The Official Student Publication of Quezon City University
QCU Times
Special Edition Feb. 28 - Mar. 4, 2022
/OneQCU
QCU among 1st Local Univ. in NCR to get institutional recognition from CHED
WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS
Distribution of laptops and pocket WiFi units among QCU freshmen Page 2
SPORTS
Asa Miller: PH sole entrant in the Winter Olympics Page 4
FEATURE
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) led the awarding of the Institutional Recognition (IR) to Quezon City University (QCU), making its 8,000 students eligible for free higher education (FHE) and the tertiary education subsidy (TES) under the Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Act of 2017 (UAQTEA).
A Tale Of Two Community Colleges: Finding Inspiration For QCU
BY QC Gov.
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fter having been found compliant with all the requirements of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Quezon City University (QCU), a local government led institution, has been given recognition and is now a full pledged Higher Education Institution. The certificate of recognition was awarded by CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera and UniFAST Executive Director Atty. Ryan Estevez to the Quezon City University represented by Mayor Joy Belmonte.
have continuously strived to provide improved higher education programs for our students that will prepare them as they join the workforce. We believe this achievement will open more opportunities for our QCians,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
QCPU to QCU to align with the RA 10931 also known as Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act which provided free higher education in State and Local Universities and Colleges.
QCU now offers college degree courses such as BS Electronics QCU, formerly known as Quezon Engineering, BS Entrepreneurship, BS City Polytechnic was established on Industrial Engineering, BS Information March 1, 1994 by virtue of the City Technology, and BS Accountancy. Council Ordinantce No. SP-171 which Dr. Theresita Atienza who was started as an institution offering technical and vocational courses. It was appointed QCU President on December renamed to Quezon City Polytechnic 2020, leads the improvements in the University (QCPU) after it reached the three QCU campuses... university status in 2001.
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LOCAL NEWS
BY METRO NEWS
BY Jholo Louise Baybayon
The vaccination rollout program, “Padyak para sa Flexible Learning, sama-samang Vaccination
Are students actually learning during this pandemic?
QC registers declining COVID-19 cases
Vax rollout at QCU Batasan
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EDITORIAL
Continue Page 2
“This CHED recognition is a In 2019, the city council passed testament to the quality of education that we provide in QCU. For years, we the ordinance SP-2812 converting
early 300 students of Quezon City University (QCU) received their 1st dose of AstraZeneca vaccine at Batasan campus through the initiatives of Quezon City LGU led by Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” Belmonte and the chairperson of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera.
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Program for Tertiary Students”, is for the anticipation of limited face-to-face classes or hybrid flexible learning. Mayor Joy declared that QC already reached 100% ully vaccinated in 1.7 million population which consists of 80% of the adult population in the city. Another 10%, reaching 90% of the population for the 1st dose vaccinee with 1.9 million population as of October 2021. Continue page 3
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he Quezon City government has recognized the public cooperation in its successful campaign to significantly reduce the Covid-19 cases in the last four weeks, according to a report by Philippine News Agency. This, after the OCTA Research Group noted that the city’s average of 255 cases per day... Continue page 2
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NEWS
QCU Times
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
Distribution of laptops and pocket WiFi units among QCU freshmen BY Jholo Louise Baybayon SOURCE: Ally Medalla
he second phase for laptop units with monthly load were distributed, and pocket WiFi distribution this year 489 units have been distributed, was launched on the Main bringing the total to 5,302. (Based on the Campus during the third records of the Office of Student Affairs and week of October at the ini- Services Department) tiative of Mayor Joy Belmonte, Councilor Originally, laptops were to be disAlly Medalla, and other members of the tributed to students from the last academBoard of Regents. ic year 2020 - 2021, but many of them The distribution plan was men- didn't turn up - hence the distribution tioned on Mayor Joy’s “Ulat ng Bayan” last reached the 2021-2022 QCU freshmen. July 1, 2020. “... pati ang college students “Kung bakit sa 1st year natin binigay, simsa Quezon City University ay magkakaroon ply because many distribution schedules ng laptops sa darating na school year” said [conducted] for the old student, pero dahil hindi sila nag avail ang assumption natin Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. meron na silang gamit. Besides, mayroon In total, 8,000 laptops, which have tayong survey sa laptop and pocket wifi for been procured by the University, will be those who are willing to avail,” said Ms. distributed to both faculty staff and stu- Merly Dela Cruz, Director of OSASD. dents as part of this phase initiative. The laptop distributed was a Dell Since the program launched last Novem- Latitude 3410 10th Generation Intel Core ber 2020, 5,375 laptops have been distrib- i3 model. Another batch of distribution is being planned by OSAS on November 24. uted to students and faculty. Further announcement. will be posted on Also last year, 4,813 pocket WiFi OSAS FB page. Q
UNIVERSITY NEWS
QCU eyes ALCU-COA accreditation BY QCU - CSS
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fter a long time of waiting, ALCUCOA will be accrediting Quezon City University as one of its certified local universities this 4th day of February 2022 at 10AM held in the Quezon City Hall, Executive Lounge, 15th Floor.
