Following nearly seven months of rigorous planning and preparation, University Vision-Mission Week (UVMW) 2018 officially came to a close last Friday, June 8. Themed ‘AHRO: Aim High, Reach Out,’ this year’s celebration paid homage to the Lasallian core value of communion.
The week-long event was the product of collaboration among the various sectors of the University—particularly through the UVMW Central Committee. Under the leadership of University Student Government (USG) Vice President for Internal Affairs Brian Chen and UVMW 2018 Project Head Diego Santiago, the 241 committee members worked alongside representatives from the different colleges and student organizations to bring about another memorable celebration for all Lasallians.
From arrow to AHRO
Apart from being a witty spin on the word “arrow,” Santiago explained that the UVMW theme is tied to the University’s goal of educating students to be Lasallians for others. “It is ingrained in us to take after St. La Salle’s dedication to academic excellence, while maintaining a genuine passion for service. In that way, the combination of Lasallian education and training produces individuals who imbibe this year’s theme of communion by aiming high for a greater purpose,” he expounded.
University Chancellor Dr. Robert Roleda emphasized that same goal of serving one’s community at the opening ceremony, which was held last June 1. “Like an archer who uses his bow and arrow, we are called to use our skills to reach out to the less privileged members of our society,” he shares. Roleda later concluded his remarks by expressing his hopes that UVMW 2018 may keep the Lasallian community united and committed to helping others.
Proceeds from the event will go to the aid of Zero Extreme Poverty and Barangays 707 and 717 of Malate, Manila. The choice of this year’s beneficiaries was done in line with the University’s commitment to helping the last, the least, and the lost in society and with the goal of contributing to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal #1, Poverty Eradication.
The event line-up
Aside from annual fixtures like the UnivWeek Bazaar, new activities were also introduced. An Arcade Lane was set up at the Yuchengco Lobby that gave players a chance to relive childhood games. The University Library, in partnership with Mystery Manila, co-presented an Interactive Libraries initiative entitled “The Lost Letters of St. La Salle.” Finally, Silakbo—a cultural show held last June 7—featured performances from DLSU Innersoul, La Salle Dance Company – Folk, Neil Duguran, Marikina Dance Guild, Joshe Tiu, and Janine Quintana
This year’s edition of the yearly Lasallian Enrichment Alternative Program (LEAP) classes spearheaded by the Council of Student Organizations (CSO) was themed “PiLEAPinas,” to celebrate the country’s rich culture and history. Some notable LEAP classes focused on arnis, tinikling, and OPM music.
Lasallians were also given the chance to showcase their talent in Lasallian showtime, which was co-presented with One Music PH. Trifecta took home the title along with a cash prize of Php 10,000.
Meanwhile, the Laguna campus hosted Talent Quest 2K18, Kainang Bayan, Wellness Program, and a Clean-Up Drive.
Launching a companion app
To enhance the students’ UVMW experience, AHRO—a companion app —was developed by the Technology and Development Committee of the UVMW Central Committee. La Salle Computer Society (LSCS) members Krizia Chiu, Michael Respicio, Julianne Sy, Joshua Cruzada, Allyza Acuña, Jonal Ticug, Angelika Batosalem, Adrienne Soliven, Luis Lopez, and Miguel Llamas were handpicked by Committee Head Bryan Alburo to undertake the project.
The AHRO app included a list of the different events with an accompanying map to respective venues, real-time updates from Twitter, and a treasure hunt game using QR codes located around campus. Timed questions on Lasallian history and culture were also integrated into the app which helped users earn points. Users could track their progress on the displayed leaderboards. “The game [was] proposed to meet the goals of the [UVMW] theme which are: increase student involvement, spread awareness about the theme, and most importantly to promote communion in mission,” said Alburo.
It took five months for the committee to successfully develop the app. “[It was] initially projected to be a website. However, due to greater demands, it [was] changed to a mobile app during the fourth month,” Alburo recalled. With only a month to go before the expected launch, the team was also challenged by their lack of experience with the language and database needed as the app was expected to be used on both Android and iOS phones. They later experienced additional problems when there was a delay in acquiring an Apple license and when debugging was needed due to the sudden surge of users.
In spite of the issues that the team encountered, the AHRO app was successfully launched on both platforms. It is only the second event companion app to be launched in the University since the LPEP app was introduced in 2016.
