Making UA&P Great
We all saw that reel involving an “interview” made on campus grounds by an outsider with a manifest intention to discredit the name of the University in the court of public opinion. We were also faced with the disappointing responses of not a few students ranging from comments about how they would have preferred to be in Ateneo (not in itself repugnant) to a shamelessly candid “fuck UA&P” by someone who probably couldn’t pass La Salle’s entrance exam.
The more egregious among these responses have rightly merited outrage. A professor made an apt analogy: it would be like telling your second romantic partner that you are only with him/her because you couldn’t make it with your ex. There are also pragmatic concerns which pertain more to the institutional reputation of the University which could harm prospective employment opportunities for our students, including those involved in the video.
On the other hand, we have to acknowledge that these sentiments do come from a legitimate sense of frustration with certain aspects of University life. Of course this does not give us license to publicly disparage our University or to act in ways contrary to basic propriety. If we continue to treat our University community like a trash heap for Ateneo rejects, we will inevitably act in a way befitting a trash heap–which has the further effect of solidifying our perceptions, so on and so forth. A vicious cycle.
Instead, we should set out our time and energies in making UA&P great. I believe that this can be done at the lowest possible levels of authority, i.e., the student body and faculty members. In fact this is a contractual obligation to be fulfilled at all levels of the University community, including alumni who swear an oath at the end of their graduation ceremony. Greatness in this sense means the fulfillment of one’s purpose, or if you want to be fancy about it, telos.
And the purpose of UA&P is set out in its Statement of Principles: “The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) seeks to promote the integral development of the members of the University community, undertake research for the common good of society, and contribute to the enrichment and spread of culture.” I believe that we, the student body, can act upon these principles in a more direct and immediate way, i.e., without needing the greenlight of the ManCom.
The integral development of UA&P members should always go back to the understanding that we are, first and foremost, persons before we are students and teachers. This means that students and teachers alike should (within the limits of professional ethics) be more involved in the extracurricular life of the University, finding avenues for mutual cooperation and friendship. This already exists in a certain capacity, e.g., mentoring and centers, but should be expanded (especially as many faculty members are alumni). In other words: we should avoid being deskbound.
We also need to fix our business model. Though many students remain apprehensive about the new administration, I believe that the incoming Management Committee is on the right track when it comes to changing the university’s business model. The truth of the matter is that we have always been known for being a business and economics institution with a Catholic liberal arts framework. I believe that this is a niche worth building on.
Indeed, the only way that the University can sustainably secure the future of itself and its constituents (especially its employees) is by going beyond mere cost-cutting measures and actually re-calibrating its industry priorities. And this does require us to think like a business, even as a non-profit institution.
With regard to research, there is nothing stopping us from working with members of the faculty in order to discuss research ideas or even to collaborate on research projects. For a university with several M.A. programs, it is appalling that only a handful of our professors (much less our students) publish in indexed academic journals or even our own in-house publications. A step forward could be the establishment of a student-led undergraduate academic journal which could open up avenues for collaboration of this sort.
Finally, with regard to the enrichment and spread of culture, I would actually caution against over-emphasizing “corporate culture.” I believe that the best leader---whether in politics or in the boardroom---is the gentleman who can navigate various cultural, social and political contexts. This means that while classical music, business casual, golf and pickleball are important (and admittedly useful), this need not come at the expense of student theater, basketball, or other more popular forms of culture.
A broad formation in culture, combined with a specialized formation in a particular field, can actually provide a person with the mental and spiritual tools (otherwise known as virtues) needed to navigate the dynamics of human society. I am not saying that we should remain on the level of so-called “mass culture,” but rather, we should attempt to develop a more integrated view of culture. The widening of human capital can actually make someone a better businessman and professional---an elite, in the words of some sociologists.
With that being said, I would ask that we as a university reflect on the following quote from Benedict XVI: “The ways of the Lord are not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great things, for goodness” (Address to German Pilgrims, April 25, 2005). This is no less true for the University of Asia and the Pacific.
Daniel Tyler Chua is the founder and president of the Collegium Perulae Orientis. He is also a contributor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Sentinel PH.