Under its Covid-19 QCProtekTODO Vaccination Program, Quezon City has already administered a total of 5,284,246 Covid-19 vaccines, with 2,306,275 residents, including minors, are now fully vaccinated.
QC registers declining COVID cases from Page 1
... from February 1 to 7 declined to an average of 113 from February 8 to 14. “Kasabay nito ay ang pagbaba ng positivity rate na nasa 7.4 percent na lamang mula sa 8.9 percent. (The city’s positivity rate also declined to 7.4 percent from the previous 8.9 percent),” the city government post in social media read. The city’s reproduction number (RO) also decreased to less than 0.19 from 0.29 the previous week.
government has only 962 active Covid-19 cases, lower than the 6,282 recorded on February 1. The QC Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) also reported that 256,361 individuals have recovered from the disease, or 98.99 percent of the city’s total infections since the pandemic started in March 2022.
The city’s occupancy rate also significantly dropped to 0.81 percent, “Ang R0 na mas mababa sa 1 or only 11 out of its 1,585 Covid-19 beds ay nangangahulugan na ang bawat are occupied. kumpirmadong kaso ng Covid-19 ay Despite the decline in new may maliit na tsansang makapanghawa, o magdulot ng bagong infection (An cases, the city government continues RO that is lower than one means that to remind its constituents to still every confirmed case of Covid-19 has a follow the minimum health and safety lower chance of infecting or causing a protocols such as the wearing of face masks, frequent hand washing or new infection),” it said. sanitizing, and the observance of safe As of Wednesday, the city physical distancing. Q
QC COVID-19 UPDATE AS OF FEB. 18, 2022, 8AM
ACTIVE 872
To be relevant and ensure the quality education of the university, authorization by the ALCUCOA is important to be achieved. Another benefit of this accreditation is to improve the aspect of providing education to tertiary students. The opening remark was presided over by Dr. Bradford Antonio C. Martinez, DBA, OIC Vice President for Academic Affairs followed by the awarding ceremony by the President and Executive Director of ALCUCOA, Dr. Raymundo P. Arcega, CESE.
0.34%
Moreover, the acceptance speech was given by the City Administrator, Mr. Micheal Victor Alimurong.
RECOVERIES 256,706
The program ends with an inspiring closing remark which was delivered by the University President, Dr. Theresita V. Atienza, DEM.
99.02%
DEATHS 1,664 0.64% Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=256999593281354&set=pcb.256999783281335
Therefore, the award received by Quezon City University was a great achievement to make the university more recognized. This certification will also serve as an opening door to more opportunities not just for the school but also for the students. Q
QCU among 1st Local Univ. in NCR to get fee and miscellaneous fees of more than 8000 qualified QCU students can also avail of various CHED institutional recognition from CHED scholars will be covered by CHED’s UniFAST program. scholarships and financial assistance like Tertiary Edfrom Page 1
...including the approval of this CHED recognition and the University’s eligibility under the UniFAST Free Higher Education Assistance. With the institutional recognition, full tuition
“We will continue to expand our program offerings and ensure that our graduates will be knowledgeable and equipped as they graduate from the university. We are inspired even more to strive to be the #1 local university of employable graduates,” Dr. Atienza said.
ucation Subsidy (TES), Student Loan Program (SLP) and Tulong Dunong Program. Last year, the city government provided laptops and pocket Wi-Fis to all QCU students and faculty members as they transition to digital learning and online teaching. Q
NEWS
QCU Times
NATIONAL NEWS
CHED: More Universities to declare academic break BY Jastine Angelo Don
Vax rollout at QCU Batasan from Page 1 Promise for QC Youths In her message, Mayor Joy assures that, “... it’s about time for minors to be vaccinated”. She added “... we started vaccinating our 12 to 17 last Friday [Oct. 22, 2021]. Meron po tayong 300,000 [population of] youngsters and I’m looking forward to finishing yung [vaccination] ng 300,000 na yan by the first half of November.”
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Mayor. Joy Belmonte
BY Jholo Louise Baybayon country. In the press release of CHED last September 28, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the expansion of limited face-to-face classes for the following degrees: - Engineering and Technology - Hospitality/ Hotel and Restaurant Management - Tourism/ Travel Management - Marine Engineering - Marine Transportation “Ang approach po natin, tinignan po natin ang mga degree programs na kailangan [ng hands-on experience] para maka-graduate, para makakuha ng licensure test, at para makakuha ng essential skills,” said CHED chairperson Popoy de Vera.
