Forty-seven student orgs in the University represent the Ateneo in their names. A few, however, organize activities for a set of passions, but without official recognition and with minimal support from the University.
Take for example the Apart Visual Arts Collective (Apart), a group that gathers Fine Arts majors and enthusiasts. This year, the org launched “Artbeat,” a series of lectures discussing art in different media.
To cut costs, Apart held these lectures in venues that were free of charge, such as the Rizal Library or the Matteo Ricci Study Hall. “We don’t really have any kind of subsidy and especially [since the Office of Administrative Services (OAS) is expensive],” says Apart President Genevieve Deniece Go (III BS CTM).
Unaccredited orgs like Apart experience these drawbacks, even as they actively hold events in the Ateneo.
Likewise, the Development Society (DevSoc), the Association of Interdisciplinary Studies Majors (AISM), and the Management with Applied Chemistry Association (MACA)—all unaccredited orgs—experience challenges in trying to get accreditation.
Visibility and money
A student group which has accumulated enough members may file for accreditation, says Office of Student Activities Professional Richard de Guzman. “The accreditation process is a year-long process…We give them a list of documents that they have to come up with.”
The necessary paperwork is a Constitution, Code of Internal Procedures, organizational structure, guidelines, and the vision mission.
De Guzman says that aside from the lack of finances and facilities, unaccredited orgs do not possess a school-sanctioned Deposit and Credit Balance account to store their funds.
While unaccredited orgs can be based inside the school, they cannot use the Ateneo name officially. If they are marketing an activity and are in need of sponsors, they cannot draw on the school’s name, says de Guzman.
Breaking out
When the Sumilao farmers issue broke out last year, nobody knew about the DevSoc, says President Ivygail Ong (IV AB DS). People would ask her, “What’s that? Development Psychology? Development Sociology?”
DevSoc is an org that tries to make people involved in issues, rather than just aware of them, says Ong. “People had to know what the org was about [and that’s] mostly through projects.”
Some of DevSoc’s projects for the past year were “A Vital Choice,” a talk about the Reproductive Health Bill, and “Crice-is,” which tackled the country’s rice shortage.
DevSoc is also the home org of Development Studies (DS) majors. The org has the department’s support. The department helps in DevSoc’s funding if its project coincides with what the department needs, like its DS Week by the end of January.
AISM Acting President Allison Sangalang (IV AB IS) says, however, that funding is one of his org’s biggest problems. He says unaccredited orgs have little provision when reserving venues.
“The major disadvantage is that there are a lot of projects we want to do that we could [but] don’t have the resources for,” says Go, Apart president.
Fresh passion
Despite the lack in resources, unaccredited orgs still manage to find their relevance in the Ateneo community.
“[In] an unaccredited org, there’s that drive for the people to share that passion that they have for that particular principle and belief,” says Ong. “It’s very fresh so you have to prove yourself.” She added that members are bound by their need for the org.
“Kaya naman talagang tumakbo ng isang unaccredited org (An unaccredited org can survive [even with the drawbacks],” says Sangalang.
AISM, for example, tied up with many accredited orgs in the Ateneo this school year despite its status. Its upcoming project “Magyabangan Tayo Debate,” under the Yabang Pinoy campaign, will be conducted together with the Issue and Policy Analysis Cluster of the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo.
With the name
Sangalang says accreditation will help AISM fulfill its vision mission of forming interdisciplinary practitioners in the Ateneo. Once accredited, the org can carry the Ateneo name and represent the Ateneo.
“Being unaccredited lacks prestige, so some do not want to join [the orgs],” said MACA President Jan Alcazar (IV BS MAC).
For this school year, MACA is searching for the best products fit for the global market in a contest called “The New Product Development Academy.”
The proceeds of another project, “Product Venture Bootcamp,” are going to a social institution that will use the money to build a sustainable business for income.
“Being accredited will bring more prestige and more credibility for [MACA],” says Alcazar.
De Guzman encourages student groups to push through with accreditation. “Iba rin yung meron talaga kayong (It’s different when you have an) identity that is recognized by the university.”
“[The identity] can boost the membership of the organization,” he says.
The support and training that OSA provides all orgs, including unaccredited ones, also makes the orgs more sustainable in the long run, he adds.
“The organization should build on the successes of previous batches,” says de Guzman. He says the OSA does not want the orgs’ success to be personality-based. “The org should be flourishing.”
Assess and re-assess
The four orgs, as of press time, are fulfilling requirements for accreditation.
“For organizations with applying status, they are quite active, that’s why I’m quite sure that each of them will be making a strong case for the accreditation,” says de Guzman.
At the end of the year, OSA will decide the orgs that will get accredited.
