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Administrators Read Papers at Bali Conference
Vice
President for Academic Affairs Dr. Betsy Joy Tan headed a delegation
from Silliman University to the conference of the Asian Christian
Faculty Fellowship Federation held November 13 to 16 in Bali, Indonesia.
The
other members of the delegation were College or Arts and Sciences
Associate Dean Dr. Margaret Alvarez and College of Law Dean Atty.
Myles Nicholas Bejar. The three Administrators read a paper in different
sessions related to the conference theme: “Religious Pluralism
and Higher Education in Asia.”
Titled
“Service-Learning Asian Network: The Kyosei Way,”
Dr. Tan’s paper traced the development of the service-learning
(S-L) program of Silliman which is a teaching-learning strategy.
The S-L program aims to pursue the development of the students’
intellectual capacity along their chosen career paths by honing
their sense of social responsibility through service in a community.
The
paper also discussed the creation of the Service-Learning Asian
Network (SLAN), a product of a conference hosted by the International
Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. The creation of SLAN led to
the conception of the International Service Learning Model Program
(ISLMP) that espoused kyosei – a Nippongo term that denotes
intercultural symbiosis. Silliman was the host of the 2006 ISLMP
participated in by students from six universities around Asia.
Dr.
Alvarez’s paper, “Part of the Conversation: Women’s
Studies in Higher Education,” began with the examination of
the goals of higher education and the question of which of the two
– equality or equity of education – must be emphasized.
“While
there are those who suggest that equality of education should be
provided, meaning identical educational opportunities for all learners,
there are others who are promoting equity of education, meaning
the provision of varied educational opportunities in order to achieve
specified goals,” she explained in her paper.
Dr.
Alvarez mentioned four theoretical models for considering the role
and place of women in education: the conceptual approaches of pluralism,
assimilation, deficit, and social justice.
For
his part, Atty. Bejar shared how the College of Law is able to integrate
service-learning in its curriculum and in the activities of the
Dr. Jovito R. Salonga Center for Law and Development.
Under
the College’s program, students particularly of Environmental
Law, Legal Technique, Local Governments and Legal Counseling take
part in S-L activities. “(They) are able to acquire skills
not ordinarily taught in the classrooms, the value of service without
expecting reward in return, the joy of helping people in need, the
fulfillment of seeing an ordinance that works, the happiness brought
about by doing community service, and the rich experience of having
gone through all those.”
The
law program revolves around four S-L components: City Council Team
(working with the city council in formulating and passing effective
ordinances), Free Legal Assistance (rendering of free legal assistance
and representation in cases), Legal Research (gathering of information
and critical research on legal matters), and Advocacy (advancing
community advocacy positions, building strong networks, linkages,
and allies).
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Outstanding
Sillimanian for Law is ISSA Chair
Silliman
alumnus Atty. Alfredo Tadiar was recently elected Chairman of the
10-nation Board of Advisers of the International Development Law
Organization (IDLO) during its first meeting last month in Rome,
Italy.
Atty.
Tadiar was awarded Outstanding Sillimanian in the field of Law in
August of this year. He earned three academic degrees from Silliman:
Associate in Arts (with high distinction), Bachelor of Arts (cum
laude), and Bachelor of Laws (cum laude) in 1955. He placed 14th
in the bar examination in the same year. He finished his Master
of Laws at Harvard University in 1972, with commendation from the
law dean.
The
election of Atty. Tadiar makes him automatically ex-officio member
– and the only Filipino and Asian member – of IDLO’s
governing board. He was nominated to the board by the Philippine
Judicial Assembly of the Supreme Court, where he is chair of the
Department of Alternative Dispute Resolution, and endorsed by the
Department of Foreign Affairs.
In
the news material issued by the Institute for Social Studies and
Action, of which Board of Directors Atty. Tadiar Chairs, it said
the IDLO is composed of an 18-national Assembly of Parties. “(Its)
principal purposes are to promote sustainable development through
improvement of the legal and judicial systems in developing countries
and countries in economic transition, and contribute to the establishment
and progressive development and application of good governance and
the rule of law in said countries.”
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Silliman
Hosts Students from Ferris University
Silliman
University hosted 13 students from Ferris University in Japan from
November 20 to 28, under the Ferris University-Silliman University
Global and Intercultural Studies Program.
The
Program, which is part of the Peace Studies program of Ferris, entails
community exposure and processing of the experiences of the students
from the field. Japanese students are assigned to different partner
communities and agencies.