Philippines is one of the two countries that still haven’t resumed face-to-face classes due to the pandemic and many youths suffered from this. She guarantees that as soon as youths QCU is one of the higher get vaccinated, the education system in the country will be back on track to education institutions to open limited help students cope up with the things in-person classes in the National Capital Region (NCR). He said that that have been missed. guidelines will be strictly implemented to protect the students and prevent the Flexible Curriculum spread of the virus. The demand for quality tertiary Out of 89% of universities education is sky-high especially for degrees that require “hands-on who reported to CHED, 75% of experience”. Chair Popoy considered Higher Education Personnel (HEP) creating a flexible curriculum to ensure or nearly 188,000 faculty employees the even implementation of limited had been vaccinated nationwide face-to-face classes throughout the according to Chair Popoy de Vera.
He added, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has 86% of vaccinated individuals, Region 3 and Region 11 have an 80% vaccinated rate, and lastly Region 4B and 12 with less than 68% of the total vaccination rate.
Education Sector
is
a
Substantial
QCU President Dr. Atienza said that the initiative to open the education sector will be worthwhile, especially at the tertiary level. “Hindi lang economic sector and pinagiisipan ng pamahalaan. Ang susunod na mahalaga sa economic eector ay education sector… lalong lalo na ang higher education, dahil kayo ang susunod na magpaparticipate sa ating pagawaan, sa ating mga establisyemento, at sa ating mga paaralan at unibersidad bilang bagong manggagawa,”
According to Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Prospero de Vera III, around 126 universities across the country declared academic breaks due to the continuous increase of COVID-19 cases. Most of the universities in Metro Manila and CALABARZON have declared academic breaks as early as January. “Noong nakitang aakyat ang COVID, kahit na hindi pa nga nasa Alert Level 3 ‘yung ibang lugar ay nagdeclare sila ng academic break,” De Vera said.
“Dapat pagpasalamatan natin ang opportunity na mabigyan tayo ng bakuna, dahil ang gusto ng ating lungsod Quezon, ang gusto ng ating pamahalaan ay lahat tayo ay protektod,” says Dr. Atienza. Students will be vaccinated again on January 7, 2022, for their 2nd dose. Q
QCU launches center for Urban Agriculture & Innovation BY QC Gov.
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o further expand its learning hubs, Quezon City University opened its Center for Urban Agriculture and Innovation to develop different models of urban farms to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders.
In partnership with the Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DAATI) and through the QC Government’s Sustainable Development Affairs Unit (SDAU), the Center will provide training and development activities to enable QCU to mainstream urban agriculture into its curriculum programs. farm with an initial five bee colonies funded by the QCU cooperative. The DA-ATI provided the funds staff of the QCU were also trained in amounting to 14.5 million to develop beekeeping by the Apiculture Producers the center within the QCU campus. Cooperative. QCU also refurbished an old metal craft building on its campus “This is part of our effort to create to become a Honey House which a smart and sustainable city. Through will be used as a training venue for this Center for Urban Agriculture, we participants. can learn how to further expand our urban farming initiatives, and include “This program is to reinforce our students and other stakeholders in our commitment to the sustainability the process,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said. of QC’s urban farming initiatives. Among the Center’s innovations is a bee
ore universities are expected to declare academic breaks nationwide at the end of January despite the announcement of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to continue Phase 2 of the limited face-to-face classes in areas under Alert Level 3.
CHEd Main Office The CHED is expecting 123 more universities nationwide will plan to announce the same break towards the end of January. De Vera explained that the CHED will not declare academic break since the higher education institutions (HEIs) hold the authority to decide when to start their in-person classes depending on the health situations in their areas. “So ‘yung panawagan ng academic break at mag-declare ng academic break ang CHED, hindi na kailangan niyan kasi kayang kaya na ng mga pamantasan na gawin yan on their own,” De Vera added. Meanwhile, colleges and universities in areas under the Alert Level 2 are allowed to start face-to-face classes any time following the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases resolution. (JAFD/PIA-IDPD) Q
With our vast campus grounds, we aim to maximize it by incorporating programs and projects that are aligned with the development goals of the city government,” QCU President Dr. Theresita Atienza said. Mayor Belmonte also added that the Center is developing these initiatives for possible livelihood projects that can also be featured in other QC Government programs such as the Made in QC artisanal caravan. Q
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FEATURE
QCU Times
SPORTS FEATURE
Asa Miller: PH sole entrant in the Winter Olympics BY Shalene Sagucio
SOURCE: philstarlife.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com
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arrying the Philippine flag at the opening ceremony and the only Filipino representative in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, 21 year-old Alpine skier Asa Miller is set to compete in the slalom and giant slalom events, February 04. Miller is a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, to an American father, Kelly Miller, and mother Polly Bisquera from Sta. Cruz, Manila. He was introduced to skiing by his father, who was a ski patroller at the time, when he was just one and a half years old, and honed his talents to become the outstanding skier that he is today.
