Delays in fixing Palma Hall’s main circuit breaker as well as insufficient funds for retrofitting classrooms mean a postponed return to campus for many Philosophy majors.
In the Philosophy Department Assembly today, February 11, the philosophy faculty revealed that, as directed by a memorandum from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) Dean Maria Bernadette Abrera, most classes in the department will begin face-to-face classes by mid-April, after the reading break.
According to Undergraduate Coordinator Romulo Bañares, Palma Hall is experiencing a problem with the electricity supply due to the inadequacy of the current circuit breaker. The lights on the first and second floors are flickering.
Meanwhile, the rooms on the third and fourth floors, where most philosophy and anthropology classes are held during pre-pandemic setup, have no electricity supply at all.
Although the college has already procured a new circuit breaker, they expect that they will be fixed by mid-April.
Although a bigger budget allocation was asked for better campus return preparation, the faculty noted that the reason for the delay in the expected start of face-to-face classes in many CSSP, especially philosophy, courses is due to the budget cut.
It can be remembered that there is a P22.3-billion budget deficit when the UP budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2023 is compared with the proposed budget allocation of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for the University for FY 2023.
Moreover, when the General Appropriations Acts (GAAs), the effective budget allocation law, for FY 2022 and FY 2023 are compared, there is a P128.4-million budget cut in 2023 for the UP System.
However, there are still some undergraduate philosophy classes that will hold face-to-face classes even before mid-April in PAV classrooms instead of AS classrooms. Those are the Philo 176 (Social and Political Philosophy) classes of Asst. Prof. Enrique Benjamin Fernando, Asst. Prof. Marielle Antoinette Zosa, and Assoc. Prof. Karen Connie Abalos-Orendain.
Moreover, some General Education philosophy classes will be held face-to-face for some weeks before mid-April. Those are the Philo 11 and Philo 1 classes (F2F for the first two weeks only) under Asst. Prof. Rubicon Soberano.
For bigger CSSP classes that have face-to-face components before mid-April, some classrooms of the College of Science will be borrowed, particularly from the Math Building Annex, the Institute of Chemistry, and the National Institute of Geological Sciences.
The department also reminded students in the assembly that they are not allowed to “stroll around” Palma Hall given that the building has no proper facilities as of now.
To follow health protocols, only students with classes or with official transactions will be permitted inside.
Waiting areas and isolation rooms will also be created.
The department also said that they were unable to comprehensively answer queries about organization-related activities and “org tambayans,” as these will be clarified in a meeting between the College Dean, Associate Dean, and the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) Coordinator next week.
Given that the University is to implement its face-to-face transition this coming semester, the faculty assures that Palma Hall will definitely accommodate face-to-face classes after the reading break.
Students who will take CSSP courses are encouraged to inquire with their professors regarding their particular face-to-face class scheduling and their particular rooms.
Majors say Philosophy must be studied F2F
A position paper by Apeiron Core Group, the student volunteer arm of the Philosophy Department, revealed that the majority of philosophy majors prefer model 3 or the classic blended learning and see having face-to-face classes as urgent for the department, according to the gathered insights from a sensing form.
Moreover, although the argument that “philosophy is more theoretical” impeded the department from conducting face-to-face components last semester, many students believe that the online set-up has hampered learning.
They also pointed out that several philosophy classes ought to be taught face-to-face. Classes specifically mentioning Philo 1 (Philosophical Analysis), Philo 11 (Logic), Philo 12 (Intermediate Logic), Philo 160 (Philosophy of Science), Philo 171 (Ethics), the Applied Philosophy electives (Practical Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Philosophy of Law), and Philo 199 (Senior Research) as the most mentioned courses.
It can be remembered that in the last 53rd General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC), the CSSP Student Council (SC) and other councils lament the exclusion of the humanities and social sciences in the return to campus and heightens the call for a more inclusive ligtas na balik eskwela.
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In light of the transition period and increasing inflation rate, students also demand faster and clearer guidelines and communication, more dormitory slots, transportation allowances, study hubs, institutionalization of programs like PsycServ, and emergency health services.
The position paper added, “[i]n this return to campus, we hope to work with the Department of Philosophy. We laud their efforts to provide quality philosophical education and know that we have the exact same goal: to uphold the Honor and Excellence that is expected of every Pilosopo ng Bayan. Apeiron Core Group stands firmly alongside the broader UP and CSSP communities in the campaign for a safe return to campus. Pilosopo ng Bayan, sama-sama sa panawagang Ligtas na Balik Eskwela at Ligtas na Balik PamantASan!”
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Featured image courtesy ofJohannes Hong
