Special Reports

ASIDE from the tuition and miscellaneous fees, the University also charges students other fees, usually recommended by the deans of colleges and faculties. These are identified in the student registration form as “other fees.” Prof. Florita Aguiling, Budget Office director, identified four:

THE STUDENT council fee (SCF) is supposed to fund the projects and activities of the student councils. But local student councils are complaining that the SCF is not serving its purpose because it is not properly and regularly disbursed. As a result, the local councils say they cannot implement their projects. Moreover, cash-strapped councils hold fund-raising projects or even shoulder the expenses.

At the College of Nursing, budget requisitions are slow, said Katrina Urbi, council president.

SOMETHING is brewing at the UST Cooperative canteen.

To most students, the “Coop”, as it is fondly called, serves as a food haven, where the hungry Thomasian gets his quail eggs, mojos, and tacos quick and cheap. To the tenants, the Cooperative Canteen is a source livelihood. But to the UST administration, the Coop present a big obstacle to its plan of turning the Cooperative building into a student center, to house student organizations.

TO FURTHER improve the security on campus, the University will now provide students and employees digital identification cards. The news has roused mixed reactions, as this Varsitarian survey shows.

Do you agree with the introduction of the digital IDs?

“Yes, it is important to be up-to-date nowadays.”
- Angeline Serrano
1st yr. Pre-Com, College of Commerce

STARTING this semester, the UST administration is providing Thomasians with a new digital identification system.

While La Salle and Mapua have been using a similar system for years, it is only now that UST is upgrading its identification system—one of the few steps towards full computerization of facilities.

Being an open campus, the University has always had the problem of outsiders getting into student-designated areas.

IF THE University administration would have its way, it would apply a practical solution to a practical problem: it would phase out the Philosophy department of the UST Central Seminary (USTCS) due to the dwindling number of students. But the illustrious alumni of the oldest school of Philosophy in Asia would not hear of it. They believe the department, which houses young student-residents who are in one of UST’s Centers of Excellence, deserves another lease on life.

THE STIGMA brought by billiard halls and other places of amusement to schools seems to have worsen. Every day, more and more students are being drawn to what may be considered a social menace.

True enough, when the Varsitarian investigative team conducted a field survey, it found out that the patrons of these establishments are mostly students, some are minors.

LIKE its survey of the region’s best universities, Asiaweek magazine has stopped its survey of the best Master of Business Administration (MBA) schools due to “editorial reasons.”

DESPITE UST’s high student selectivity ranking of 48 out of 77 participating schools in last year’s Asiaweek survey of best Asian universities, UST still lagged behind University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), and De La Salle Universaity (DLSU) in the overall results. The three universities outclassed UST in academic reputation, research, faculty, and financial resources.

DURING rainy days or in times of disaster, Thomasians usually complain of delayed announcements of suspension of classes.

Unlike in both elementary and high school levels where announcements are made earlier on radio and TV stations, suspension of classes in the college level is announced much later since the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) often leaves the decision to school authorities.

This becomes a disadvantage and an inconvenience to students who live far from UST since they usually leave their houses early.