First competed in the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018 when he was only 17 years old, ending at 70th position in slalom event, Miller is drawing inspiration from his family and countrymen. Alpine skiing, often known as downhill skiing, has been a part of the Winter Olympics since 1936. There are 11 alpine skiing events at the Beijing Olympics, with 33 medals on the line. Skiing is almost non-existent in the Philippines due to the tropical environment. In the 98-year history of the Games, the Philippines has only had six Filipino Winter Olympians; one of them is the presently FilipinoAmerican Asa Miller. Q
Fil-Am alpine skier Asa Miller eyes a top 45 finish and the distinction as the best Southeast Asian competitor when he plunges into action today in the Beijing Winter Olympics at the Ice River atop the Xiaohaituo Mountain.
UNIVERSITY FEATURE
Passing the ECE board: Hurdles and Gratitude BY Rozi Broqueza
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he Quezon City University (QCU) commended John Paul Nalla, Joshua Cervantes, and Zoren Santiago for passing the October 2021 Electronics Engineering
Of 1,484 candidates, 710 passed. It was Licensure Examination. an overwhelming joy for the three QCU The Professional Regulation ECE students to be among those who Committee (PRC) released the results passed the ECE exam. of the Electronics and Communications According to Nalla, patience Engineering (ECE) board examination. is going to be a major factor before reaching the goal. Having passed the ECT exam first, he was about to take the ECE board exam when the pandemic hit, which made him unsure whether to take the test, “Akala ko mga 2 weeks, 3 weeks matatapos na yung pandemic pero hindi kaya nag doubt na ko kung magtatake pa ba ako,” He said.
Fortunately enough after the results came in, it was a relief for him that all the hardship paid off, “Iba yung saya sa dalawang taon na paghihintay. Andami kong natutunan talaga,” Likewise, Cervantes also shared his experience of becoming a licensed engineer. He reflects upon all the sacrifices he has made and explains how his technical training has enabled him to learn fast and have clear objectives towards reaching his goal.
Although he passed the three other subjects in the board exam, it Decision wasn’t the only wasn’t enough as he was also given a problem he had. Nalla was placed into conditional remark. He did, however, conditional remarks for not reaching pass on his second attempt. the mathematics requirement.
FEATURE
QCU Times Passing the ECE board: Hurdles and Gratitude Continuation from Page 4
...QCU taught him the value of hard work and diligence. “To achieve what you want, it requires sacrifice,” he said. Both ECE board passers expressed their gratitude to God, their loved ones, professors at QCU, and most of all to the “OPLAN Rehab” who encouraged them to continue. (OPLAN Rehab is the name of their group according to Nalla). “Hindi naman talaga kailangang matalino ka, tiyaga at consistency sa pag-rereview lang ang kailangan,” Santiago stressed. While he describes himself as an average student, his perseverance enabled him to reach his goal of becoming a licensed Electronics Engineer. Santiago mentioned that taking the board wasn’t what he planned to do but was influenced by his parents, “Gusto kong patunayan sa mga magulang ko na pwede silang magkaroon ng sariling engineer,” he said. God, his friends, and the professors at the university are among the many things he is grateful for. Three other graduates from the same program passed the ECT exam, earning QCU a 37.5% passing rate on the ECE board exam and a 100% passing rate on the ECT licensure examination. Q
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UNIVERSITY FEATURE
DZQC Broadcasting Team Arise to Fly! BY Mel Maricon Chato
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bang klase sa QCU!” is a tagline that they use to introduce their team from the very start, as the firstever broadcasting team of Quezon City University, the one, and only DZQC.
every department, they give a hand to the per department to promote their systems, they also gave daily hacks, random information, savings advice, field experience sharing, and also their sole purpose and it is to help on promoting quality education.
If you’re wondering why it’s DZQC and not DZQCU, well it has to do with their goal and it is to be heard not just exclusively in QCU but also to the entire Quezon City as a whole. DZQC start from scratch with a few members that slowly became an inspiration, and together they’re looking forward to reaching beyond their team destination.
is not just facts, updates and tips but also there looking for a friendly reminder that made them entertained while listening, and that is a soul of broadcasting. DZQC has gone through a lot and for them, for the last 10 months they already have something in place, experience, joy, and the heart of their listeners, and surely to the next 10 months from now, they will be heard by the entire Quezon City, and that’s a dream that made their team stands out. Q
VERSE OF THE WEEK
"
Every successful team has its own inline, a problem that needed to be fix and a road map that needed to be drawn and followed. The big question is what type of road that DZQC has to follow and how they deal in every encounters just to get to the position they are in at present?
