President's Year End Report

PRESIDENT'S YEAR END REPORT

Ibalik an relasyon kan SSG sa mga estudyante.

These lines started our engagement in the student government. These lines captured what we want to happen with the institution that is for, by and of the students. From a government that is aloof and far away the persons it ought to serve, we envisioned a community of Ateneans with open communication sharing the same vision that is the improvement of student services and protection of student welfare through their sole representatives, the ADNU SSG. Nine months have already passed and it is but proper for me, as your president, to formally update you of the current status of your student government. This report shall consist all our accomplishments, internal status of the government and the plans for the next two months. 

WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH

I must say that we are not yet performing at our maximum potentials and we have not yet fully achieved what we have envisioned, that is to restore the confidence of every Atenean to the student government. But we have started becoming relevant to the student body as an institution primarily directed to serve every students and protect student welfare. This has been seen through series of reports, complaints and grievances submitted to the student government through its then-functioning ADNU SSG Group, the SWC Online Complaint Form, the Harampangan 2011 and specially, the influx of students coming in the office and sending personal messages to SSG Officers asking for advices and seeking for help. In the past, students had nowhere to ask for help. This year, we have started re-establishing a student government that is ready to accept complaints and that is ready to fight for the students wherever these complaints and grievances may be elevated. This fact alone constitutes a major accomplishment for the student government commitment to become more relevant to the lives of every Atenean.

            Aside from receiving complaints and disseminating information, with reflection, we were also able to redirect the student government to its most crucial functions -  representation and service.

In its representation function, the student government serves as the voice of the students in all university issues and concerns that is why student government officers sits in university councils and committees. They are tasked to air out the concerns of the students on different policies, proposals and programs so as not to put at stake their welfare. This imposes a vital responsibility to all officials and volunteers to first and foremost listen and to be aware of the sentiments of the students they ought to serve and represent. This is better done by creating communities of dialogues, immersion and direct engagement with the students. Online networking sites are a good way to do this but the superficiality of these modes must not hamper the creation of authentic and genuine relationship between and among the officials and the ordinary students. 

Our administration prides itself of having good, active and participative student representatives in different councils and committees of the university. We have provided good and strong inputs in the discussions of these university arms and have firmly stood for student welfare carrying the mantra of being a pro-student rather than as anti-admin. Our major lapse however is our inability to build communities and the lack of empowerment of the student congress. Yes, we have created and supported good policies and programs for the students. Yes, we have an active group where students are free to disclose and we also have an online form where students can submit queries, reports and complaints. Yes, we have acted upon these concerns raised. Unfortunately, these are only short-term. We have started reaching out but we have not yet achieved our goal of bringing back the student government to the student body. We have only stayed in that superficial interaction students through FB and online forms. We have not forged genuine relationship with the majority of the students in the grass roots leaving sustainable engagement and unity among students just a dream for the future leaders still to fulfil.

Service, on the other hand, incidentally carries with it the formative function of the student government. It must be able to deliver programs that will contribute to the university mission of forming individuals who competent, conscientious, Christ-centered and compassionately committed to change. It must have at its core the ability to cater to the needs of the students for them to be freed from the shackles that hamper them in advancing, developing and growing. This we did by streamlining the functions in the SSG by having a permanent volunteer pool and the creation of the departments. We also had a better delivery of the intramurals and by providing varied topics given by famous national personalities for the Alternative Class Program. 

In detail, the following summarizes the major accomplishments of the current administration:

§  REPRESENTATION FUNCTION. The current administration prides itself of its proper and active representation in university councils and committees thereby performing at an excellent degree its function of truly and faithfully representing the students and promoting their welfare. These councils and committees include:

a.      Academic Council;

b.      Formation Council;

c.       University Social Involvement Council;

d.      Disciplinary Board;

e.       Grievance Committee;

f.        Standards Committee;

g.      Committee on a Greener Ateneo;

h.      University Safety Committee;

i.         the University Celebration Committee;

§  ACTIVE PROTECTION OF STUDENT WELFARE. The ADNU SSG, to the best of its ability, has successfully protected student welfare and raised student concerns on the following major issues:

a.      Involuntary Contribution on Fun Runs;

b.      Misunderstanding as to the policy on the voyadores participation;

c.       Policy on Academic Scholar’s Office Services;

d.      First Class Day Sickness;

e.       Repairs and evaluation of university facilities;

f.        Enrollment Evaluation;

g.      Uniform Policy;

h.      Alternative Class Program;

i.         Online posting of Subject Offerings;

j.        July 30 Ignatiana Class Day;

k.       PTA Raffle Tickets

§  INTERNAL REFORM IN THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT. Several measures were adapted to ensure the proper function of the government including:

a.       Drafting of a Revised Election Code and SSG Constitution;

b.      Appointment of new justices in the tribunal;

c.       Creation of a Commission on Audit to review all financial statements and liquidation reports;

d.      Approval of a Code of Internal Procedures in all branches;

e.      Creation of departments and a volunteer pool – TUG;

