As Lasallians scramble to complete their remaining courses in the University, a common frustration has been SAS3000 and its lapses, constantly igniting online discourse in student forums and group chats.
Despite being designed as a “career-building requirement” by the Student Success Center (SSC), the skepticism and backlash it continues to receive raises concerns about its overall relevance, accessibility, and current structure.
Limited CIS access
SAS3000, the last installment of the Student Affairs Services (SAS) series, mainly focuses on career building. Throughout the course, students must accomplish reflection papers, sample resumes, and various tasks, alongside attending Career Information Sessions (CIS). These discussions, hosted by various companies in collaboration with the SSC, intend to provide career insights and competencies that Lasallians need to smoothly transition from their lives on campus to their chosen career paths.
However, those taking SAS3000 have taken to social media platforms, such as Facebook and Reddit, to complain about the difficulty of registering for CIS. They blame the very limited slots, as well as the irregular times when sessions would be posted. This was on top of a slew of rants on session modality and an instance of deleted data from a pre-registration form. Some entries on the Archer’s Freedom Wall have thus slammed the course, calling it “useless.”
“We need to improve the system”
In response to concerns on SAS3000’s relevance, SSC Director Dr. Ron Resurreccion emphasizes its objective of preparing students for their practicum and in building their careers post-graduation. “If the students will take it during the time [that] they should take it, then it will be very relevant because (the CIS) teaches topics such as resume and curriculum vitae writing, and how to properly answer in interviews,” he explained in Filipino.
Meanwhile, SAS3000 Coordinator Diosdado Quiamno Jr. attributed the cause of complaints regarding the limited number of slots available for the CIS to an increase in the students enrolled in SAS3000 during Term 1, stating, “We did not anticipate [that] it would shoot up to 54 sections, compared to last year’s 44.”
To accommodate the additional students, Quiamno Jr. mentions that the office increased the number of CIS students who can attend from two to seven and the capacity of the number of participants that may be admitted to 1,000. He added that this is a common concern during the first term, as the job expos, which serve as alternatives to the CIS sessions, usually occur in Terms 2 and 3.
Resurreccion further noted that the SSC chose to focus on addressing these concerns long-term. He remarked, “Admittedly, we need to improve the system.”
As a solution, Quiamno Jr. discusses a proposed “menu” where students can view every CIS scheduled for a specific term and plan accordingly. The tool is set to launch by Term 2 of A.Y. 2025-2026, and will be integrated into the Abintegro platform.
For future concerns, Quiamno Jr. and Resurreccion encouraged Lasallians to contact the SSC directly through email or by visiting the office, as opposed to posting on social media sites. “While we appreciate the [feedback from social media]… the problem is we cannot respond,” Resurreccion said. “At this point, we’re going to ask questions…[and] the context.” They also shared that a separate email account with the handle “[email protected]” will be opened for student concerns.
Students’ two cents
For most students, their frustrations with SAS3000 stem less from its intent and more from its execution, shaping much of the dissatisfaction expressed online.
Carl Reichen Ramos (IV, BIO-MED) shares that while he found the course generally insightful and relevant, limited seminar slots aligned with health sciences dampened his experience, lamenting that the majority of what was being offered was “business-centric.” “I hope that there are many seminars related to health sciences or biology… I hope SAS3000 sees that not all students want to go into business,” he expressed.
Similarly, Avie Dy* (III, BSBCHEM), also saw that the course barely gave opportunities for the natural sciences, citing the insufficiency of companies that offer such events. “Mostly ‘yung sessions na inattendan ko… for business [and] computer science… walang opportunity to ask about my own field.”
(Most of the sessions I attended were for business and computer science… There was no opportunity to ask about my own field.)
For Dee Tabayag (IV, BS-PSYC), she says that the activities implemented were “underwhelming in execution” and “poor,” citing that although it intends to prepare students for life beyond the University, it felt offensive to be provided a substandard experience. She also shares her thoughts on how to improve the course: “I just wish that they [SSC] made CIS better… [because] they were just slideshows that had information that was already known.”
When asked if SAS3000 should remain a relevant course, Dy pointed out that although the existence of such is useful, she would not recommend it as a required course. “It’s nice to have training grounds, pero parang dagdag [na siya sa] workload… instead na naka-focus ka na on your [program] itself, mas nag-fofocus ka [pa] on other things.”
(It’s nice to have training grounds, but it adds to the workload. Instead of focusing on your course itself, you’re focusing on other things.)
While SAS3000 remains a requirement, its aftermath makes one wonder whether the course itself truly prepares students for internships and post-graduation challenges as it struggles to meet their expectations for support and opportunities in navigating career readiness.
*Names with asterisks (*) are pseudonyms.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s January 2026 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSJan2026 .