5Trust in the Lord with
all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
It was the brainchild of Dr. Atienza, the President of Quezon A team should be one in every City University, for the Quezon City University faculty, staff, and to its situation, a speaker should be alive with a friendly tone in every episode students. aired, a member of a broadcasting For their almost 10 months of team should choose to be heard and airing they provide a lot of benefits express themselves naturally, for specially to the college students in what the listeners wanted to hear
6In
all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 (ESV)
A Tale Of Two Community Colleges: Finding Inspiration For QCU BY Dr. Theresita V. Atienza
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raveling to two community colleges College Extension at Milpitas, established in 2016. that are ends apart in the United With the centenary activities just concluded, there States of America was not an easy feat, were enough materials – historical and recent more so in the time of Covid-19. But accomplishments made available. to a new local university president like Good decision. To connect and visit this me who assumed office sans students and faculty on our three campuses, the meetings with my institution was not a random act but a rather counter-part Presidents in San Jose Community calculated move since it is located in Silicon Valley College and Nassau Community College was a and QCU’s flagship programs are in Information Technology, Electronics and Industrial Engineering, much-needed morale booster. and Entrepreneurship. The tour of their campuses did not only The President carried a very Filipinoinspire but allowed me to talk about our home, Quezon City, and Quezon City University’s three sounding name – Rowena M. Tomaneng, Ed.D, was campuses in different districts of the city. An add- in fact, a first-generation immigrant who was born on to the trip was a peak at the palm tree-lined in Quezon City, Philippines. She was selected from a nationwide search and has been an educator in the campus of Stanford University. California Community College system for nearly 25 The campus tours sealed our resolve to years. Prior to SJCC, she was President of Berkeley see through QCU’s campus development plan City College (BCC), a position she held since 2016. because we saw it fit for the Philippines’ most Dr. Tomaneng was a most gracious and competitive city and its Q Citizens to be educated in such conducive sites. That we share common hospitable host who personally led me to her office experiences and challenges is reassuring. That we and broke the ice by briefly speaking in Filipino are on the right path is an understatement. That to provide me a background of her roots. Then we can bask in what we have achieved so far is for she led me to a conference room where lunch was served and we were joined by two Vice Presidents real. – Dr. Elizabeth Pratt for Academic Affairs and Dr. Lena Tran for Strategic Partnerships and Workforce San José City College, California Innovation. How lucky can one get? Good timing. San José City College, the I was in the midst of women power who were first community college in Santa Clara County, established in 1921 just celebrated its centennial. It generously sharing their experiences on the transition is located in vibrant downtown San José in the heart to fully online delivery mode of education when the of Silicon Valley, San José – and is part of Evergreen pandemic struck, their fragile relationship with the Community College District (SJECCD) along with faculty union, the hesitancy of faculty members to Evergreen Valley College, established in 1975; the return on campus, and students of courses that have Community College Center for Economic Mobility gone.. (formerly the Workforce Institute) established in 1988; and the San José – Evergreen Community
San José City College, California
Nassau Community College, New York
FEATURE
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QCU Times endowments from business organizations and alumni.
connectivity issues. Preparation As Purpose The idea for the visit to these community colleges in the United States had two objectives. The first was to prepare for a CHED grant on University Internationalization that we submitted. Since our proposal indicated that QCU will provide training for officials of local colleges and universities to engage with counterpart international institutions to achieve internationalization, it was deemed necessary to explore the process for ourselves. ...back to face-to-face classes. I was also given the opportunity to talk about Quezon City and QCU, the transformational leadership of Mayor Joy Belmonte, our Institutional Recognition from the Commission on Higher Education, our programs, faculty, and students. This was followed by discussions on future partnerships between our institutions. Explored was the possibility of faculty exchanges, collaborative research engagements, joint program offerings particularly for SJCC students of Filipino descent, the potential to tap on the US Fulbright and CHED grants, and the opportunity for QCU to create the trail for internationalization of local universities and colleges of the Philippines.
Thus, the conduct of benchmarking with these community colleges allowed me to gain not only the experience but the insight as well on how we can best craft the training program for LUCs in the event that our grant application is given affirmative action.
