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Draft November 04, 2010 by S. De VeraFor comments Sir Aldrin, Jake & BadikEVENTS AND PROCESSES FOR THE AMENDMENT OF THE UNP STUDENT COUNCIL(under the term of the UNP-SC 2002-2003)

This document is written under the request of Mrs. Jesusa R. Unciano, Asst. Coordinatorfor Student Organization Development Program of the Office of Student Affairs. Entries in thisdocument are based from the (primary) authors memory recall of the events and processes

which transpired from the year 2001 up to 2004 related to the amendment, ratification and firstimplementation of the constitution and bylaws of the UNP Student Council.

1. Recommendation for the amendment of the UNP Student Council Constitution andBylaws first surfaced during the firts quarter of 2002 under term of Erwin Rallojay (2001-2002), I was then the Press Relations Officer and part of the group who recommendedthe said undertaking. The recommendation for the review and amendment were set onthe following objectives:

a. Create ways to better improve the reporting and feedback mechanisms for theOffice of the Student Regent;

b. Provide venue for wider participation of student leaders on planning, program

implementation & assessment of the UNPSC;c. Have a more effective means of administering services to the students; andd. Stronger leadership for campaigns on student issues in the university.

2. The amendment however did not materialized since most of the officers then,including the President were busy preparing for their graduation. After March 2002 only three members of the executive committee were left. To patch up the vacuum, anINTERIM-SC was created by the UNP-SC and OSA composed of the 3 SC ExecomMembers and remaining presidents of Mandated Organizations. The formation of theInterim-SC was essential for the following reasons:

a. Manage and administer the services of the student council;

b. Assure the continuous exercise of the students right to participate in making andimplementing university policies (specially that the University Policy Conferencewas slated during the summer of that year, held at San FabianPangasinan); and

c. Draft the working paper on the guidelines of the proposed Student Uniform andIdentification Card (tasked by the OSA director to the SC)

3. The OSA called for a Student Leaders Caucus on Student Issues before theconference facilitated by the Interim-SC and attended by the incumbent presidents ofthe Accredited Organizations and Staff of Student Publications who did not graduateduring March 2002, the OSA was represented by SODP Coordinator during the caucus.Its objective was to consolidate the concerns and recommendations of students on theproposed uniform and identification card. However, since most of the leading student

personalities were present, the caucus was extended to discuss other student concerns.The student leaders arrived with the following recommendations:

a. Uniform should be implemented university wide and would only cover theincoming freshmen so as to allow the upper class to continue utilizing theirprescribe uniform prior to the institutionalization of a university-wide uniform;

b. The blue (lower garment) and white (upper garment) combination, the SC will bein-charge of the bidding and would ensure that the university will offer the lowestprice per yard of the textile for the uniform;

c. Instead of outside production of the proposed PVC ID, the university shouldinstead purchase a machine to produce the said ID in a more affordable price;

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d. Update and review of the Students Handbook, specifically the Students Code ofConduct and Guidelines for Student Organizations;

e. Conduct an educational tour aimed in providing a venue for comparativebenchmarking with different student handbook, interaction with the differentstudent councils and national student alliances; and

f. Since the body was just an interim-SC, the student leaders agreed to endorsedthe suggestions for the review of the student handbook and educational trip tothe elected SC officers next school year.

4. During the policy conference, the five recommendations above were presented andwas unanimously approved by the conference

5. When the SC Officers for AY 2002-2003 conducted its first meeting in August for thepreparation of the University Board Meeting and drafting of its Action Plan for 2002-2003, the review of the student handbook, amendment of the constitution and bylaws,and educational trip (bench marking) were included in the Action Plan.

6. The SC and OSA informed the Office of the President regarding the said undertakingand asked permission for the educational field trip which was immediately approved by

the University President. After the educational field trip, the OSA and SC formed a reviewcommittee to bench mark the student handbook and constitution and bylaws composedof the SC President and Secretary, Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor of Tandem, SODPCoordinator. The result of the review was then presented to the SC Officers, MandatedPresidents, and TANDEM Editorial Staff for comments and additional annotations. Copyof the recommendations was likewise given to the OSA Director. The review committeepresented the following:

A. General Recommendationsa. Conduct a Student Policy Conference to refine and finalize the draft of the

amended Students Code of Conduct, Policies and Guidelines for StudentOrganizations, and UNP SC Constitution & By-laws.

b. Enactment of a Students Charter is necessary to provide a sharper classificationand understanding of the rights and welfare of the students.c. A budget should be allotted for the process from the Student Miscellaneous Fund

since the project would require intensive reviews, discussions and editing;extensive information, education and communication among the students; wouldentail bulk printing of drafts; necessitate travel to Candon Campus and manpowerspecially during the university student plebiscite.

