NEWS
November-December 2013
3
Admin bares new scholarship rules By Jesserene D. Miranda and Lovely Joy Calisterio
Scholarship grants in the University are undergoing “radical changes” to ensure that financial assistance is given only to those who are “deserving.” “For the University to recruit better talents, we need to offer better scholarship packages,” Admissions and Financial Assistance (AFA) Director Albert Cabasada III said. He admitted that policies and procedures on entrance scholarship are being overhauled to attract top candidates. In the old policies, an applicant must either get an above-average score in the Far Eastern University College Admission Test (FEUCAT) or must be a high school graduate with honors. In the new policies, however, an applicant must have both qualifications to be considered for the entrance scholarship. The revised policies will give full discount on tuition and book allowance good for one year to students who can maintain a grade of at least 3.00 or B each semester. There will already be limited slots in the entrance scholarship, unlike before when
Tamaraw hopefuls. Fourth year high school line up for the FEU College Admissions Test in hoping to be part of the Green-and-Gold community. (Photo by Anjanette T. Dee)
all those who met either of the qualifications were admitted as entrance scholars. As for academic scholars, Cabasada said that there will be no maintaining grade anymore because of the new “ranking system.” In the old grading system, getting a grade of 1.00 to 1.25 would grant the student a full discount on tuition for the next semester while a grade of 1.26 or 1.50 would entitle him to a partial discount. In line with the changing of the grading system, students admitted in 2013 already have to get a grade point average (GPA)
of 3.50 or higher to qualify for academic scholarship. Not all students who get a GPA of 3.50 or higher will enjoy the grant by default. Students whose grades qualified for academic scholarship will then be ranked based on other factors like good conduct. Just like entrance scholarships, slots in the academic scholarship will now also be limited already. Therefore, not all students who would get a GPA of 3.50 or higher will enjoy the grant. Financial grants Needs-based
Amid ‘word war’ between Santiago, Enrile
Lawmakers call for Senate committee o n e t h i c s By Justin Royce Z. Baluyot and Mike Raymond F. Halili
Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
The bickering between Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Juan Ponce Enrile continued with personal attacks against each other in their recent privilege speeches, triggering fellow lawmakers to call for the creation of a committee on ethics in the Senate. in using Senators Sergio surely, ‘yung ‘sinungaling,’ Lim-Napoles nongovernment Osmeña III and Vicente ‘yung ‘bobo,’ ‘yung mga fake Sotto III said that there ganu’ng salita (words like organizations to siphon are plans in the Senate to ‘liar’ and ‘idiot’) which are senators’ funds. He stated that strike Santiago and Enrile’s value judgments cannot be parliamentary Santiago has no evidence to recent privilege speeches considered off the Senate records as in any part of the world,” back up her accusations and even called her “grandmama these might hurt the image Escudero said. Meanwhile, Senate of all falsehood fabricators.” of the Upper House. Senate Leader Alan The “That is too Majority personal… That is not the Cayetano said that there minority leader also hurled business of the Senate. should be a code of ethics personal attacks against Otherwise, more than half of in Senate to prevent such Santiago as he said that words she almost flunked the bar the Senate would be in jail if unparliamentary examinations and that she you bring out these things,” during Senate sessions. “Kung hindi ay was under the care of a Osmeña was quoted in an http:///www.mb.com. tiyak na mangayayari ulit ito psychiatrist. Enrile stated the ph news article posted last dahil umiiba na naman ang December 6, referring to lenggwahe, umiiba na naman he really did not know why Santiago’s December 4 ang style para mapansin Santiago has been mad at privilege speech where she ng media (Or else this will him but concluded that her said that Enrile was having happen again because the outrage towards him arose an affair with his chief of language and style are from two past events. “One was when I changing again so they will staff. There is no be noticed by the media),” he opposed her confirmation as Secretary of Agrarian committee on ethics in added. Reform during the the Senate yet; thus it is administration of President hard to discipline senators Word war Enrile on his Corazon C. Aquino and these days, Senator 27 privilege another was when I refused Francis Escudero said in an November interview in ABS-CBN News speech defended himself to include her in the from Santiago’s accusations majority block when I was Channel last December 5. He added that that he is the mastermind of elected Senate president in senators should not use the multi-billion peso scandal November 2008 and, again, Priority Development in July 2010,” he said. “unparliamentary” words on Assistance Fund (PDAF), M e a n w h i l e , particularly in the Senate. “ W h a t also known as lawmakers’ Santiago stressed during ‘unparliamentary’ means pork barrel, which involves her privilege speech last has been established by not less than five senators, December 4 that Enrile was congressmen and tradition in Congresses 23 Continue to page 13... Janet all over the world. And businesswoman
scholarship, intended for diligent yet financially challenged students, is now classified into two: LongTerm Educational Assistance