§  STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS and VARSITY PLAYERS. The SSG has also expressed its support to student organizations and varsity players through the following:

a.       Attempt to reform the Ateneo Directorate of Student Organizations;

b.      Financial support for members of student organization who represented the university in international and national conferences;

c.       Financial support for student leaders attending the ADMU Bidahan as initiated by the Office of Student Affairs;

d.      Support in organizational development modules of the Office of Student Affairs through the seminar on financial reporting;

e.      Support in the Ateneo Golden Knights and the promotions of the Ateneo Football League;

§  EXTERNAL AFFILIATIONS. The SSG has shown active participation, allegiance and effort to fulfil all Buklod Atenista Resolutions which it has neglected in the past few years. The SSG has also benchmarked with Student Councils of NCF, Mariners, CSPC, UNC and USI to be able to build a coalition among Naga Student Councils. The SSG has also partnered with several civic organizations such as the IBP, YSAGE – Coalition against women trafficking and Pugadlawin.

§  ACTIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OFFICES. We have partnered with OSA, DAVP, IFC, CAO and other entities and organizations in conducting activities such as: Intramurals 2011, RH Bill Forum, Nueva Camarines Forum, Dugong Atenista, ASUL, ORSEM, PhilRice Forum, Ignatian Fun Run and Community Merienda among others.

§  DRAFTING OF THE MAGNA CARTA OF STUDENT’S RIGHTS

   THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT FROM WITHIN

DUES AND OBLIGATIONS. The Student Government has the following obligations:

a.       Avenue Plaza Hotel thru Mr. Raffy Magno

b.      Madrigal Foundation for Madrigal Amphitheatre (as of Dec. 1, 2011)

c.       Some ACP Speakers

d.      Mr. Macandog thru Mr. Raffy Magno for Buklod Atenista Plane Tickets

BUKLOD ATENISTA. Raffy Magno, in his capacity as Buklod Atenista Ambassador, requested additional P3,000.00 from the SSG Treasurer which I duly approved as SSG president for the Buklod Atenista. This is is currently being contested by the Student Congress as being inappropriate. This P3,000.00  has already been properly liquidated by the SSG president and the SSG Moderator, Mr. Patrick Balmaceda, for food, baggage allowance and transportation.  A review of the liquidation report submitted and prepared by the ADNU SSG Treasurer on Buklod Atenista expenses is also currently conducted due to some accidentally-pasted receipts in the liquidation report. Mr. Raffy Magno received the Buklod Atenista budget and gathered all the receipts of Buklod Atenista expenditures.

MISSING CASH. The ADNU-SSG Treasurer has claimed responsibility over an allegedly lost cash in her custody which shall be used to pay  Buklod Atenista Plane Tickets which were initially paid through a credit card. The money was allegedly lost on November 3, 2011 but was made to the awareness of the Buklod Atenista Ambassador Raffy Magno, the SSG President and the SSG Moderator only on November 16, 2011 though some officers of the executive and the legislative have already knowledge of the event since it was allegedly lost.  It is expected that the Commission on Audit will be releasing a report on this matter as they have already started conducting test of internal control and audit procedures to determine the accuracy and fairness of the liquidation and financial reports. 

RESIGNATION. The SSG EVP Kate Flores has already filed her resignation effective November 1, 2011. The SSG President is still in the process of selecting the new EVP from the members of the Student Congress. SSG Moderator Patrick Henry Balmaceda has also filed his resignation effective December 13, 2011. 

