In their fourth session of the term last August 13, the Legislative Assembly (LA) approved the submission of a letter to the Office of the Vice President for Lasallian Mission (OVPLM) supporting the creation of a multifaith space in the University and the establishment of a lending system for laboratory equipment.
The body, however, tabled a bill that would form a council of program representatives after legislators raised numerous concerns around its implementation.
A safe space for worship
FAST2019 LA Representative Lara Jomalesa, along with FOCUS2019 LA Representative Macario Vjuan, LCSG LA Representative Javi Pascual, and EXCEL2023 LA Representative Francis Loja, presented a letter of support that called for the creation of on-campus multifaith spaces.
Vjuan emphasized the need to provide members of the DLSU community with differing religious backgrounds a common place for “prayer, meditation, religious observances, and the promotion of understanding of religious beliefs and commitments.”
In consultation with the Lasallian Pastoral Office and the Lasallian Mission Office, the letter recognized the existence of plans to actualize the initiative and rallied for its approval from the OVPLM.
With 25 votes in favor, the bill was adopted.
Improved student services
As classes remain in an online setup for the near future, legislators, led by 74th Eng LA Representative Didi Rico, have drafted the Pahiram Equipment Act, which aims to give students access to proper equipment for their laboratory courses. The equipment will come from students who are willing to lend their items and will be delivered to the borrower, who will also shoulder the corresponding delivery fee.
Rico noted that proper health and sanitation measures will be followed and implemented to ensure the safety of both the borrower and the lender. The resolution has also included guidelines on proper sanitation which were drafted in consultation with the Health Services Office.
The LA also passed a resolution that ensured the “preservation” of the Arts College Government website. While the website is linked to the recently launched Student Services Hub, it will still act as the main source of information for the college.
Related to the student government’s online social media activities, the LA had also approved a USG Online Platforms Manual, which will act as a guide for posting any information or publication materials on the official pages of each USG unit.
Council of Program Representatives
BLAZE2021 LA Representative Pia Beltrano and BLAZE2023 LA Representative Bryan Reyes introduced and co-authored the bill calling for the implementation of the Council of Program Representatives that would “standardize and streamline” communication between the student body and the administration.
The proposed council will be composed of program representatives selected by the Batch Student Government Executive Board and a program representative chairperson who will be screened by the college president. The program representatives, which is an already existing role, will still focus directly on student needs by disseminating important announcements to their coursemates, while the program representative chairperson will report to both their respective batch executive board and college president.
EXCEL2021 LA Representative Katkat Ignacio queried if the proponents consulted with the Office of the Secretary on the bill, to which Reyes answered that they did not see the need to do so since the system is already being implemented in some colleges. The bill, he added, would aim to standardize such a system and maintain continuity for the next batches.
However, Reyes clarified, after an inquiry from FAST2018 LA Representative Marts Madrelejos, that creating a council would not be mandatory and is subject to the discretion of each college president.
Pascual warned that making the system not mandatory might make it unsustainable as some units may forget about it over time. Reyes rebutted that it is the responsibility of the executive branch to ensure that bills passed in the LA are enforced.
Due to time constraints and numerous unanswered inquiries from other representatives, Madrelejos motioned to lay the bill on the table in the meantime.
