ALL CANDIDATES of this year’s Artlets student council (ABSC) elections are pushing for a safe resumption of the activities of student organizations once the University resumes face-to-face (F2F) classes.
ABSC presidential bets Cyrille Coronado and Kim Czaccei Dacanay, candidates for external vice president Timothy Santiago and Ierathel Tabuno, lone candidate for internal vice president Jose Maria Balbaboco, and candidate for secretary Janica Buan said resuming in-person classes can be done as long as the students’ safety is prioritized.
“I am for the pushing of limited F2F classes, as long as we are anchored on the Ligtas na Balik Eskwela (safe return to schools) agenda, and as long as the healthcare and safety of students are prioritized. We need to return to F2F classes. It’s been two years, and those years have created irreversible results in our academic performance,” Dacanay said.
Dacanay cited the need to allot funds for Artlets’ care kits that she said would consist of medical supplies that cost P500 to P600.
Coronado echoed Dacanay’s statement, adding that the resumption of in-person classes and the projects and activities of different student organizations should be done only if the safety of the students are guaranteed.
“Yes for F2F classes again and student organizations resuming F2F activities as long as we ensure the safety of the students. Safety is our top priority in these projects,” Coronado said.
Coronado proposed a “centralized information dissemination” system that would handle all queries and provide important details about the in-person classes.
“We will answer all the possible queries and we will release publicity materials so that the information is consolidated,” she said.
Tabuno said in-person classes should resume because the online setup is burdensome to a lot of students
“Many are having a difficult time with the online setup,” she said.
While agreeing that on-site student activities should resume, Balbaboco said such a decision must be “carefully planned” by the University and the student body.
“We should also educate the Thomasians regarding the revised dos and don’ts that will be implemented once F2F [resumes],” he said.
Santiago and Buan stressed the need to properly educate students about the policies for the “new normal.”
The Miting de Avance was hosted and live streamed by the Faculty of Arts and Letters – Commission on Elections last April 2.
The ABSC elections voting period will be from April 4 to 8. F
