VOL. 113
ISSUE NO. 2
F2F STATS
15
232
IN THE ZONE. Annekha Heria, a third year business and accountancy student, takes her first in-person exams after two years of online learning, November 14. (Photo: Ryan Dave Poral)
BUILDINGS & CLASSROOMS served as testing venues for the students
75 proctors were present to assist the examinees in taking their exams
10, 750 number of examinees is estimated to reach
CPU-CSF turns over wastewater treatment project by PRINCE RIC EMMANUEL PACIENTE
AGAINST THE ODDS
Centralians return to campus; express concern over F2F exams by DANICA MAE HABLADO
To regulate wastewater passing through the creek near Central Philippine University (CPU) Engineering Building, CPU Cross Swords Frasority (CSF) consigned a wastewater treatment project to the CPU Campus Sustainability Committee, last November 15. Present at the turnover were the Chair and Occupational Safety and Health Officer Mr. Prim Vergara III, CPU Campus Sustainability Committee and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Stella Fernandez, Cross Swords Officer Atty. Jeremy Bionat, Head of the Office for Institutional Advancement Engr. Amy Castigador, and NSTP and WSSP Coordinator Ms. Analie Gelongos. WASTEWATER page 2
university
Praise Jam peaks CEW 2022 page 05
features
Bloom with Grace page 10
Students at Central Philippine University showed mixed reactions about the face-to-face Midterm Examinations, the first in-person exams after more than two years of online classes. The three-day exams, held on November 14-17, saw a turnout of approximately 10,750 enrolled college students, the majority of whom stepped foot in the University’s classrooms for the first time. When the pandemic broke out in 2020, CPU transitioned to the online mode of learning, and major examinations have been taken online ever since. The difference in the teaching mode and exam conduct specifically raised concerns. “I’m a third-year college student, but this is my first time stepping foot in one of CPU’s classrooms,” Jan Alysa Lucero of BS Psychology said, noting the result of years-long distant learning. Moreover, transportation and distance from school are among the challenges experienced by Centralians during the in-person examinations.
“Living far from school has doubled my worries. Not only should I think about the long hours of commute, but I also had to stress over where I would stay while taking the exams,” Ellena Anne Jelica Esperal said, a BS Psychology student who travels from the municipality of Lambunao to the city. In more than two years of lockdown, the Philippines was among the countries with the biggest number of cases and also one of the last countries to return to full face-to-face classes. According to Paul Dennis Fernandez, a fourthyear BS Nursing student, the return of in-person classes was something he “really anticipated for a long time.” “As a nursing student, I found it particularly challenging to take online tests with timed questions and complex settings. It affected my scores, so I was looking forward to the
face-to-face exams,” he said. Before the exams, CPU utilized blended learning, in which laboratory classes are conducted in person and minor subjects are conducted online. “We receive our instruction online, but why are our tests held on campus? I’m not opposed to it since I like taking examinations on campus; the feeling you get afterward differs from taking exams online. But I believe lectures should also be held on campus. Online lectures are more exhausting than offline lectures,” Christian Pilarco, a College of Medical Laboratory Science student, said. Teachers respond to students’ concerns by stressing how important it is that exams be taken offline for the University’s academic integrity. The Final Examination of the first semester is scheduled on December 12-17, also to be conducted face-to-face.