PLANS FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS

The SSG hopes to deliver the following events for the last two months:

a.       Event for Student Organizations (PINTAKASI-like event)

b.      Alternative Class Program

c.       Gawad SSG

d.      Grand Harampangan with University Administrators

We also hope to address the following:

a.       Ratification of the Magna Carta, the Revised E-Code and if time permits us, the Revised Constitution;

b.      Lobbying of the following policies:

c.       Guidelines on TFI

d.      Student Membership in Budget Committee;

e.      Lifting of Delayed Exam Fees for certain cases;

f.        Guidelines for sending official school representatives;

g.       Policy on Giving Term Examinations;

h.      Revised Uniform Policy;

Specific Concerns to be addressed:

a.       Implementation of Uniform Policy by the guards

b.      Listings of Office Services

c.       Nature of Fees and update on the SIC and Culture and Arts Fee

d.      Sports Development

e.      Online Prospectus

f.        SSG Volunteers and Departments

g.       Benches at Xavier Hall

h.      Student Welfare Center

i.         Empowerment of the Student Congress

j.        Ateneo Directorate of Student Organizations

k.       ONE NAGA – Consortium of Naga City Tertiary Student Councils

On Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership

The concept of Servant Leadership brings in my consciousness three frameworks which I find very valuable as an Atenean, as a Catholic and as an Ayala Young Leader. First of which is that of Christ. Christ is in Himself the ultimate servant leader. He is God yet he immersed himself humbly to the human family. Born by a virgin in a manger, He offered Himself as the fulfilment of the Father’s promise of Salvation. Mocked and fixed on a cross, He died because of His great love for us. He could have saved us by picking us up from the trash bin where we find ourselves sinful and not worthy of the Father’s love yet He chose to go down the bin to help us get out of our tragic condition. He chose to be Emmanuel – God with us – who came to call sinners and who came for the forgotten, the poor, the last, the lost and the least.

The second framework which I find worthy of exemplifying is that of Robert Greenleaf. He said:

The Servant leader is a servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then, conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant – first to make sure that the other people’s priority needs are being served.

Greenleaf’s idea of servant leadership shares that of Christ that a leader must be servant first -  a servant of all. Nobody leads because he wants to lead. Rather, one decides to lead because he wants to serve. He wants to improve the quality of life of the person dear to his heart. He wants to see them grow and be freed from the shackles of inhumane conditions just as what Christ did. Leadership must always begin and end with others. In fact, Greenleaf elaborated that the first responsibility of a leader is to make sure that the other people’s priority needs are being served. This principle follows Marlow’s hierarchy of needs. If we want to see growth in people, we must first address the needs at the bottom of the pyramid. We can never achieve self-actualization if the need for good working and learning environment, the need for food, shelter and water, and the need for security and association have never been addressed.

Greenleaf also added, “The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?” We serve others so that they themselves may grow as leader. Is this not the same principle which Christ taught the night before He was betrayed? He was a master, a teacher and a rabbi yet He washed His disciples feet so that they may also do the same to one another. He showed love and service by dying on the cross so that we, His disciples, may do the same.

The third framework which I also value is the leadership framework of consisting of four major principles: awareness, vision, stewardship and community. These principles serve as guidelines into becoming real servant leader.

Awareness is the value of knowing and recognizing the needs of the people leaders ought to serve. The line “A leader is deeply awake and reasonably disturbed” summarizes what awareness entails. It talks about the ability of the leader to listen, to know and to understand with depth first his heart and second, the heart of his master. Nobody becomes a leader without knowing himself first. Nobody can give himself truly if he does not know who he is. This is the reason why Greenleaf pointed out that leadership is a conscious choice, a knowledgeable choice that is rooted at the very heart of a person who aspires to lead. This choice of service and of leadership then leads him to reach out to others, to listen to others and more importantly to immerse himself with the community he ought to serve to know their priority needs. His heart and the cries of the hearts of the people he ought to serve must disturb him and push him to work for change and development.

Vision talks about the grand dream of the leader. It is that which he wants his community to achieve. It is very important for him to be able to communicate this vision to his community. It is very crucial that this vision penetrate and sip through the very hearts of the members of team, of the entire organization, that it may guide them in all decisions and actions they will be undertaking. Caution however must be put when we talk of this grand dream. Vision must never be superficial. It follows the language of idealism and that of a visionary but, as Hoffer said, it must work within the premise of practicality and realism. I believe he means that the vision must be rooted at the core of the needs of the persons the leader ought to serve.

Stewardship on the other hand talks about responsible use of pooled resources. Leaders are stewards and not owners of public funds and resources. These they must use to achieve their vision and to serve the needs of the people they ought to serve. These they must use responsibly to provide opportunities for growth and development of people.

            Lastly, the concept of community revolves at the need to be associated, the need to feel that one belongs to a group where he is truly cared for, a group which he can trust, a group which he considers to be a family and a group which shares his interest and cause for life that is a community.

My SSG Experience: Serving, Transfroming, Sustaining

My experience in the student government is a fitting cherry on top of my banana split experience as a student in the university. It is, should I say, the culmination and the summit of my entire Ateneo college life, for it is in this part of my life that depth of understanding on life’s values and a wider perspective on things have come to my awareness. 

