As the country contends with frequent calamities, DLSU students are left with no choice but to tend to academic responsibilities even under adverse circumstances. These controversial decisions have caused the community to question the University’s policy on the decision to shift online or suspend classes altogether.
Since 2024, the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP), as released by the Office of the Provost, has been used as a guide for class suspensions and modality shifts. The policy’s goal is to minimize drastic changes in the academic calendar while maximizing learning even under suboptimal conditions. However, a year later, the same office has drawn criticism for its unclear implementation of the plan.
Despite government-mandated class suspensions, the Provost would often override these directives, announcing that in-person classes at the Manila Campus would shift online instead. Many pointed out that this contradicts Section 1.10.1.2 of the Student Handbook, which states classes are automatically suspended when declared by government agencies. However, the Provost has clarified to The LaSallian that the LCP supersedes the Student Handbook.
Between policy and practice
Under the LCP’s August 2025 provisions, typhoons, flooding, or earthquakes would warrant a Category 5 class suspension, as these events would cause significant power or connectivity disruption. Yet in the past months, the University has repeatedly shifted classes online instead of suspending them.
The University Student Government (USG) has attempted numerous times to appeal these controversial decisions, echoing distress from the student body. On September 25, the USG filed an appeal to the Provost, urging the administration to either implement a full class suspension or shift to asynchronous learning due to expected heavy rains and flooding from Severe Tropical Storm Opong. During this period, students have reported difficulties with poor internet connectivity and flooding in their respective areas. Yet, these appeals were either denied or left unanswered.
Balancing safety and learning
In an interview with The LaSallian, Provost and Vice President for Academics Dr. Robert Roleda discussed the processes of determining which protocol should be followed.
Roleda says that if in-person classes are suspended, but conditions still allow for online classes, then continuing classes virtually would be the most ideal course of action.
“Safety, of course, is not so much of an issue if the student is already at home doing online classes, right?” Roleda remarks.
He also notes that while a broad criterion guides the choice of learning modality, its implementation must always be grounded in the actual situation. If a weather forecast indicates potential risks, the suspension of face-to-face classes may be considered to ensure students’ safety. Conversely, if the condition changes and online classes are no longer justifiable, a full suspension is warranted.
“Once you are online already, you’re already supposed to be safe at home, so safety is no longer the primary consideration. Although when there’s flooding, of course, safety [should be considered] again. When you are online already, calling [classes] off can be done quickly,” he explains.
Despite these considerations, many students complain that the chosen continuity plan did not fit their circumstances. When classes shifted online in July 2025 because of heavy rains that hit Metro Manila, former USG Vice President for Internal Affairs Josel Bautista recalled that their constituency check garnered around 3,000 responses, with over half saying they were affected by the severe weather. Some also reported lacking necessities such as food, water, electricity, and internet, which hampered their ability to attend online classes. Still, the University pushed through with online classes.
The cost of continuity
The academic calendar often bears the brunt of disruptions during suspensions. Roleda justified that because the suspensions last July occurred near the finals week, there was little room to adjust the academic calendar, and it was better to have students meet their professors before the finals, prompting the shift to alternative modalities.
Even with similar circumstances unfolding last September, Roleda says that completely suspending classes would have postponed the first week of the second trimester in January to allow sufficient time for enrollment, and since there was no significant disruption in power or internet connectivity, shifting online was feasible, eliminating the need for the administration to consider extending the trimester.
“Fortunately for us, during [the] suspensions in September, there was not really heavy rain [and it was] something [that could be] addressed by simply calling off in-person classes [and continuing] online learning,” he contends.
Meanwhile, USG President Lara Capps expresses that learning should not come at the expense of student welfare. “Not all students have the same privilege in accessing resources… if their priority is our academics and how we will learn, [then shifting to] online classes [is] not the best decision [as] there are students who risk [their] learning because they can’t participate properly,” she voices out.
On the ground, many students share this sentiment for clear guidelines. Averymae Fernandez (V, BSA) echoed the need for clearer instructions and provisions from the administration, noting that the guidelines remain vague, and that it appears that the administration is only searching for loopholes when choosing which learning method to implement.
Capps shares that the USG is currently proposing revisions to the student handbook regarding class suspensions, to protect student welfare with guidelines for missed submissions during days with inclement weather, regardless of whether a full suspension or shift to online is implemented.
While the provisions do not restrict them from conducting online classes, the Provost should further evaluate the LCP to ensure its effectiveness and responsiveness to student needs, rather than expecting them to be somewhat resilient and take advantage of their privileges. Capps reiterates, “Hindi nakikita ng University that there are students who are less privileged than others [and] they should see that not all students have the same situations when they implement these types of suspensions in the University.”
(The University does not see that…)
While students are urged to remain resilient during challenging times, not all students enjoy the same privileges in accessing the essential resources they need for continuous learning. After all, the Provost must consider these inequalities because meaningful education cannot thrive with policies that overlook the balance between institutional goals and overall well-being..
In the end, when the preservation of the academic calendar outweighs the realities faced by the community, resilience becomes less a virtue and more of a necessity, raising the issue of whether the administration prioritizes student welfare.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s October 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSOct2025.
