The Varsitarian P.Y. 2019 - 2020 Issue No. 06

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VOLUME XCI / NO. 6 · JUNE 30, 2020 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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UST: CLASSES ON ‘ENRICHED VIRTUAL MODE’ NEXT TERM UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. said on-campus classes would be held only when allowed by the government, and with strict implementation of public health standards to prevent the spread of disease. “Our academic units shall release their discipline-specific policies and implementing guidelines in consideration of the distinctive context and the unique demands of our various degree programs,” the Rector said in a letter to the Thomasian community dated May 26. Ang said that under enriched virtual mode, faculty expertise would be maximized through methods such as team teaching, and industry partners and alumni would be tapped for interactions with students. UST will pursue collaborations with

foreign partners and remote encounters with community partners, he said. Ang also said there would be no tuition increase and that scholarships granted during the second term of Academic Year (AY) 2019 to 2020 would continue until December 2020. Payments may be made using “considerately staggered” schemes, the Rector said. For the special term in July, remote learning and teaching using online synchronous and asynchronous strategies will be used. Ang said the University was proceeding with these modes of instruction to promote “dialogue and ensure accessibility and flexibility

ART BY JURY SALAYA AND JAN KRISTOPHER ESGUERRA

THE UNIVERSITY announced a shift to “enriched virtual mode” in Term 1 of the next academic year, with faculty members using online and offline strategies to teach remotely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Enriched virtual... PAGE 9

FILIPINO p.3

Tomasino, hinirang na Makata ng Taon sa Talaang Ginto 2020 ng KWF

OPINION p.4

LENSPEAK p.6-7

Terrorist Anti-Terror law—Duterte’s declaration of martial law

Hope and solitude found in the time of pandemic

THE DUTERTE Congress railroaded the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill so that it was only a matter of time for the douchebag from Davao residing by the filthy waters of the Pasig to sign into law the institutionalization of state terrorism against the people.

The Varsitarian’s photographers documented different situations of hope and solitude amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

CSC president tells CHEd: ‘Online classes became more of compliance than learning’ CENTRAL Student Council (CSC) President Robert Dominic Gonzales raised concerns of students and faculty on virtual learning in an online forum with the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) last May 22.

CSC President Robert Dominic Gonzales. (PHOTO BY GENIELYN ROSARIO M. SORIANO/THE VARSITARIAN)

Gonzales emphasized the importance of ensuring quality education while considering the welfare of the community. But online classes, he said, became more of a “compliance issue rather than a learning matter.” This was aside from the unavailability of resources for online education, which may also be not conducive to learning, he said. Gonzales presented multiple recommendations solicited from the student body, emphasizing that students are “major stakeholders of the University.” He proposed minimizing the number of requirements and assessments given to students while ensuring that the intended learning outcomes are still achieved, as well as continuous dialogues and consultations between students and faculty. Gonzales pointed out that faculty

members also had a difficult time adjusting to online learning, and proposed training and workshops for “a smoother conduct of online classes.” He suggested uploading prerecorded lectures for students unable to attend online classes. For asynchronous or self-paced online classes, all needed materials should be made available to students, he said. Gonzales said the pandemic was “very anti-poor and further marginalizes those who are underprivileged.” “[I]f we are shifting to this ‘new normal,’ institutions need to polish everything that needs to be polished,” he said. Gonzales also raised the need to adjust school fees under online learning schemes. Online classes... PAGE 2

Dr. Arlene Lansangan, Dr. Carmina Fuentebella, and Charade Mercado Grande (PHOTOS GRABBED FROM THEIR FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS)

Three Thomasians tell their

COVID-19 STORIES AMONG THE THOUSANDS of confirmed Covid-19 patients in the Philippines, three Thomasians survived and lived to tell their stories. Dr. Arlene Lansangan, a 2013 medical technology and 2017 medicine graduate, tested positive for Covid-19 after being exposed to an infected patient. “Everything changed in a matter of two weeks, from being

able to do rounds in the hospital, doing surgeries and operations to being in a state of complete isolation,” Lansangan said in an interview with the Varsitarian. Online classes... PAGE 8


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