The lulling rhythm of the bell, the lingering deep-fried smell in Gonzaga Hall, and the serene morning strolls under towering trees are now distant memories for many Ateneans. Today, fragments of these experiences can only be accessed through online means. A quick scroll through Facebook occasionally reveals photos of the campus that have amassed likes and shares—whether through meme pages, postcards for sale on Ateneo Trade, or scenic photographs taken by students.

Photos serve as time capsules of certain spaces with varying meanings depending on the viewer. Arvin Boller, Psychology Department professor and hobbyist photographer, asserts that these pictures also leave a collective impression from a shared memory and history of the photographed space. The nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic comes with the realization that the school campus is not simply a place, but a treasure trove of meaningful encounters.

Attachments 

The Ateneo campus has a method of captivating members of its community. Something enchanting lies between the tall acacias and old weathered bricks, as students, faculty, and even University alumni are on the lookout for a chance to come back. This constant longing for the Loyola Schools (LS) campus is further emphasized by the strict quarantine measures, preventing members of the community from visiting as freely as before.

Boller remarks that there is an explanation for this longing. “In social psychology, we have what we call place attachment wherein we associate emotions, beliefs, thoughts, and experiences with particular places, mostly because we live in it,” he states. Boller adds that school campuses, often referred to as second homes, are particularly rich with strong moments and experiences.

In the same way, Boller looks back at campus life with fond memories as he recalls the moment he captured the canopy above Red Brick Road. “After work, around 5 PM, I was walking to my Chinese classes in ISO from CTC through Red Brick Road. [The trees there] form this really nice silhouette with the sky in the background, so I was trying to take that picture,” he shares.

Boller, who has been with the Ateneo since 2009 as a college freshman, remarks that the campus was one of the main reasons he decided to study in the Ateneo in the first place. Apart from the architecture, he finds that even the simplest things such as nature and the colors seen onsite can be just as beautiful.

Like many in the LS community, Boller is greatly affected by the suspension of on-site classes and the move to the digital space. As a professor, he finds that being on campus lends itself greatly to his work, making it easier and less stressful. “When you’re working in the department and you feel tired, you can talk to another person in the next cubicle, or you can walk around the campus and recharge a bit, visit Gesu, or sit around sa Zen Garden. In your house, you can’t do that,” he shares.

Boller explains that place attachment may be less potent in the online setup. “The difficulty with the virtual space is that it’s always in flux. There’s no sense of permanency in a virtual setting,” he states.

Rebuilding

Months before the lockdown, Lorenzo Bonifacio (4 AB COM) and his girlfriend had been visiting the New Rizal Library outdoor cafeteria for a little white cat named Ramen that captured their hearts. “This cat really liked my girlfriend […] she started hopping on her lap and snuggling up to her,” Bonifacio recalls.

The picture of himself was taken just a few weeks before class suspensions were announced, when the two decided to adopt Ramen through AGILA, an organization that advocates for animal welfare. “Ateneo has these very majestic sights but also these little charms, and Ramen was one of those,” Bonifacio says.

He also claims that the same charming qualities of the seemingly mundane had found its way into LSCampusCraft, a virtual recreation of the LS campus inside the sandbox video game Minecraft. Players can interact with intentional details such as e-jeeps, vending machines, and cats that are scattered across the virtual campus. As the Project Director for LSCampusCraft, Bonifacio manages the grand scheme of things most of the time,  but the details in the game never fail to amuse him.

Hundreds of Ateneans registered for the server when it was officially launched in January. However, Bonifacio sees the server as a complementary experience to the physical campus and not a replacement. “We can still be excited about these new digital frontiers while preserving [the physical] and seek to harness the value from both, and that’s what LSCampusCraft hopefully stands for,” he elaborates.

Encounters

Joachim de Jesus (4 BS ME) and fellow members of the Ateneo Rowing Team (ART) had just finished filming a promotional video for their Recruitment Week when this candid moment was immortalized on camera. De Jesus, who is now the Captain of the Men’s Team, stands in between the former captain wearing the black top and the current co-captain in the red shirt. He remarks on how three generations of rowers and leaders were represented in the photo, with him acting as a bridge in the middle to pick up the baton and pass it along eventually.

The setting reminds him of his daily life as a student athlete before the lockdown as this was the same route De Jesus and his team would pass by for campus runs. “If it’s a really long, painful run like 10K, your mind just goes blank and you get into a flow where you just start seeing all the scenery even though you don’t mean to,” De Jesus recalls.

These days, the ART’s training sessions are mostly done at home. The remote setup has challenged De Jesus to find new ways to properly train and motivate the recruits while supporting their mental well-being.

After more than a year since he last set foot on campus, De Jesus reflects on other photos of the LS campus posted on Facebook: “You only realize the value of things when you lose them.”

Mementos

Rodge Santos (3 BS LM) was taking notes for her Science, Technology, and Society class when the first few COVID-19 cases were uncovered in the Philippines. “My prof thought it would be relevant to discuss the current events happening scientifically through the John Hopkins website [monitoring COVID cases]. I wasn’t expecting that now, maiiba yung context (I wasn’t expecting that now, the context would change),” she shares. The slide sends an eerie foreshadowing, as though heralding the arrival of worse things to come.

As classes persist with the online setting today, Santos remembers the liveliness of the physical classroom. “There’s a different atmosphere when you study around people that you can chat with if you don’t understand the topic. It’s more disconnected in a way when you just stare at the computer.” She explains that staying focused is harder when faced with a computer screen, making discussions less dynamic and questions less frequent. 

Learning in the online set-up has not been easy, Santos remarks. Despite its familiarity, the home is not always as conducive of a learning environment as a campus or a classroom. She recalls study sessions in the Matteo Ricci Study Hall fondly, in contrast to study calls today.

While the memories embedded in the Ateneo campus are different for everyone, it is evident that the physical campus holds several attachments—not just as a place but as something that has remained consistently significant in the life of every Atenean. As members of the Loyola Schools continue to persevere despite the setbacks, they push forward with the thought of one day being able to come back home.