Page 40 - The Flame

Issues

After years of lobbying by student groups

Passage of Students’ Code

remains uncertain

By LORENZ CHRISTOFFER S. MARASIGAN and DENISE ANGELA E. SALAZAR
The Students’ Code remains a dream far from becoming a reality as various factors hamper its passage
despite the many years of lobbying by the Central Student Council (CSC). The code, which aims to specify,
protect, and concretize the rights of students, is left at the mercy of the University administration. Council
officers continue to echo the same sentiments with high hopes that the code will finally be passed this
academic year.

N AN interview with Central Student (SWDB) endorsement, we passed the en- be the OSA (Office of Student Affairs). It is
Council President Lorraine Taguiam, she dorsed copy to the deans and regents. After still subject for discussion,” he noted
Ipledged for the speedy passage of the they are finished reviewing it, it will be for-
charter, saying that their role as student warded directly to the University Rector.” ‘Taken for granted’
government is bent to have it passed. As of press time, the proposed code was Xialeemar Valdeavilla, the CSC President
“What we want this year is to establish already endorsed by the SWDB and is being who pioneered the project, noted that the
a foundation; that there exists a Students’ reviewed by the deans and regents of dif- attempts of students to push for the Stu-
Code inside UST,” she said. “The next stu- ferent faculties and colleges. dents’ Code were “taken for granted” by
dent leaders will just have to make amend- The local student councils were desig- the administration
ments or just add some provisions to the nated to ask for updates from both deans “The efforts of the CSC and other stu-
existing Code should the need arises.” and regents of
Aside from protecting the rights of stu- their respec- “With the Code, the students will be
dents, Taguiam added that the Code also tive colleges.
specifies the obligations of students as As of this writ- given the confidence to stand up for
members of the Thomasian community. ing, Taguiam themselves with regard to their right as a
“The code is meant for students to know said there
their obligations while claiming their rights. were already person. It is imperative that while inside
As members of [the Thomasian community] colleges that
we all have duties and obligations,” she said. already sub- the school, we could sense our rights,”
The CSC conducts a weekly meeting mitted their
with the Central Board of Students (CBS) to comments. - Central Student Council President Lorraine Taguiam
formulate plans and new “tactics to make However,
the administration approve” the code. the fight for establishing a Students’ Code dents after my term have been draining
does not end at its passage. If constitution- down due to all the excuses and reasons
Different approach, faster passage al theories need enabling laws, the charter the administration place over this matter,”
According to Taguiam, the method ad- also needs a set of implementing rules and she said in an online interview. “It is obvi-
opted by the previous CSC administration regulations (IRR) for it to function. ously being taken for granted as they move
made the passage of the Code slow. It was “The Students’ Code would not end the approval of certain matters and ask for
first drafted and submitted for evaluation there [passage]. Like the constitution, the endless revisions.”
and review by each University office. Fol- Code needs specific rules and regulations Taguiam said that the constant chang-
lowing this, the proposed code will be for- that will complement the Code,” CBS Speak- ing of the administration contributed to the
warded to the different deans and regents er Lester Lomeda said. slow passage of the Code. She noted that
of the University. After the plebiscite sponsored by the since the different University administra-
It will then be evaluated by the Rector Central Commission on Election (COM- tors have different views on the matter, ev-
and will be given back to the CBS for final ELEC), he said that the CBS will then start ery time the administration changes, those
drafting. The charter will undergo a plebi- drafting the IRR. lobbying for its passage will have to start
scite wherein deliberations will take place “The Central Board will be the ones to again from scratch.
to determine if it will be approved or reject- draft the implementing rules and regula- “From the first time the Code was pro-
ed by the Board of Regents, Academic Sen- tions right after winning the plebiscite by posed, a number of Rectors have already
ate, and the Board of Trustees. Afterwards, simple majority,” Lomeda, who is also the served their terms. From that time, deans
the document will then be given back to the President of the Faculty of Civil Law Student and regents were also changed. The re-
Rector for ceremonial signing. Council, said. quirement was for every dean and regent
“Before, the ideal process is for it (Code) Lomeda added that the issue on who and Father Rector himself to review the
to be approved by all of the administration will be the final interpreter of the charter Code before we could get the final propos-
offices. However, the process was tedious,” will be addressed in the IRR. al,” she said, adding that with that problem,
Taguiam said. “So what we did was from “Definitely that issue will be answered in “a one-year term of student council officers
the Student Welfare Development Board’s the IRR. The final interpreter will not solely is not enough to cover the rigid negotia-
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