PREPARATIONS FOR the Orientation Seminar (OrSem): Sibol are in full swing as the event draws nearer.
OrSem is a tradition of the Ateneo which aims to welcome and orient every batch of new freshmen into the university. The preparations are handled by the OrSem Organizing Committee (OrCom), who plan and manage the overall event, and the Talks n’ Tours (TNT), who personally facilitate the activities and interact with the freshmen as they meet their blocks and are welcomed into the Ateneo.
According to OrSem Chair Ymara Yap, there are 1,507 confirmed students for this year’s batch of freshmen. This is a significantly smaller amount of freshmen compared to last year’s batch of roughly 2,600 students.
Behind the theme
When deciding on the theme, the OrCom chose the name “Sibol,” a Tagalog word for “growth,” in order to encapsulate what they believe could best summarize the OrSem experience.
“We think that the best way we could give the freshies a memorable experience is if we look back at what touched us in our own [OrSem]. ‘Pagsibol’ or ‘to grow’ is something you do continuously and I think it’s one of the best words to describe your journey here in Ateneo,” shared Yap.
“The message of ‘Sibol’ actually works for everyone, even the volunteers. You see your growth throughout the years,” she added. “That’s something we want to tell them: na tuloy-tuloy lang ‘yong pagsibol. (That’s something we want to tell them: that growth is something that happens continuously)”
Preparing more for less
In welcoming the smallest batch of freshmen, some adjustments by the OrCom and TNTs had to be made in accordance with logistics, volunteer recruitment, and budget matters.
According to TNT Core member Jason Tan, the adjustments were both difficult and beneficial due to their logistical impacts.
“The adjustments were quite worrisome because we have been used to handling more than 2,000 freshmen each year. At the same time, we’re also excited because they gave room for convenience, since it would be easier to move less people around,” he said.
On the other hand, OrSem Vice Chair Mais Bunag said that much had to be done to achieve the desired budget.
“We had to cut down on expenses, make compromises, and nagkaroon kami ng maraming meetings. We had to be resourceful to make sure na maganda pa rin ang OrSem kahit na mas kaunti ang budget (We had to cut down on expenses, make compromises, and we held a lot of meetings about it. We had to be resourceful to make sure that OrSem would still be great even with a smaller budget),” she said.
Passion to inspire growth
Despite the significant decrease in the number of freshmen, the preparing committees retain their passion to warmly welcome them into the Ateneo.Yap observed that all the volunteers exhibited the Atenean value of magis through their keenness to welcome the freshmen.
“You really see the overwhelming amount of support, passion and commitment that the volunteers pour out for OrSem. When asked why they volunteered again, they said that they wanted to love again. It sheds an idea that you can do more, be more, and love more, which is basically our Atenean value of magis,” she said.
Meanwhile, after three nonstop days of training, TNT Core member Anna Roxas fondly reflects on the unique kind of love the TNTs give to the freshmen.
“[The TNTs] practice a different kind of love and giving; one that transcends the need for familiarity. This love makes them work hard – in knowing historical, geographical, and general facts about Ateneo, in dancing day ‘til night, in smiling even during the toughest times,” she said.
Lastly, Bunag hopes that the freshmen will still be able to have the full experience of OrSem despite its being the smallest to date.
“For me, size doesn’t matter. Despite everything being smaller, I want to make sure that the freshmen still receive the welcome that I received. Today’s best can be better tomorrow, as growth is a continuous process of achieving more,” she said .
