November 30, 2024
by Denise Angelica Clave
The academic year of 2024 to 2025 is nearing its end.
Some have set out on a journey to their last hurrah and prepared themselves for their graduation, while many others have just begun their college life. The former forces have done their part, and as for the latter, they don’t exactly manage the jump from high school to college all that well.
A manifestation of the newcomers’ troubles lies in their lack of participation in certain school events and why they fail to attend any further ones after their orientation, even though they are fairly active in class. Those events should have been a way to unwind from the usual cycle—that is, entering classrooms to catch up, tune in on new lessons, and maybe turning in an activity or two as a trial of their understanding of the content of their subjects so far.
When one of the topics has suggested a gradual decline, it is only a matter of time to take a few stances on this, perhaps addressing why students would rather pass a chance to enter those aside to the college experience and how this would affect progress, both for those who run and manage the school, and the students their events are supposed to cater to.
On one side, Ma’am Camelle Yu, the former Head of Student Affairs and current Executive Secretary to the President, gave a quick remark on the trend by taking note of how their participation would have enabled them to grow and their refusal meant that they failed to acknowledge the importance of that simple act.
On the other hand, we got a glimpse of the students themselves in a series of quick interviews and inquiries on this observation. Though this has only reached first-year students, they have been the driving force for the Asian International School of Aeronautics and Technology’s new student orientation programs, which are technically the first-ever events they have taken part in, placing significance in their status as recent arrivals to the school’s roster. Their takes have been summed up in the following factors:
Hanging in the balance — It should be given that the overwhelming array of larger-scale projects has hindered them from joining school-related events. Still, one could also consider weighing their interests with the many new programs the school offers. Likewise, if an event checks out with their interests, or if they do have the time and resources to participate, they may be more compelled to join in on the fun and allow a little more freedom.
Calls to attention — At the time of writing this, we are currently in the digital age, where entertainment is just a tap away with the use of our devices, and recent events have made use of this progression, introducing new ways to interact within them. However, joining those side events can feel like a chore, especially when they effectively listen to practice, as speeches take up more time than any other activity, and making them mandatory only adds to the students’ troubles. There is nothing wrong with giving speeches every now and then, though this begs the question of how organizers should address the apparent lack of interest from students about to release their phones from sheer boredom at any time.
Joining the school’s events should have helped students grow, yet the target audience has strayed further, contrary to what is expected from both sides. In an effort to get them to engage and participate once again, they must cooperate and address their shortcomings as they take advice from each other in planning for future events. Conducting surveys at the end is a good start to remedy this and bring back fervor in the students, increasing their willingness to participate.