Many Ateneans get their first taste of the University’s famed org life at the annual Recruitment Week (RecWeek). Wherever you look, you can expect upperclassmen in their creative org booths doing all sorts of gimmicks to get you to join their org: Handing out flyers, chanting cheers, or giving you their best spiels.
The application process is fairly simple. You sign up for an interview or attend a general assembly. Eventually, you find yourself rushing through the halls of Ateneo’s hub for organizations—the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership—to attend a meeting or hang out in your org room. You’re no longer a lost freshman but a fully-fledged org member excited to bond with org mates and work on projects.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has indefinitely halted campus culture as we know it, as everything—from org meetings to RecWeek—has migrated online. Due to restrictions that limit in-person interaction, org recruitment and management have become more challenging than before.
An unfamiliar set-up
League of Independent Organizations (LIONS) Coordinator Cristina Batalla (4 AB DS) shares that they expect less students to sign up for orgs this year. “It’s difficult to gather people if you’re not in a physical space. Kasi in the real RecWeek…there are people right there who can pitch the org to you...talk you into it, and connect with you on a more emotional, human level,” she says.
Council of Organizations of the Ateneo-Manila (COA-M) RecWeek Head Isabelle Cruz (4 BS ME) adds that another challenge is showing students how vital org culture is to Atenean student life. “It’s really challenging for the org community because a lot of the initiatives and interactions of an org need on-campus interaction,” she says.
To combat all these challenges, Ateneans can expect a RecWeek that spans two weeks so that orgs can maximize promotions. According to Cruz, COA-M and LIONS will be assisting the orgs by providing collateral blast schedules and by maximizing social media platforms to allow each one to recruit fairly. Batalla adds that they have been working with Developer Student Club Loyola to produce an application that will centralize the RecWeek processes for both COA and LIONS orgs.
Breathing life into new culture
As COA and LIONS work towards reinventing RecWeek, the student orgs face the challenge to align their thrusts accordingly for the year.
For instance, the Company of Ateneo Dancers (CADS) needed to reevaluate their programs and processes since their events are heavily reliant on the physical platform. “As an events-based organization, a lot of time was put into redefining the roles of our production staff and performers, as well as with carefully selecting which projects we should transform into online activities,” says CADS President Tisha Agbayani (4 BS COMTECH).
On the other end, sector-based orgs like Ateneo Special Education Society (SPEED) have also faced difficulties with the new set-up, for they typically further their advocacies by visiting their partner communities. Aside from the impossibility of these visits, SPEED President Gabby Ozaeta (5 BS CH-MSE) notes that it’s also become much more difficult to establish connections among members of the org.
Because of these obstacles, orgs have found more creative ways to bond and check up on each other’s workload and mental health.
Agbayani shares that CADS will execute various projects to help transition old and new members to the online platform, as well as provide bonding opportunities where they may develop as “artists and leaders.” “It was important for [the Executive Board] to ensure that our members are able to transition smoothly into an online setting–making it a safe space for collaboration and creativity,” she asserts.
Habitat for Humanity-Blue Chapter (HFH-BC) President Kitchy Dy (4 BS ME) mentions that HFH-BC members have virtual workout and online gaming sessions to build rapport with one another. Meanwhile, Ateneans Guided and Inspired by their Love for Animals (AGILA) President Clio Banta-ao (4 AB IS) says that AGILA members are encouraged to be transparent with their workload and mental well-being. This is so that AGILA’s Executive Board can take important factors into consideration when delegating tasks.
AGILA also hopes to further its advocacy by reaching out to shelters struggling to provide for its animals’ needs, as well as informing the Ateneo community on social media that our campus cats remain cared for.
Meanwhile, Ozaeta mentions that all sector-based orgs have begun discussing possible collaborations. “We’ve been talking amongst ourselves about allowing each of our organizations to have their own space to promote their advocacies.”
Orgs as our home and refuge
Regardless of the online setup and the obstacles it brings, freshies can still find value in joining orgs. Cruz shares that she owes a lot of her personal growth to the org community. Meanwhile, Agbayani adds that org life “provides opportunities that cater to diverse talents and skill sets, along with a family and second home within the university.”
Another perk of joining orgs, according to Dy, are the hard and soft skills one can learn. “Soft and transferable skills such as leadership, work ethic, and teamwork can be applied in other aspects of life, including academics and our future careers,” she explains. “For hard skills that aren’t covered in your course such as writing or coding, joining orgs that specialize in these are a great way to develop your interests and skills through various avenues provided by the organization.”
Apart from personal development and newfound friendships, Banta-ao believes that orgs extend beyond the University setting by encouraging others to fight for social change. Cruz echoes this by stating, “Orgs are spaces where students can go deeper into advocacy, and eventually, stand up and make ripples of change.”
As exemplified by each org’s commitment to adapting with the times, the motto “Org is life” still applies regardless of the setting. In the end, finding an org can be a source of growth, comfort, and meaningful work. With the vibrant org culture that Ateneo boasts, the chance to discover your passion and to help others is there for the taking. It only becomes a matter of when you decide to take the leap and sign up.