The seventh session of the Legislative Assembly (LA) tied loose ends for bills establishing an ethnic diversity council—aiming to advocate for multiculturalism among Lasallians—and adding regulations for the Office of the Vice President for Internal Affairs’ (OVPIA) mandated fundraiser.
Ethnic Diversity Council
Highlighting the need for inclusivity of various races and ethnicities in the University, the LA passed a bill forming the University Student Government (USG) Ethnic Diversity Council. The new office will establish cultural programs and consultations with the Lasallian community in a bid to expand ethnic representation.
The office will also mandate having representatives of several ethnolinguistic groups such as Bisaya, Bicolano, and Ilocano within the council. These representatives are expected to spearhead initiatives and projects catered for their ethnic groups. Communities may have their representatives after collecting at least 15 to 20 signatories from their respective groups across the student body.
Tatak Animo updates
The LA also revisited Tatak Animo, USG’s official fundraising activity this year for most of its student support initiatives such as Pahiram Equipment and Pahiram Locker.
Representatives from the OVPIA brought up obstacles in executing the fundraiser. This included hybrid classes, insufficient funds, and failure in delivering merchandise due to the late delivery of supplies, all of which have been discussed in a previous session. Moreover, the timeline of the project was deemed to be short of the time it would take for procurements, considering other pending USG projects.
The LA settled on adding penalties for non-compliance with Tatak Animo’s standard operations, including rules for failure to procure merchandise, failure to fund Pahiram initiatives, and pursuing other fundraisers outside Tatak Animo. Failure to act in accordance with such laws would prompt thorough investigation that will lead to the pursuance of sanctions that will further be consulted with the Judiciary.
