TO CELEBRATE new beginnings and the transition to onsite classes, the Orientation Seminar (OrSem) Tindig was held through a hybrid setup, with the first half held online from August 3 to 6 and the second onsite from August 9 to 10.
The OrSem Committee (OrCom) organized the event in contrast to the past two iterations, OrSem Tuloy in 2020 and OrSem Tayo in 2021, which were held fully online.
Regardless of the excitement garnered by the novel hybrid setup, O-Chairperson Gabriela Pinga said that multiple contingencies for the event were still set should there be issues with health or weather conditions.
Among these contingencies was a fully online setup given an increase to Alert Level 2 or higher and rescheduling in the case of typhoons. Notably, unforeseen adjustments were also made to the original onsite schedule—initially slated for August 8 to 9—due to the freshmen’s enlistment problems with scheduling and blocking.
A grand welcome
Despite OrCom’s “limited experience” in organizing large onsite events like this, Pinga said that they were guided by consultations from different offices and by numerous dry runs for the volunteers.
“The senior batch today [was] the last batch to experience an onsite OrSem. We felt that it was also our (the senior batch’s) duty to bring it back to life because we also experienced it ourselves.” Pinga added.
Addressing the health concerns and protocols of the event, Pinga stated that the OrCom only planned to host onsite campus tours as it was the safest way to expose freshmen to campus life given that people were constantly moving.
She added that during the campus tours, OrCom logistics members were stationed around different parts of the campus to ensure that everyone practiced social distancing and mask-wearing at all times.
Pinga said that as a contingent to Alert Level 1, some activities were done online prior to the onsite dates. These include plenary sessions regarding office functions and block-specific activities such as games and individual introductions.
Take a stand
For this year’s theme Tindig, Pinga said the OrCom wanted to exhibit the student body’s sense of community as the campus rapidly evolves in the hybrid setup.
“Given that we’re still transitioning to a fully onsite setup—and also that the Ateneo community is changing in many ways—I hope we keep that OrSem spirit alive,” she added.
Feeling grateful, Pinga owed the success of the whole event to the entire volunteering committee. She noted that during her time as O-chair, the volunteers stepped up to the task and were continually critical to the fine details of the event.