Good view. On a clear day, you can see Manhattan in New York City from the 11th floor of Nassau Community College’s Administration Building. The high rise is located in the middle of a former military base that was converted to be the largest single-campus community college in the state of New York at 225 acres. Deans of Colleges held office in what used to be military housing units. Established in the 1960s, NCC has produced over 140,000 graduates. There are almost 8000 full-time students while over 6,000 are part-time students. Prior to the pandemic, courses were available during the daytime, evenings, weekends, and the delivery mode is both face-to-face and online. Then too, student to faculty ratio was 20:1. At the time of the visit, only around 30% of its students attend classes on campus while the rest attend online classes. Each of them discussed their role in the administration of NCC. I likewise shared QCU’s structure, program offerings, and how Mayor Joy Belmonte as Chair of the Board of Regents supported the University’s learning continuity plan and provision of computer laptops and internet connections to students and faculty members. President Jermaine Williams also disclosed that they also loaned computer laptops to their students. He also mentioned that students and faculty members were also infrastructurally challenged when they moved their classes to full online particularly the fact that multiple family members were using the internet at their home and this somehow caused
NCC’s courses were from cradle to grave with courses for nursing assistants to mortuary operations. These institutions certainly and purposefully produced graduates that can find jobs within their locality. For SJCC, we entertained partnership in the area of entrepreneurship and information technology since QCU can benefit from improving its programs in the “Silicon Valley” direction. From NCC, our interest was in the process of transfer credits given to technical courses towards degree programs. In terms of academic and research collaborations, my goal is to create meaningful partnerships so we can send our faculty and students for training and exchange programs. Hence, meeting with my counterparts in SJCC and NCC paved the way to put across each other’s willingness to send and receive faculty members and students via exchange programs. Particular attention to tap on Fulbright grants fueled each other’s interest to collaborate. The possibility of research partnerships was seriously explored as well.
Another highlight of the visit was the campus tour. All of us, four ladies, rode a golf cart driven by President Tomaneng to go around the campus with regular stops at each building that housed its various program. Nassau Community College, New York
The opportunity for sharing the curriculum in various programs was also discussed. While QCU only has five-course offerings, these were all Bachelors’s degree programs. Both community colleges offered Diploma and Certificate courses with a wide range of offerings. SJCC offered courses that range from information technology, business to cosmetology.
The second was to pursue possible opportunities for our faculty members and students in terms of exchange programs and research collaborations. We also intend to explore other areas of engagement between our institutions, and of course, bring Quezon City and QCU into the consciousness of international academic institutions. It is important to note that my visit to San Jose Community College on December 1, and Nassau Community College on December 10, 2021, were very eventful and pleasant. Policies, processes, and practices were shared, plans and goals were discussed, facilities were visited. We were able to draw up commonalities that reassured our leadership of QCU that our institution is on the right track and not falling so far behind.
Needless to say, campus visits also give one a fresh perspective in terms of equipment and facilities, building layouts and design, environmental considerations, etc. Their sprawling campuses and their upkeep are also very admirable and could provide insights and inputs to the blueprint of our campus development plan for years to come. A bonus to this trip was an ocular visit to Stanford University Campus grounds that strengthened our vision for our campuses to be conducive, comforting, cultivating haven of learning for Q Citizens. This benchmarking activity far exceeded our expectations and the experience brought depth and breadth to continue our growth trajectory at QCU. This trip reinforced the need to persist in our practice to work closely with our colleagues in the city administration, faculty, and community to move QCU forward and realize new and innovative ways to serve our students and Quezon City. Q
I was also especially interested in the level of involvement and support of their respective states in the operations of their colleges. That while these institutions were technically state-operated, the governance set-up was quite different since their respective city mayors nor Presidents did not sit on the Board. Their Presidents report accomplishments and operational challenges but had no vote in the policymaking. Thus, strictly speaking, their Presidents were chief operating officers (COO). Also, students had to pay tuition and other fees but comparatively lower than private colleges and universities. Scholarships were also made available to their students. It can be noted that these institutions are supported by state funds, fees paid by students, and
Quezon City University
Newly appointed student body president Rozz Abordo on his plans new president of the student body. Abordo expressed his excitement and confidence since the student council is not new to him, as he was the SSC vice president for external affairs for SF campus. Having said that, he still thinks that his new role, in contrast to his previous position, is more challenging.
hand to achieve a harmonious connection, He said “... inaasahan natin magkaroon ng collaboration ang bawat organizations para makapag formulate ng mga activities for the students of QCU,”.
