THE FIRST-EVER Central Student Council (CSC) officers at UST General Santos (GenSan) have been elected to represent 126 students from three academic units at the Mindanao campus.
The seven CSC Executive Board officers were elected on Oct. 12 by class officers and ambassadors, and took their oath on Oct. 16 during a Mass at the Main Building’s chapel.
Pharmacy freshman Sherifa Mantil leads the first set of UST GenSan student leaders as CSC president.
Medical technology freshman Noreen Nuña was elected internal vice president, while entrepreneurship freshman Enzo Anung will serve as external vice president.
Donita Sandro, an entrepreneurship freshman, was elected secretary, while Jiero Hinguillo, an industrial engineering freshman, was elected treasurer.
Medical technology Natasha Rodrigo and pharmacy freshman Danilo Jabiles III were elected auditor and public relations officer, respectively.
They will serve in an acting capacity for Academic Year 2024-2025.
Similar to UST Manila, the CSC at the Mindanao campus also has a Central Board, the legislative arm responsible for formulating council policies, rules, and regulations concerning students.
UST GenSan’s Central Board is composed of 18 officers distributed across five committees: school management, documents and logistics, finance, special events, and documentation.
Josephine de Castro, the acting Office for Student Affairs head and CSC adviser, said the need for student involvement in activities and events spurred the election of the interim student leaders.
“We need the help of the students,” she told the Varsitarian in a mix of English and FIlipino. “If we will constantly pull out students who are not really officers, that will be difficult on our part, so we decided to have an interim council instead.”
CSC’s plans
As the inaugural CSC president at UST GenSan, Mantil admitted that leading the fledgling student council would be difficult, underscoring the need to establish stable connections with the students first.
“Given that we are starting from almost scratch, it would be more difficult to handle a larger number without a solid base of governance,” she said. “In this way, we are able to unite and build closer connections with each other.”
While UST GenSan’s CSC follows the charter of Manila’s student council, Mantil stressed that its implementation must be tailored to the diverse student demography at the Mindanao campus.
“It’s our responsibility to adjust and attend to what is essential for the Tomasinong Mindanaoans’ growth and success,” she said.
De Castro also highlighted the need for the CSC to cater to students from different cultures.
“The values and skills of the students who are enrolled now…we have indigenous students, we have Muslim students, and we have different students from different religious affiliations,” she said.
De Castro said the CSC officers next year would be selected via formal elections open to all students. with reports from Amanda Luella A. Rivera