ORGANIZATIONAL RECRUITMENT can be a touchy subject for many, with the occasional touch of competition between similar organizations. But for the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA), this year’s Recruitment Week (RecWeek) was all about coming together.
Entitled Diverse City, this year’s RecWeek saw students finding their way around the MVP Roofdeck, looking for the location of the org they were intent on joining.
“[The theme is about] different people coming together in one place for a common goal. This is like COA wherein different passions and different orgs come together for the students,” explains RecWeek Promotions Head Ivy Hazel Pangilinan.
RecWeek was held from June 28 to July 2, taking a break on July 30 because of the Presidential Inauguration. Recruitment continued on July 5 in the orgs’ respective rooms after June 30 was declared as a non-working holiday.
First and last
Freshman Vincent Anthony Tang enjoyed his first RecWeek in Ateneo.
“The RecWeek is very lively and exciting,” he said. “It makes you really want to join all the orgs that you can, especially since we are still freshmen.”
Freshman Exequiel Francesco Salcedo found RecWeek as a nice welcoming event for him and his fellow freshmen. “The event was overwhelming because if the OrSem welcomed the students to Ateneo, this event welcomed the students into org life.”
Senior Lacelle Eya Castro shared that she was only active in this year’s RecWeek. “I became more active in encouraging people to join our org because I [hope] there will be people who will [continuously be] active in the org after we, the seniors, are gone,” she said.
Pangilinan enjoyed the event, even during its planning stage. “There were some challenges, but in the end, it was worth it,” she said.
Overcoming challenges
RecWeek Project Head Jan Aaron Angelo Lee said that the major problem that they encountered was waiting for the response of the sponsors.
“We reserved MVP roofdeck early, but we were not sure then if it will really push through on time or not because the sponsors were delayed. Everything was based on the response of the sponsors, the tarps, the posters, even the set and the manuals.”
Deputy Project Head Lawreanne Sanico added that there was a delay in the formation of the RecWeek core team. “Last year, as early as March, there was already a team, but it was not the case this year.”
Office of Student Activities (OSA) Formator Dino Galvey said that despite the challenges, OSA did not have any major complaints on RecWeek. He adds that the program was better this year because of org clustering and interactivity of RecWeek programs.
Galvey added that even if the venue was in the Roofdeck, many students still took part. “Some orgs [had] over a hundred [recruits] in the first day alone, even if classes were suspended on June 30,” he said.
Finding a home
Sanico hoped that the students who signed up for the orgs will make the most out of it.
“I hope that they will really engage their passion for the nation. It is fun to be in an org, so I hope they will not waste this opportunity,” she said.