The long-term plans of the organization are the continuous webinars that the successors of the ON-THE-SPOT: Rozz Abordo council will keep on doing and forging connections and partners outside the school to support more upcoming BY Ernan Silao Apart from conducting online leadership projects for a greater and better environment for the training and webinars, he also aims to make the university. f it is meant to be, it will be, these are the council more active and involved for the benefits of words from the newly appointed student the students. “Student council will serve as the voice Abordo pledges to do his best to produce a council president in an interview with the of the students of Quezon City University,” Abordo better term and this will be achieved by all of the Quezon Tribune. On October 20, Rozz said. The goals of the new supreme student council members of the Supreme Student Council with him Asriel Abordo, a fourth-year BS Industrial are to live up the 1 QCU goal wherein each and every leading the way. Q Engineering student, took the oath of office as the organization within the university will work hand in
I
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OPINION
QCU Times EDITORIAL
The Flipside of online learning
W
ith schools in the Philippines closing one after the other due to COVID-19, the Internet was the only method of distance learning available to students at the height of the pandemic. Within a week, students throughout NCR express concerns about the sloppy online mode of learning, echoing similar concerns expressed by faculty and students alike who have shaky connections or lack necessary devices for video conferencing.
"asynchronous" system that allows students to study at their own pace rather than completely discontinuing online education,
Modules do not replicate what is taught in actual classes. Such a band-aid solution reveals the educational disparities between the privileged and their underserved counterparts.
Although pandemic have Despite the education sector's significantly reshaped the education efforts to boost learning during the system, with classrooms shifting from the pandemic, the current norm remains more familiar face-to-face setup to the to be a burden not only for teachers unfamiliar space, where teachers attempts but also for students. The response was to replicate traditional classrooms in new prompt and generally positive for the forms are now unsuitable, and this has students. The Commission on Higher become a continuous struggle, because Education (CHED) issued an immediate the truth is, modules do not replicate statement requesting leniency. But what is taught in actual classes. Such a some universities have adopted a band-aid solution reveals the educational
disparities between the privileged and their underserved counterparts.
QCU Times The Official Student Publication of Quezon City University
EDITORIAL BOARD Jholo Louise Baybayon Editor-in-Chief
The transition from one medium to another was not easy. Students and educators are struggling to adjust to the abrupt transition caused by the pandemic, and switching to a synchronous system creates uncertainty due to a lack of adequate resources to stay online.
Evangelique Sagayon Santos Associate Editor
Like the majority of students in public institutions who rely solely on free Facebook for communication. For some students who rely on free tuition, the cost of data consumption to attend online classes is impractical.
Rozi Broqueza News Editor
If online education is to become more inclusive, it is the responsibility of public education institutions, and those who fund them, to make sure that more students can access new technologies as part of online education. For its students, that means prioritizing internet access and providing smartphones or laptops. Q
Roy Mirabuenos Ajero Freehand Editor Gienyle Moreno Managing Editor
Mel Maricon Chato University Feature Editor Carl Vincent Kent Uayan Photo Editor EDITORIAL STAFF Chelsie Sanches Photojourn (Senior) Rhaiza Sapphire Donsol Peñalosa Photojourn (Senior) RJ Baria Cartoonist (Senior) Marian Mae Manager (Senior) CONTRIBUTORS Ernan Silao Industrial Eng’g (COL) Shalene Sagucio QCU - Creative Student Society
Illustration by RJ Baria
ADVISER
COLLUMN
Mr. Randel Estacio Address your contribution at: qcu.studentpress@gmail.com
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How “Martial Law” affects me and the Philippine Society
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s a Filipino, it is not new to us to be labeled as hospitable and Godfearing that we always say ‘Ang Diyos nga nagpapatawad, ako pa kayang tao.’ And we take it to extremes.
Evangelique Sagayon Santos Associate Editor 4th Year - BS Industrial Engineering
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Martial Law are still affecting the decisions of many of us due to lack of heroes that can tell their stories...