Leadership and Politics

The most important thing I learned in the student government is leadership – its theoretical and practical approaches and the reconciliation of the two. I also came to a point of diagnosing where politicking and the dirty games of politics begin in the call for leadership.

Leadership begins with a conscious choice to serve others as Greenleaf pointed out. It is a path chosen by those who like Christ would want to go deep down the trash bin in order to save souls and teach them self-advancement and growth rather than simply turn the trash bin outside down. It is a service experience where leaders have to be like Jesus, the Emmanuel, the God-with-us where integration of the self, the personal values of one, and the character and the needs of the other must occur. It is an experience where one needs to stop, to listen, to understand and to reflect. A leader must always know what his heart yearns for. A leader must always evaluate he values most despite the deafening sound of personal interest, of self-gratification, of honor and of awards. More importantly, a leader must learn to immerse himself to the community he ought to serve. He must be able to build communities by valuing others which he must show by first and foremost by learning to listen and to weigh things free from biases and prejudices in order to search for truth for it is truth that will serve as his strength. It is this truth that will serve as his guiding star so that wherever he may find himself, be it at the expense of all possible awards and honors he may get, he will find happiness and solitude for himself and for those whom he chose to serve. The search for truth however will entail that a leader must have a heart, a mind and an ear as big as the whole world.

Politicking, just like leadership, begins with people thinking of themselves and evaluating their personal values. This in its very nature is not wrong provided that it does not impede critical thinking and the ability to listen without biases and prejudices and the humbling experience of being compassionate so as to be with others and to be on where they currently stand. It is when one decides to stand for his values without thinking of others or providing that necessary openness to come to an understanding with the other that politicking begins. It is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy as Earnest Benn says it. It is in this scenario that the quote “Nobody gets out of politics clean” is immortalized. One, though he may choose to lead, will not be able to lead and escape the dirty games of politics if a politician exists in his environment. The latter will either create mud for the former to throw or the latter will be the very same person to start throwing mud at the former. The leader is then left at a dilemma to throw back a mud to save his face and tell the whole world that he is clean or to stick with genuine leadership at heart despite all the mockery and political tricks thrown at him though this would mean modern-day crucifixion and martyrdom. Despite the cleanness of heart of one to serve, it is very much certain that he will not get out clean in this system.

My SSG Engagement

My nine months of engagement in the student government have been filled with troubles, issues, problems, conflicts and misunderstanding internally in the SSG, with my fellow students and with the administrators. These experiences are the ones I treasured the most though they have given me heartaches, headaches and sleepless nights for it is in these experiences that I learned to engage in dialogue, to listen to others and to forego with my prejudices and biases in search for the truth. It is in these events that I learned to feel compassion, to be with others in spirit and more importantly, to value them. It is also in these experiences that I learned to be critical and to be professionally skeptical so as not to become an easy prey of prejudice, personal interest and fraud. These moments have led me to scrutinize myself more, to reflect and discern more deeply so as to know what I truly value most in life. It is in these events I say that I have truly grown as a person and as an Atenean. I am very much thankful for this opportunity of knowing myself more and of experiencing a bit the reality which I will have to face outside the portals of the Ateneo, my comfort zone.

Aside from growing as a person, I am very much happy that we were able to initiate the needed reform in an institution which was already at the brink of losing its very essence for the students and for the university community. With reflection, we were able to identify that representation and service are the most crucial functions of the student government.

In its representation function, the student government serves as the voice of the students in all university issues and concerns that is why student government officers sits in university councils and committees. They are tasked to air out the concerns of the students on different policies, proposals and programs so as not to put at stake their welfare. This imposes a vital responsibility to all officials and volunteers to first and foremost listen and to be aware of the sentiments of the students they ought to serve and represent. This is better done by creating communities of dialogues, immersion and direct engagement with the students. Online networking sites are a good way to do this but the superficiality of these modes must not hamper the creation of authentic and genuine relationship between and among the officials and the ordinary students. 

Our administration prides itself of having good, active and participative student representatives in different councils and committees of the university. We have provided good and strong inputs in the discussions of these university arms and have firmly stood for student welfare carrying the mantra of being a pro-student rather than as anti-admin. Our major lapse however is our inability to build communities and the lack of empowerment of the student congress. Yes, we have created and supported good policies and programs for the students. Yes, we have an active group where students are free to disclose and we also have an online form where students can submit queries, reports and complaints. Yes, we have acted upon these concerns raised. Unfortunately, these are only short-term. We have started reaching out but we have not yet achieved our goal of bringing back the student government to the student body. We have only stayed in that superficial interaction students through FB and online forms. We have not forged genuine relationship with the majority of the students in the grass roots leaving sustainable engagement and unity among students just a dream for the future leaders still to fulfil.

