter na diseases or mga instances na nagre-require ng blood, ‘yong mga accidents tapos ‘yongmgamaylupus,”shesaid.M

STRINGS

ATTACHED

Acolorfultapestryunfoldsthegrowinghopeastheclockstrikestwelvealong thecornersofSaintMary’sUniversity(SMU).Ascolorfulthreadsofachievement andsuccessweaveitscurrentnarrative,wefindourselvesboundtoonesingle string—thetraceofthepastthatremainsapieceofwhowearetoday.

The94-yearfoundinganniversaryofSMUistiedtoastringthatgoesbackto thehandsofMsgr.ConstantJurgens,CICM—oneoftheearliestmissionariesto arriveinthePhilippines.Itwasfirstadreamthatshapedhismission:thepursuit toestablishaschoolfortheChristianeducationoftheparishioners’children.Upon hisrecalltoEurope,hissuccessor,Rev.Fr.AchillesdeGryse,CICM,sawthedream cometrueandtogether,theysewedthebeginningofahopefultapestryinthefield ofeducation.

InJune1928,thestringsoftheirmissionwereweavedtotheinauguration oftheSaintMary’sElementarySchool.Itstretchedfurtherandby1934,theHigh SchoolDepartmentwasopenedunderRev.Fr.GodfreyLambrecht,CICM.In1947, itreachedthecollegedepartmentandestablishedacommunitythatisinspiredby missionanddrivenbyexcellence.

AsSMUstrivesforexcellence,theUniversityhasattaineddifferentlevels ofaccreditationfortheprogramsitoffersthroughthePhilippineAccrediting AssociationofSchools,CollegesandUniversities(PAASCU),andwasgivenawards foritscompetencethroughtheyearsofitsserviceinthenationalandglobalscene. SMUisacenterofexcellenceforteachereducation,centerofdevelopmentforcivil engineeringandinformationtenchnologyandgeneratesahighpercentageofboard passers,andeventopnotchersintheboardcoursesitoffers.

Eveninthemidstofaglobalpandemic,theloomsofexcellencecontinued theweavingofhope.SMUhadbeendevotedtoitsmissioninprovidingquality Christianeducationtoitsstudents,andinensuringthesafetyandsatisfactionofits constituents.

Throughtheyears,SMUremainsasapillarofeducationthatishometothe passionandpotentialofeverystudentitimbueswithknowledge—unleashing andhoningtheirinnercapabilitiesthatproducedprofessionalswhonow proudlygiveservicetotheircommunities.Thejourneycontinuouslyunfolds hopeasitprovidesthreadsofserviceinthetraditionofexcellence.

Thestringmaytanglealongchallenges,butitwillneverbreak—it shallremainasahopefultapestrythatisattachedtotheloomsofthepast.It onlygoesbacktotherealizationthathowwebeganishowwecontinue.The missionaryspiritofCICMpioneerswhoentwinedourinstitutiongavebirthto asharedidentityasMarianswhowillforeverprovethatweholdontomission andexcellence.

AsMarianscomeandweavetheirstringsthroughthefabricoftime,atthe sharedspacethatSMUembracesus,thetapestryofhopecontinues.M

Inspired by Mission, Driven by Excellence

by MarielleCamonayan andAaronDomingo

ONEWITHMUSIC.ToendtheGabingmgaMarian2022, studentssocializeinthedancecircleinitiatedbytheSMU Band,December6.(PhotobyChristianJoebertAgcaoili)

JAYVEEKARLLIMOS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHILMADELIENEPANGANIBAN ASSOCIATEEDITOR

SMU-SCC pushes through ‘Laro ng Lahi’

by EdithaAgbayani andPrincessCuaño

Saint Mary’s University Student Central Council (SMUSCC)stillpushedthroughthe“Laro ngLahi”duringthe94thFounding Anniversary despite having few numbersof participantsfromthe tertiarylevel.

In an interview with The MARIAN, SCC President Isaac Divinasharedthatthe“LarongLahi” wassupposedlyforcollegestudents

Yellow Team clenches champ title in SIGLA Zumba tilt

by KhitanaCastillo andVinceEsquivel

SaintMary’sUniversity(SMU) employees from Yellow Team won the SMU Integral Growth and Lifestyle Advocacy(SIGLA) Zumba competitiononDecember8.

Trailing behind them are the blue team as second place, while greenandredteamsplacedasthird andfourth,respectively.

In an interview with The MARIAN, Sports Coordinator Dr. MaryGrace Bulataosaidthatother games in the SIGLA Wellness are still on-going which will take place every Wednesday until the second semester.

SIGLAWellness Program is an activity for all employees of SMU whichisspearheadedbytheHuman ResourceDevelopmentOffice.M

butwaschangedlastminutedueto fewcollegeparticipants.

“[Therewas a] sudden change, pero since we are celebrating our founding anniversaryandwe see a lot of junior high and senior high school students in the campus before we start the Laro ng Lahi, theCouncilthoughttoincludethem since they are part of the Marian community,”hesaid.

“Maynag-away,nagbangayan, and nainis pero at the end of the

game, we ended it successfully,” he added.

Meanwhile, representatives from the School of Engineering Architecture and Information Technology still conquered the gamesleadinginallfourtraditional games, including Kariling, Agawan ng Watawat, Basagan ng Palayok, andTugofWarinthemalecategory while the School of Teacher Education and Humanities won in thefemalecategory.M

MARCODELOSREYES

QUEMA

PHOTOJOURNALISTS

JAYKHIMLEECACAL.RELLYJOSE. SHANNENSOLIVEN.ARCENJOYCE MADET.GERALDINEMANUEL. KARLANDREIDAYAO.BEANCABRIONES. WAYNEACOSTA.CHRISTINEJACINTO JUNIORADVISER DIWATAV.DONATO

SENIORADVISER CLARAM.GONZALES,PHD

AMAZINGRACE.OrganizedbytheSMUStudentCentralCouncil,MarianstudentsjointheKariling competitionaspartoftheLarongLahieventofthe94thFoundingAnniversary,December8. (PhotobyChristineJacinto)

DANCEALONG.Facultymembersandstaffshowtheir dancing movesduringtheSiglaZumbaactivityaspartofthe94thFounding Anniversary,December8.(PhotobyMiguelJames)

OINK APRUB! COMICS BY JALA ANGELES

PhotosbyRellyJose andMiguelJames