The UST Central Student Council (CSC) has appealed to Pope Leo XIV to address concerns over alleged repression at the Catholic university, citing the disciplinary sanctions UST imposed on four Thomasian activists who protested against the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) exhibit on campus in April.
“We do not ask the Church to settle the merits of an individual disciplinary case from afar, nor do we ask for a university without rules or accountability. We ask instead that Catholic institutions be reminded that the authority entrusted to them exists not merely to preserve order, but to serve the persons under their care,” the letter dated Oct. 9 read.
“if students are taught to recognize injustice in history but discouraged from questioning it in the present, then the formation of conscience that lies at the heart of our pastoral mission remains incomplete.”
The student leaders called on the Pope to speak up for students’ rights to express their beliefs, speak out against issues they consider unjust and take part in decisions within Catholic universities.
The CSC’s letter came after four UST students were sanctioned separate suspensions, the withholding of their good moral character certificates and the removal of the CSC PRO from her post.
The student council’s executive board questioned the University’s penalties, stating that there is a difference between “addressing misconduct and suppressing dissent.”
“Our concern is not simply whether students behaved in a manner the University considered appropriate, but whether the response to their conduct was proportionate and consistent with the principles of dignity, conscience and meaningful student participation that Catholic education is meant to uphold,” it said.
The student leaders also criticized provisions in the revised student handbook implemented in August, claiming that the handbook could expand the University’s control over student organizations, campus activities and political expression.
The code of discipline under the revised handbook now considered unauthorized publication, assemblies and organizations as punishable acts.
The UST CSC added that UST’s continued hosting of government and security agencies on campus, including the PAF exhibit,. risks creating an environment where student participation is tolerated only when their views align with the administration.
“We fear that, taken together, these developments create an institutional culture in which student engagement is welcomed only so long as it remains agreeable to administrative authority,” the letter read.
The student leaders clarified that their appeal did not reject UST’s Catholic identity or excuse students from accountability. They said that the University’s Catholic mission should guide how it responds to students who challenge institutional decisions.
“We believe that a university shaped by the teachings of Christ and the intellectual tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas must be capable of responding to dissent with discernment rather than suppression, and of protecting the dignity of its students even when their actions or convictions are difficult to accept,” the letter read.
“We hope for a university that prepares its students not only to succeed within the world as it exists, but to recognize their responsibility toward the world as it ought to be,” it added. F – Alliya Jade Perez
