Elbert Hubbard, an American philosopher, once told the world, “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Both of us know full well that you have done something, said something, and you are something, which leads us to believe that you don’t avoid any criticism. That itself is commendable. Just to clear the air, this isn’t some sort of declaration of war; this is just a voice wanting to be heard. And these are the things we want to say:
ONE. We understand the timeliness of posting statements and captions during events and celebrations, but plagiarism isn’t acceptable. Back on June 3rd, 2019, a post was made to celebrate Pride Month—no harm done there. However, the caption was taken from an article published by the United States Department of Agriculture. It was a clumsy attempt of lifting the exact lines from the article; a lot of websites had similar lines, although they did cite Wikipedia as the source. Now you might say that this isn’t a big deal that your intentions were good, but you are more than just a student cramming an essay—you are the student council. There’s no shame in posting quoted captions, quite the opposite with the sneaky copy-paste though.
TWO. The series of Empower seminars, talks, and symposiums on several topics and issues have emerged in the previous term. This is a good initiative since they mainly tap the student leaders from the different organizations of the university. This way, they relay the things they’ve learned to their members and manifest them through programs and actions WITHIN their respective orgs. But we have yet to see explicit applications or projects towards the entire student body from you. Please don’t leave us hanging; otherwise, these become empty talks. Direct presence and action from you are arguably close to non-existent from the standpoint of a basic student. As much as we like the events you put on during celebrations, you are not just here to be event organizers; you are here to be the pioneers of the change the students crave. Don’t get us wrong, we know who you are but we tend to scratch our heads when it comes to what you actually do.
THREE. Buklod Atenista National Leaders Summit, if not some then most students have no idea what this is or what it does. One reason for this obliviousness is that nothing much comes out of it aside from a report on what went down. Buklod Atenista aims to develop the URGENT need for resolutions and strengthened knowledge about emergent issues in the country. Where are these resolutions? Whether they are approved or not, what matters is that we are not being kept in the dark. If there are existing resolutions as a product from this summit, do tell. You may not get as much reaction or attention in posting these since they’re just black text against a white background, but the weight it holds allows change and addresses issues. Plus, according to your two-item-no-breakdown October 2019 report, a hefty sum of money was allocated for this event. Surely, an effort in crafting resolutions wouldn’t be too much to ask considering the successful participation in the summit.
FOUR. To be frank, we have maximized the duties of the class beadle more than your departments. We were assisted by our beadle more than your Department of Student Assistance and Services; they gave us essential updates on quizzes, activities, and recitations rather than enumerating the holidays of the month like your monthly calendars. The class beadle communicated to us important matters regarding our course subject, raised our concerns to the faculty if there were any, collected submissions, and even documented the things that happened in class, thus did things better than your Department of Communications and Student Involvement. Even if it’s not written on any piece of paper, we understand the duties of the class beadle more than your department. We do not ask you to do the things the class beadle does, but maybe they can serve as your role model to do the things you are asked, tasked, and expected to do as a student council.
FIVE. As we approach the end of the previous term, there are a few run-of-the-mill sentiments that have been too timid to come out and face you. It may come off a bit lackluster compared to the ones we’ve mentioned; nonetheless, might as well lay it all out there. To some of us, we see you as a bunch who dwell in their own world—you’ve got your own dynamic. Giving us the hesitation to step into your world, yes you claim to be approachable, and we aren’t denying it. But you somehow, unintentionally, cultivate an air of exclusivity. It’s almost as if you treat it as a circle of friends rather than a student council, not saying it’s a bad thing, but where do you draw the line?
SIX. Magna Carta, the never-ending relay race of the different ECA administrations. This has been endorsed and promoted several times, but every time we ask for the progress of its approval, you say that it’s still pending. We are excited to experience the approval of this renowned Magna Carta since it’s pro-student and acts as a gateway to autonomy, and this is a great thing. As part of your March 2020 report, you stated that “Magna Carta is near approval as proofreading and final editing will be done in cooperation with the Higher Education Council.” To be frank, we are confused why it’s taking so long—give or take, it’s been around two years since it was mentioned again. We have no idea what happens behind closed doors if you are the ones slacking or the ones at the top? You currently hold the baton, are you running towards the finish line or reaching it out to the next in line?
SEVEN. Welcoming the fresh term with unforeseeable hurdles, the new normal has caught us off guard as we try to recover from a frenzy of panic. We login to the digital world to continue our lives and activities. You’ve shared monthly reports for April and May 2020, and in an attempt to keep moving forward, online meetings, social media activities, online dialogues, and a town hall session have been conducted. Props to you for doing this cause amidst this pandemic. But some things seemed a bit off to just snub. Back on April 28, 2020, and May 21, 2020, you assisted the Office of the Vice President for Higher Education to solicit thoughts from us students about the online learning and summer class with the Board of College Governors by posting the link of the survey in your page. And though some of us who have no stable internet connection still managed to answer the survey, but to our dismay, there were no results disclosed. How many students agreed to the system? Were the voices of the students heard? What were the recommendations made for those who would be left behind? Where were you when we needed you the most?
EIGHT. We understand that funding is very important to any student council especially to efficient, effective, responsive, consensus-oriented, and inclusive governance like yours. But have you ever thought of waiving the P75 in the miscellaneous fee this summer? Come on P75 isn’t that much, we’re Atenistas anyways right? It’s not as if the COVID-19 has affected us economically at all. That’s what most people claim us to be, the rich kids who can afford going to this university when in reality we’re not that posh. We’re worried about our parents worrying about school payments just to get us through college. But anyway, kudos to all your future agenda, we do hope that this benefits our fellow students as much as it aids your personal achievements for leadership awards.
We wrote this letter to voice out those who were not heard, and to extend the concerns that were not expressed, wishing you would feast on this old dish served cold. As what was discussed during Empower seminars and the different talks, leaders can’t avoid disagreements, complaints, and concerns. And what makes a good leader is how you listen to your members and how you handle these things. With that said, we have faith that you will take this gracefully and hope that this will empower you to show who you truly are.
Thanks for sticking by.
With Love,
The Students at the back
