Tag: May 14, 2012

TWO RANKING Dominicans are switching places.

Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III, O.P., rector of the UST Central Seminary, is the new head of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, replacing Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, Jr., O.P., who is expected to become the next seminary rector.

Timoner, who now serves as vice chancellor of UST by virtue of his post as Filipino prior provincial, vowed to keep members of the order “right on track and focused” in fulfilling the Dominican mission.

He was elected as the 10th Prior Provincial by 24 delegates from 14 convents during the provincial chapter at the UST Retreat Center in Baguio last April 19. The chapter is held every four years.

THE UNIVERSITY is blocking the government’s plan to build a flyover on Lacson Street, saying it poses risks to UST Hospital patients and would disrupt classes.

Before stepping down as rector at the end of the academic year, Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. went public on his opposition to the plan, arguing that noise from passing vehicles will disrupt operations of colleges at the Albertus Magnus and Roque Ruaño buildings and affect the flow of vehicles, especially ambulances going to and from the hospital.

“Once they start the construction, there will be heavy traffic. What will happen to our patients? This (Lacson Street) is where the ambulances enter and exit,” he said in an interview with the Philippine Star on March 29.

THE COLLEGE of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) remains the most prolific producer of honor students, giving medals to four out of every 10 graduates this year.

CTHM had three summa cum laudes out of 158 honor students. Honor graduates accounted for 41.34 percent of the total, higher than last year’s 37.55 percent, and the highest recorded in the college since 2006.

While CTHM has been the top producer of honor students for two straight years, Dean Ma. Cecilia Tio Cuison said the college is really focused more on producing employable graduates.

“We are focusing on how we can produce [students] who will easily meet the standards of the industry,” she said.

A MANILA trial court has dismissed a complaint filed by the University against the private operator of the carpark building and its tenants, prompting UST to bring the dispute over lease contracts to the Court of Appeals.

Judge Silvino Pampilo of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 26, in an order dated Jan. 16, said that since there is already a civil case between UST and carpark firm Selegna Holdings Corp. pending at Branch 47, the second one amounted to “forum-shopping.”

Pampilo dismissed UST’s motion for reconsideration as well as a request for him to inhibit from the case in an order last Feb. 20.

The Benedictine Law Center, a law office representing the carpark firm, sent copies of the orders to the Varsitarian last March.

THE ADMINISTRATION has defended the P42-per-unit tuition hike next academic year, saying the “minimal” increase is needed to prevent faculty members and even librarians from being “pirated” by other universities.

Assistant Treasurer Leonardo Syjuco said the 3.5-percent increase was necessary to raise the salaries of University employees to meet the “rising cost of living.”

“Faculty members, support staff, and officials are expecting that there would be [an] increase in their salaries every year,” Syjuco told the Varsitarian. “Let’s suppose that there would be no tuition increase. Saan manggagaling ‘yung ibibigay sa kanila?”

THE LOSING party in the recent Central Student Council (CSC) elections has appealed before the University’s highest disciplinary board, calling for the nullification of the victories of two winning candidates.

In a 24-page complaint filed before the Central Judiciary Board (CJB) last March 6, Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino (Lakasdiwa) said the UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) “committed a grave abuse of discretion when it promptly announced another set of winners.”

“The Comelec acted beyond the authority granted by the Students’ Election Code of 2007 (SEC),” Lakasdiwa said in the complaint.

Comelec announced the first set of winners last Feb. 22, a day after the rescheduled manual elections in the College of Fine Arts and Design.

UST’S passing rates dropped in the recent “off-season” electronics engineering and chemical engineering boards, with no Thomasian entering the respective top 10 lists.

The University posted a 75.61-percent passing rate in the electronics engineering exam, with31passers out of 41 examinees. This was lower than last year’s 81.3 percent, wherein 59 passed out of 71 examinees.

Three of eight first-time takers and 28 of 33 repeaters passed this year’s exam.

Despite the decline, UST’s performance was not “humiliating” compared with other engineering schools, Faculty of Engineering Dean Josefin de Alban Jr. said.

“In fact, other schools congratulated us for our overall passing rate,” De Alban said in an interview.

STUDENTS from the faculties of Arts and Letters (Artlets) and Pharmacy are struggling financially in their quest to present their researches abroad.

Eighteen fresh graduates of Journalism are planning to attend the 21st Annual Conference of the Asian Media Information and Communication Center (AMIC) in Malaysia but are still having a hard time seeking funds.

Artlets Dean Michael Anthony Vasco has endorsed them to the Artlets Alumni Office, saying the dean’s office can only accommodate current students.

TO IMPROVE the quality of pharmaceutical services and to intensify the battle against counterfeit medicines, some 2,300 pharmacists gathered in a convention at the Quadricentennial Pavilion from April 26 to 28.

Philippine Pharmacists Association, Inc. President Leonila Ocampo said pharmacists in charge of medicines in the market face the challenge of standing by their oath of professionalism.

“[Their] core function is to provide only quality medicines and services to the public in the most cost-effective manner,” she said in her opening remarks.

Kamal Midha, former International Pharmaceutical Federation president and convention keynote speaker, said developing “need-based” medicine and practice must be the focus of pharmacists.

STUDENTS from the Faculty of Engineering are raising eyebrows over a student program lending calculators to students.

“Oplan Pahiram,” which started last academic year, was opposed by majority of Engineering students, who claimed many are becoming increasingly lax and dependent on the council.

“If you’re in Engineering, you should always be ready and not dependent on others,” Chemical Engineering senior Rychielle Loreszca said. “The calculator is the most important thing for us.”

But Engineering Student Council (ESC) President Marvin Morante said they know how to divide the line between extending help and making students too dependent.