B. On the Students Handbooka. Some provisions of the student code of conduct are to vague and general (eg.

immoral acts), there is a need to provide more specific description of offensesespecially those that constitute to grave offenses;

b. Sanctions should be more constructive, focused on the over-all rehabilitation ofthe offender and guidelines should be provided for the monitoring of theindividual (community service & monitoring by the guidance office wererecommended);

c. The handbook should include the process/steps for the application of accreditationof student organizations and the selection of advisers;

d. Should contain the basic rights and welfare of students (charter), description ofthe different student organizations and mechanisms to address their concernsand issues.

e. A recommendation from PROFRAT being the university-instituted fraternity councilshould have a part in the recognition of fraternities.

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C. On the Constitution and By-lawsa. Redefining the Student Council. The student Council is composed of all the

student organizations in all levels, colleges/institute and of whatever interest orfunctions they serve. (renaming the highest student organization as theUniversity Student Council)

b. Restructuring of the Student Council to provide more time for the SCPresident to function as member of the board of regent looking not only to theconcerns of the students but that of the different shareholders of the university (creation of 3 VP, 1 that would focus on student concerns, 1 on the administrationof the SC office and Volunteer Corp, and 1 for Candon. Integration of PROFRATand SC Volunteer Corps)

c. Centralized Leadership through the creation of a central student body were theStudent Regent could report and assist him in planning and decision making (USLA).Decentralized operation by creating councils of mandated andaccredited organizations that would ensure and monitor the implementation of SCprograms at the grassroots level (CSIGs, AUCs, PROFRAT).

d. Election of a Student Regent of the members of the USLA. (to give a chance tostudent leaders from candon and those who are not interested in running aspresident of the student council but has the ability, qualifications and guts to be a

part of the governing board)e. Adding a section for the UNP-SC SEAL, DOMICILE and define an independentstudent body that would administer the election of the student council (SELECOM).

f. Provide a means for Candon Campus to have a larger number of student leadersfrom the campus participating in the planning, implementation, review andassessment of student programs, projects and concerns. (VP for Candon andincreasing the representative involving the members of PROFRAT Candon & CSIG)

g. FRESHMEN PARTICIPATION. Provide a venue for the representation, airing ofconcerns and leadership development of freshmen (Freshmen Bloc Assembly).

7. The OSA Director requested that the UNP-SC be in charge of the writing the working

drafts of the documents to be presented during the Student Policy Conference. The UNP-SC in turn, divided the task among them the students charter and constitution wasgiven to the president and secretary. The working drafts were then submitted to the OSAdirector (through the SODP Coordinator) for comments and suggestions. After thecomments have been integrated a copy of the working drafts were distributed to thedifferent student organizations, student publications and SODP Coordinator for furtherreview and additional comments/annotations in preparation for the Student PolicyConference.

8. The First Student Policy Conference was held at UNP-MRDC, Nalvo, Sta. Maria,Ilocos Sur. It was attended by the officers of the Student Council, majority of theMadated & Accredited Organization Presidents, and key members of the editorial board

of the different Student Publications. The OSA was represented by the SODP Coordinatorand at the same time as the Adviser of the UNP-SC. The following working drafts wererefined and finalized for presentation during the University Policy Conference in Banaue,Ifugao:

a. UNP Student Council Constitution and By-lawsb. Students Charterc. Students Code of Conduct and Disciplined. Policies and Guidelines for Student Organizations

9. The above mentioned drafts were presented to the 2003 Policy Conference atBanaue, Ifugao. Copies of the documents were provided to all the participants of the

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conference for their review, comments and suggestions. (Based on our experience, thisis where most of the grilling and grinding would take place)

10.After the integration of the suggestions from the policy conference, the StudentRegent informed the University President for the presentation of the documents beincluded in the agenda of the Board Meeting. Generally, the content of the documentswere approved by the BOR except for the separate election of SR the SC President ishas enough time to discharge his functions as University Administrator and StudentRepresentative having three VPs to assist him with student concerns in the university.

11.The recommendations and revisions of the BOR were again integrated and wascertified by the BOR secretary, it was again presented to the majority of student leadersbefore it was submitted for the approval of the University President and OSA Director forbulk printing to be use for the information dissemination campaign in UNP Main andCandon Campus. (the amendments were even broadcast in 3 am radios)

12.After more than 1 month of Information and Education campaign the plebiscite forthe student charter and constitution and by-laws were scheduled. While the StudentsCode of Conduct and Policies and Guidelines were considered for implementation after

the approval of the BOR.

13.The Students Charter and Amended Constitution & Bylaws were ratified through aplebiscite involving the entire UNP studentry (except for graduate and law school) andwas able to meet the 50% + 1 requirement. In UNP Main Campus, an overwhelmingYES vote was casted while a NO vote prevailed in UNP Candon because of internalissues and machinations involving student leaders and officials in Candon Campus.

14.The Amended Constitution was took effect during the term of Emilio Torricer (exceptfor the stipulated date for the election), however since it was a transition StudentCouncil the formation of the different branches of the University Student Council tooktime (the entire term of Emil was geared towards the completion of the

terms/provisions stipulated in the student charter and amended constitution.)