Online and onsite classes up to the senior high school level at UST will be suspended when Signal No. 1 is raised over Manila, according to the updated class suspension guidelines released by the Office of the Secretary General (OSG) on Thursday.
Previously, under Signal No. 1, classes at all levels proceeded as scheduled. Online assessments and examinations also proceeded as scheduled.
In a memorandum dated July 18, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. made public the updated guidelines, which were crafted in consultation with the Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.
Under Signal No. 2, onsite classes at the tertiary level may be suspended at UST’s discretion. Undergraduate and graduate students may still attend their online classes asynchronously.
If face-to-face classes are suspended after they have commenced, Thomasians will be permitted to stay on campus for up to three hours in consideration of heavy vehicular and foot traffic.
All classes will be suspended under Signal No. 3.
Classes will continue as scheduled when no typhoon signal is raised, even during strong rains or in the aftermath of a typhoon. In the absence of any class suspension, the OSG said classes will proceed as scheduled, “guided by the principles of dialogue, flexibility, and accessibility.”
The OSG reiterated that decisions on class suspensions will be based on the weather situation in Manila. For students or academic staff located in other areas during inclement weather, the OSG emphasized the necessity of evaluating individual contexts.
Academic officials will assess requests from students and academic staff to determine valid reasons that may warrant consideration and flexibility, taking into account individual contexts and concerns.
When feasible, the enriched virtual mode (EVM) of instruction, online synchronous sessions, and hy-flex sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the UST Cloud Campus to provide students access to these recordings as supplemental study material.
The updated guidelines did not include the online setup for assessments and examinations, which was included in the previous class suspension guidelines released in August 2022.
Suspension of in-person work will be announced by the OSG in coordination with the Office of the Vice Rector and the Human Resource Department.
Earlier, an OSG official told the Varsitarian that the factors for announcing class suspensions include the following: the daily weather bulletin, the academic calendar, the right balance between in-person and virtual classes, and the work arrangements of University staff and officials.
“We also closely assess the current conditions within our campus and in its immediate vicinity to ensure the safety and well-being of our University community while minimizing disruptions to learning,” Emmanuel Batulan, the executive assistant to the secretary general, told the Varsitarian in October 2023.
If there is no announcement from authorities, the University has the option of shifting to online classes using the EVM, Batulan said. Carlo Jose H. Ruga
