The 2014 Freshman Orientation Seminar (Orsem) held at the College Covered Courts on June 13 and 14 promised significant changes and improvements as assured by its various organizing committee heads.
According to Orsem Logistics Committee Head Nikki Uson, this year’s theme, “Tuklas,” is a change in itself. Instead of just focusing outward as what previous themes such as “Layag,” “Sinag” and “Lipad” suggest, it also centers on the importance of discovering one’s self.
Moreover, Orsem Committee (Orcom) Chairperson Joyce Tiam- Lee said she wanted this year’s theme to remind the freshmen that they also have a significant role to play in the journeys and discoveries of others. “To discover ourselves and everything outside ourselves is part of our life’s journey.”
SAFETY GUARANTEED. Logistics Head Nikki Uson says that they were given permission to use unlimited security guards to ensure the safety. (Photo by Arielle A. Acosta)
Revamped traffic and security protocols
Due to the recent bomb hoax and kidnapping incidents that exposed security loopholes on campus, the Logistics Committee imposed tighter traffic and security protocols during Orsem.
Orsem Traffic and Security Committee Head Justine Burgos stressed that a stricter set of rules for drop-off points and parking areas were employed.
“The designated drop-off points are Gonzaga, JSEC and the East parking, each one being fully secured by our volunteers,” Burgos said.
She explained that the committee kept track of plate numbers of all vehicles entering the campus to give way for easy notification and identification of the vehicles’ owners.
“In the event that a sponsor, concessionaire or participant decided to bring a car different from the one he or she declared, he or she [was asked] to park elsewhere,” she added.
In an interview with The GUIDON on May 16, Uson explained plans of coordinating closely with the Facilities Management Office, which takes charge of deploying security guards all over the campus.
She wanted to strategically station the guards in spots where problems usually arise, such as the Northwest Car Park that remains the only place on campus where outsiders are allowed to park.
When it came to securing the different venues, Burgos said that the committee also enforced a “no ID, no entry” policy without exceptions, especially in the College Covered Courts.
Furthermore, in coping with abrupt changes in schedules and routes, Burgos said that communicating through their radios helped them “to adjust accordingly and send teams immediately to the places in need of assistance and guidance.”
Better teamwork
Uson stressed that the Logistics Committee planned to make the Talks and Tours (TNT) and the Security and Mobilization (Secmob) volunteers a tightly-knit team so that they can effectively work together.
She said that the volunteers who knew each other were more efficient because they went around and mingled during Orsem instead of staying in one place.
TNT Head Alayne Maxino aired similar sentiments, saying that establishing effective teamwork among the volunteers was a main focus this year.
Maxino noted that improving the connection between the TNT and Secmob volunteers is a change that this year’s Orcom was very adamant about.
“I feel like even within the [Orsem Core] and within the volunteers, that the teamwork is really there; even I can feel it and I guess it really [makes an impact] on how Orsem [turned] out,” Maxinos aid.
Upgrading Orsem
Two new segments made a debut this year to further enrich the Orsem experience: The DJ Hunt and the Orsem plenary.
According to Tiam-Lee, the DJ Hunt “[provided] yet another avenue for involvement from the freshmen” aside from the annual Orsem Idol.
The Orsem Idol is a traditional talent segment during Orsem. An audition was held for freshmen who can dance and sing before the winner was announced on the last night of Orsem called O-Night, the culminating event.
Additionally, The DJ Hunt allowed the freshmen to show off their talents in sound editing. Applicants were required to submit a mix tape that they arranged on their own in order to sign up.
Management freshman Noel Bugia was announced as the winner of the DJ Hunt in a post made by the official Orsem Tuklas Facebook page on June 5. He was given a chance to play his set during O-Night.
The OrSem plenary, on the other hand, provided a synthesis of the event for the freshmen. It was held at the College Covered Courts prior to O-Night.
Tiam-Lee said that the plenary served as an integration of the two days and drew from insights and feedback given by the freshmen themselves.