Program (LEAP) and Financial Assistance Fund. LEAP comes in limited slots, with only 12 slots last school year, and is usually for students who do not have means to finance their education. “Ito ‘yung para sa mga estudyanteng mahihirap o biglang naghirap (This is for those who are financially challenged),” Cabasada said. Upon admission, the grantee will be given full discount on tuition, miscellaneous and other identified subject-specific fee subsidies, monthly stipends, and allowances on books, uniforms and housing. The grantee, however, must comply with retention rules which include a GPA
of 2.0 or C, no failing grades, dropped courses and major disciplinary offenses. Financial Assistance Fund, on the other hand, is applied for by regular students in need of financial aid every semester. There are fixed amounts in three tiers: Level 1 (10 thousand-peso grant), Level 2 (15 thousandpeso grant) and Level 3 (20 thousand-peso grant) to be credited on their accounts. An estimate of 150 to 200 students who have financial difficulties will benefit from the program. “The University will set aside a budget per school year. It is a grant, not a loan, so
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FEU posts lower scores in CPA, LET
Far Eastern University’s (FEU) lower passing scores in the October 2013 Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Board Examination and September 2013 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) were caused by poor performance of repeaters, government data revealed. “Ang dahilan sa to contact students after FEU’s passing rate in the latest CPA board has pagbaba natin ay na sa repeaters, they graduate. dropped to 61.22 percent hindi sa first-time takers. Kung Meanwhile, FEU’s from last year’s 69.44-percent titignan natin ang repeaters, sa overall passing rate in the 17, apat lang ang pumasa kaya S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 3 L E Tpassing score. The University posted nahatak pababa (We got a lower elementary level has also a 23.53-percent passing rate for passing score is because of the dropped to 61.90 percent from repeaters; four out of 17 aced repeaters and not of the first-time last year’s 74.36 percent; 26 the test, and a 66.15-percent takers. Of the 17 repeaters, only out of 42 passed. passing mark for first-time four passed so our overall score On the other hand, was pulled down),” Baldres said. the University’s overall passing takers; 86 out of 150 passed. Graduates are given score in the LET-secondary Ninety out of 147 takers from FEU passed the free review lectures by FEU to level has also slid to 48.15 prepare them for the test. latest CPA licensure exam. percent from last year’s 52.68 “Although graduate na percent; only 78 out of 162 Alumnus Jerwin Norte Marqueses was one of sila, mayroong mga topic na hindi exam takers passed the test. the five to land in ninth place tinatalakay sa undergraduate FEU’s overall in the list of topnotchers program (There are review performance in LET was also after obtaining a grade of lectures given to help our pulled down by repeaters as graduates. We call the graduates only one out of 15 passed 91.29 percent in the test. Internal Auditing when we find a special lecturer for the LET-elementary level and Program Coordinator Ramil the review),” Baldres said. only 10 out of 54 aced the He added that there LET-secondary level. Baldres said that the overall performance of FEU was dragged are no review programs for repeaters since it is hard down because of repeaters. - Jastine Joshua G. Reyes
FTSO to continue retrofitting NB in Christmas break
New waiting area. Visitors queue up at the newly constructed visitors’ lounge located at the ground level of Nursing Building. (Photo by Caroline B. Castro)
Facilities and Technical Services Office (FTSO) will resume in retrofitting Nursing Building (NB) this Christmas break as operations were temporarily halted this semester to avoid inconvenience in classes. FTSO-Civil Engineering and Architectural Design Department Head Marcial Edillon said that the retrofitting should have been completed last summer. However, the enrollment period for last semester prompted to bring the operations to a halt as most of the computer laboratories used for enrollment was located at NB. Structural retrofitting is mainly focused on reinforcing and strengthening the columns and beams for structural safety. “[NB] is an old building already. I think it is built in the 1960s so it is old. When you go inside the Nursing Building, the layout, the
flooring, the tiles, everything, they have already gone through all these years,” Edillon said. Retrofitting NB is also part of the administration’s plan to “standardize” all academic buildings on campus considering that Law Building, Education Building and Nicanor Reyes Hall had already undergone through the same operation in the previous semesters. Edillon also said that after FTSO went through all the initial investigations, they found the need to retrofit the building for structural stability. To respond to the report, the administration is replacing NB’s columns’ cover to fiber polymer or glass fibers, a subset of man-made fibers which are based on synthetic chemicals, to add strength to the existing columns. The other goal of retrofitting is to maximize the
building for the use of non-Institute of Nursing students. “Now that the population of Nursing has gone down, [NB] has so many classrooms which are not really being used by Nursing students… So the plan is to have enough rooms for the Nursing students and enough rooms for other students,” Edillon added. Alongside the retrofitting was the construction of a visitors’ lounge at the ground level of NB which has an entrance in Nicanor Reyes, Sr. street. After the said retrofitting of NB, the administration is also planning to renovate the building once they are through with retrofitting. “The renovation is tentatively set next summer break,” Edillon said. -Emalhyne Grace A. Makinano With reports from Jesserene D. Miranda