TO FOSTER religious diversity and to address students’ counseling needs, two new resolutions were unanimously approved by the Sanggunian Central Board (CB) in their CB meeting held on January 17.
The “Religious Support Act of 2014” and the “Counseling and Assistance Act of 2014” were both filed by School of Social Sciences Sophomore CB Representative Abbo Hernandez.
According to him, the Religious Support Act aims to aid non-Catholic Ateneans in the practice of their religions. The act also aims to dispel fears of incoming Ateneans who doubt the development of their spirituality, given that the Ateneo is a Catholic university.
“The resolution aims to target the holistic formation aspect that the university wants to advocate,” Hernandez said.
Meanwhile, the Counseling and Assistance Acts addresses the needs of students facing disciplinary cases. The act will create a body composed of Sanggunian members who will provide legal counsel and assistance to the concerned students.
Religious freedom
Hernandez said that he envisions the Religious Support Act to spark discourse in the Ateneo.
Citing the aftermath of the Zamboanga killings last year, he said that people in the university tended to distance themselves from Muslims. Hernandez expressed disappointment over this, given the university’s participation in discussions about national issues.
CB Committee on Formation Services Chairperson Pam Gaerlan said that the Religious Support Act is meant to facilitate freer religious expression for non-Catholic students.
She added they will be able to “worship without discrimination or preference” as well.
Citing Article 4, Section 3 of the Magna Carta of Undergraduate Student Rights, Gaerlan said that “students have the right to practice their respective religions as long as these do not impede other faiths and beliefs, especially that of the University.”
“With this (Religious Support Act), students are able to practice their religion of preference inside campus without hindrance,” she said.
Hernandez added that religious freedom is needed to truly uphold to the Ateneo’s thrust of holistic formation.
“It seems like [the Ateneo education] becomes incomplete for students who aren’t Catholic if they can’t practice the basic needs of their religion unlike those who are,” he said.
“We also have foreign students from all over the world and I wanted to show them that our university is open to creating new experiences—such as people from Malaysia, China, etc.—which we could open our doors to,” Hernandez added.
Moreover, he said that the Religious Support Act would “ensure fair and effective representation of the student body.”
Offices involved in the implementation of the said resolution are the Office of the Registrar (RO) and the Campus Ministry Office (CMO).
The resolution states that the CB will “push for the provision of religious items and facilities” and for the “availability of diverse religious advisers” through the CMO.
Student demographics, particularly on the “various religious denominations and population of each religion,” will be requested by the CB from the RO.
Defending the vulnerable
Hernandez said he authored the Counseling and Assistance Act so that the Sanggunian will be able to help students who are facing disciplinary cases.
He stated that the resolution is meant to enable students to be better informed with regard to defending himself or herself, or in seeking legal counsel when faced with a disciplinary case.
According to Gaerlan, the resolution supports Article 8, Section 1 (b) (iv) of the Magna Carta of Undergraduate Student Rights, which states that “students are given a right to justify one’s self with a help of a counsel or representative during disciplinary cases.”
Hernandez said, “[Through the resolution], I want Sanggunian to serve students not only when the latter are achieving things but also when they are most vulnerable.”
“That’s how the national government who values rights does it, and in the interest of creating a [Sanggunian] that’s more relevant, that’s how we want to do it,” he added.
Gaerlan also said that during the transition period of implementing the said resolution, a body of Sanggunian officers will be trained by members of the Office of Guidance and Counseling (LSOGC) to make them eligible options for a defendant.
The Sanggunian is yet to specify when exactly the transition period will be. Hernandez hopes, however, that it will be implemented by the summer semester of next school year.
Through the implementation of the resolution, Hernandez hopes to send a message to the student body that basic services and student welfare can also pave the way for political discussion.
“For years, all we (Sanggunian officers) have done is say we want information dissemination and improve things that have constantly been improved already for years, but these services do not have any political value in them nor do they spark discussion,” he said.
Aside from the LSOGC, the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will also be involved in the implementation of the Counseling and Assistance Act.
Implementing the resolutions
In an interview with The GUIDON, John Gokongwei School of Management Senior CB Representative Larisse Mondok shared her thoughts on the two resolutions.
She believes that the Counseling and Assistance Act is a good way to help students facing disciplinary cases.
“Perhaps formally involving Sanggunian representatives… will be better [for] the accused students, since they’ll be able to relate to each other better,” Mondok said.
Moreover, she believes that advocating for the students’ right to religious freedom is an excellent move on the part of the Sanggunian.
However, Hernandez said that the disadvantage of the two resolutions will be the time constraint brought about by the transition period.
“While the transition is necessary to make sure that the resolutions [will] work well and not harm people in the process, the transition is still a time span [wherein the service] will not yet fully exist to serve the student body and people around them,” he explained.