We easily forgive others that we also forget what they have done and still invite them to our homes to show our hospitality? Isn’t that great? No. It is not. Especially when it comes to the Marcoses. “Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan?” This was reiterated by Mr. Bonifacio Ilagan, a Martial Law Survivor, in an interview created by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines in 2016. This is still a timely reminder to all of us about what happened back then should not be forgotten. Yet, Martial Law is still affecting us in a different and contradictory way calling it “the golden era” and even invalidating other Filipinos who are oppressed by that time. Thus, they are praised by some for the disinformation. Filipinos are really
great at forgetting the past and some of us even have the audacity to support the oppressors. Well, maybe the reason behind this ‘amnesia’ is because of the Martial Law itself where media was oppressed, those who spoke the truth were imprisoned, tortured, and/or killed. Other Filipinos were fed by lies and Marcoses are so good at corruption that until now they are still corrupting the minds of the current generation. Martial Law are still affecting the decisions of many of us due to lack of heroes that can tell their stories but already murdered before they do so, a lot of propaganda materials that are circulating, and constant increase of uneducated and insensible Filipinos like Toni Gonzaga. And as a matter of fact, we are considering being anti-Marcos as a political stand rather than a truth that we should live by to never forget and to tell ourselves “Never again!” Q
THIS UNIVERSITY WEEK Reimagining Education in the Next Normal
FEBRUARY 28 - Mayor Joy’s Ocular Visit - Student Publication Contest - Intro. to Game-Based Learning IT Webinar
MARCH 1 - Thanksgiving Mass - Online Kamustahan - Dealing w/ Change Leadership Webinar - Job Fair - SSC Poster & Slogan Making Contest - Spoken Word Poetry Contest
MARCH 2 - Valuing Quality Service Through Accreditation Webinar - Mental Health Awareness Webinar - ML Tournament - Pag-ibig Programs Webinar - GAD On-the-spot Poster Making Contest - Musikabataan ‘22
MARCH 3 - Drug Awareness Webinar - Tiktok Competition - Business Pitch Competition - Talentadong QCians - TurnItIn Webinar - K-Pop Indak Random Play Dance Contest
MARCH 4 - Academic Quiz Bee Challenge - QCU Faculty Research Colloquium - Women Empowerment Webinar - Violence Against Women Webinar
MARCH 5 - Financial Planning Webinar - Online Tugtugan & Awarding Ceremony - 1QCU: History Documentary
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LEISURE
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QCU Times LEISURE
COLLUMN
Asking for a friend: Are we truly free? BY Evangelique Sagayon Santos
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f you are to be asked “Are we free?” or “Malaya ba tayo?” it is an easy question to answer. You may gladly and easily give your yes. However, if I ask you again “Are we truly free?” or “Malaya ba talaga tayo?” that’s when you start thinking deep and questioning your own thoughts. It is easy to say yes and just move on to the question but what do we mean when we say yes? Is it a yes because we are physically free? When we say yes to that manner, why can’t you take off your mask if you have the freedom to do so? If you are not free to do that, does the restraint from taking off the mask in public is a threat to your freedom? And when you think of it, more than your mask, there are many things in this world that we can do but we don’t do because of the law, otherwise, we can be imprisoned and let others take more of our freedom from us. In that case, is freedom a game of trade? Truly, there is no absolute freedom in this world - that is another thing to be discussed. But freedom can be a tradeoff. When we say freedom, in the Oxford Dictionary, it is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. So, when we are talking about being free, we are also talking about our power or right to act without being shackled to anything. In the example, taking off your mask in public, you are taking away your power to act accordingly for a greater freedom like being free to CoVid-19 or any illnesses. If we apply this in today’s generation where almost everyone has their social media accounts where we can post whatever and whenever we like, does this impose freedom? Does something that is taking ample amount of our time a greater tradeoff than the other productive activities that we could have accomplished? Malaya ba talaga tayo? When we ask that to ourselves, we also imagine it in a nationalistic perception, “Are we, Filipinos, truly free?” Freedom will always be the power you exercise. If you don’t vote for a candidate that buy votes, you exercise your power to act in the right way, therefore, you choose freedom against corrupt officials.
CROSS-WORD CROSS-WORD
If you struggle researching for your candidates, you are choosing freedom from the ones who will later, may threaten your freedom to have equal justice and rights and better future. If you choose candidates that is not friends with plunderers, you choose your freedom over the government that may free the criminals with a high status. Being free is acting using the power you have. It is also about the responsibility that you need to bear because you choose freedom.
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Now, the other question is, “The ones who do whatever they want, are they free?” The answer is no. They’re not free, they do not have freedom. They need to hide on shadows of their lies until it becomes them. They are imprisoned by their vices and things that they are obsessed with because they choose to be owned by it. Our impulses, desires, addictions, fear, and the likes are the true threat to our freedom.
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Down 1. A __________ is a degree offered at a university after you have obtained a bachelor’s degree. 2. This degree is often awarded at community colleges and takes on average 2 years to complete. 3. One way to pay for college is by using _________. 5. The FREE application for financial aid required by most institioons of higher education in order to determine financial need for grants, loangs, and institutional scholarships. 8. ______ allows you to work part-time on or close to campus in order to financially assist you while you are taking classes. 10. A _______ is free money that does not have to be paid back after graduation.
If you ask me, are we truly free? It depends on what we choose to do or not to do. And you should also start answering the question for yourself especially the youth of today. Are you truly free? Q
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Across 4. A field of study at a college is a _______________. 6. Which college entrance exam is run by College Board and has a score range of 400-1600? 7. What type of financial aid must be paid back and often with interest? 9. This college degree typically takes 4-6 years to complete.
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