Service, on the other hand, incidentally carries with it the formative function of the student government. It must be able to deliver programs that will contribute to the university mission of forming individuals who competent, conscientious, Christ-centered and compassionately committed to change. It must have at its core the ability to cater to the needs of the students for them to be freed from the shackles that hamper them in advancing, developing and growing. This we did by streamlining the functions in the SSG by having a permanent volunteer pool and the creation of the departments. We also had a better delivery of the intramurals and by providing varied topics given by famous national personalities for the Alternative Class Program.  

The SSG FB page and online complaints form perhaps are the most famous mark of this administration. Unfortunately, it is also on these two modes that the greatest issue on service which the student government must act upon dwells.  The greatest service which the student government gives is raising student concerns and acting upon them but this practice puts student leaders in a dilemma as to the meaning of service. To what extent should he engage in behalf of the student? To what extent should he raise voice for the persons he ought to represent? How can he better empower the students raising queries and complaints to show up and go beyond the superficiality of the cyberworld and face those persons he is complaining about?

 The rest of our accomplishments, other issues being faced and plans by the student government in the next two months, you can view at a separate post.

My Most Memorable Experiences

                In SSG, nothing beats knowing and spending time with the people the student government ought to serve. Nothing beats appreciating the diverse interests of student organizations and sharing in these interests in order to build partnership and lifetime friendship.

 Among others, I treasure those moments when I spent time listening to poetries and stories by Ateneo Literary Association, chatting with members of EAGLES INC during the Xavier Day and with APEX members during a COP orientation, Hi’s and Hello’s of Junior Eagles in their everyday fund raising for their EAR project at the four pillars, jamming with the CCD Voltz during the reverse carolling, spending a Christmas party with CSVs, tutorials with ACIL, Rice forum with EcoSoc, Testimonial Dinner with JPIA, planning for the Xavier Cup with the Remontados Debaters, supporting the Golden Knights and meeting them personally and watching and learning football during the Ateneo Football League. These and all other interactions allowed me to see the needs in the different niches of the life an Ateneo student giving me a bigger picture of how to bring the SSG closer to the students. These and all other meet ups and chats showed to me that SSG life ironically is not about papers, discussions, policies, programs, services, proposals, representations, complaints, funds, grievances, resolutions, court decisions, chaotic elections, propagandas, platforms and parties.  More than anything else, it is about building communities. It is about building a family of Ateneans who share the same vision and who share the same fate. It is about friendship, partnership and alliances, working together and working things out. It is about listening with one another, engaging in dialogues in search for truth and sharing the spirit and the heart of leadership and service to promote development of individuals, of the Ateneo community and in the long run, the development of the nation and of Bikol in particular.

The irony however about this realization is that while I am humbled by these experiences with different organizations, I have failed to create a community within the student government itself. I found the student government as an office, as an institution and as a workplace. Admittedly, I was very much task-oriented seeing the things which we have to rebuild and the services and programs we have to offer. I fear that if things wouldn’t be made the soonest time possible, we might find ourselves in an irrelevant institution. I felt the need to resuscitate the SSG by pushing hard and working to achieve the goals regardless of who will be affected, regardless of who will be sacrificed. Now, I am the reaping the fruits of this strategy. Indeed, the ssg has started to become relevant for the students and for the university but I have lost the opportunity of becoming good friends with my co-officers whom with all honesty, until just recently I have considered simply as partners and co-workers and some of them, even subordinates. I have been a good manager for the ssg but I have failed to become a leader for these people.  I thought service for and with others is directed only towards the persons whom we ought to serve as officers of the government. I missed that when Christ said serve one another, those others also include the members of my immediate community, Chucky, Lanz, Ryciel, Faith, Marian, Paw, Nadine, Noel, Ryan, AA, Kim, Felix, Van, John, Kevin, Ralph and Darren. I have failed to lend my ears to them. I have also failed to share my heart with them and this, I regret this very day.

The only thing I have for now is hope, hope that things would be better, that we would perfectly understand each other and we will never be aloof with me just as I am with them.  I do not know where to begin but I remain hopeful. I do not know when the wounds with heal but I remain hopeful and open for all possibilities.