Dr.
Masaki Yokoyama, a professor from the Faculty of Global and Intercultural
Studies at Ferris, is heading the group composed of: Miho Arai,
Yoriko Kawashima, Yukiko Nishikawa, Yuuka Shinozaki, Kyonghi Ko,
Risa Kuroki, Tone Chiharu, Midori Yano, Sakiho Dochi, Tomoko Kawaguchi,
Misaki Harada, Aiko Takanashi and Nobue Kusaka.
“The
program helps the students adjust to the community’s living
environment. They can experience firsthand the ways of the community
and the priorities of the local people,” Dr. Yokoyama said.
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2
SU Teams Make it to National Debate Final Series
Two
teams of the Silliman University Debate Society (SUDS) advanced
into the quarterfinals and octofinals of the 10th National Debating
Championship (NDC) held last month at the Ateneo de Davao University.
Quarterfinalist
Team A, composed of Political Science senior Clyde Gregorio and
Psychology senior Kristi Allen, went up against University of the
Philippines Diliman (UPD)-A, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)-A
and UPD-D. The motion was “This house believes that liberal
democratic states should grant asylum to sexual minorities who face
persecution.”
Silliman
Team B, composed of Political Science senior Micah Dagaerag and
Medical Technology freshman Theresa Amor, faced off in the octofinals
with teams from ADMU and San Beda College on the motion “This
house believes that the US should allow its allies to negotiate
with terrorists.”
Another
Silliman debater, Gus Ganir, who joined the adjudication category
of the NDC, qualified as a semi-finalist adjudicator.
The
third Silliman team was composed of Emmarah Sarreal and Carlo Regalado,
Mass Communication junior and Nursing sophomore, respectively.
The
NDC gathers annually hundreds of college debaters from around the
country, and uses the British parliamentary format.
Meanwhile,
Gregorio, Dagaerag and Amor will be representing Silliman on ANC
21’s Frankahan: The Franklin Drilon Debates on December
17. Last year, Silliman was a quarterfinalist when the debate program
was still named Square Off.
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Philippines
Dictionary Project Launched
Twenty eight public elementary schools in Negros Oriental comprise
the first set of beneficiaries of the Philippines Dictionary Project
launched November 7 at Silliman University.
The pioneering project lends out, through Silliman University, 50
dictionaries to each partner school. It aims to improve Filipino
children’s literacy and help set Filipino children on the
path of lifelong learning by making age-appropriate children’s
illustrated English dictionaries (Scholastic First Dictionary
[Revised Edition]) available to under-privileged school children
in Grades 1 to 6,
Behind the project is Ms Nina Patawaran, a New York-based retired
banker who was a pupil at the Silliman University Elementary School
for three years. She has been donating to the Elementary Department
library various children’s books, prior to the conceptualization
of the dictionary project.
Ms Patawaran said she developed the project after she realized the
need of public elementary school students for dictionaries, instead
of fiction books, in enhancing their reading and comprehension skills.
She is optimistic that the project can be replicated in other provinces
across the country.
Silliman President Ben S. Malayang III lauded Ms Patawaran for her
initiative during the launching, supporting the role of a dictionary
in the life of a person.
“A dictionary is not just a reference material; it is a very
powerful and liberating tool with which we can reach and relate
with more people,” Dr. Malayang said.
The President also explained how dictionaries give an identity to
a profession, allowing one to understand and master the use of a
set of technical terms specific to a particular discipline.
Silliman has been tapped as the custodian of the dictionaries. It
will ensure that the dictionaries will be lent to the schools as
part of their teaching materials. A school can borrow 50 dictionaries
at a time, for up to one school year.
Negros Oriental First District Representative Jocelyn Limkaichong,
on the other hand, has committed to serve as the guarantor for the
partner schools, taking responsibility for any lost or damaged dictionary.
Ms Patawaran’s project is realized with the help of her friends
and other individuals who share the same advocacy for children’s
literacy. One of her recent and more popular donors is Dr. Washington
Sycip, founder of The SGV Group. He met with Dr. Sycip in October
while he was in New York, and had the chance of discussing the project
further in his office in Makati when Ms Patawaran flew in for the
launching.
In Dr. Sycip’s letter to Ms Patawaran, he committed to adopting
one school with his donation of 50 dictionaries.
“As you know, I firmly believe that fixing our country’s
ailing basic education system is critical to improving the Philippines’
current situation… Projects such as yours meaningfully enhance
the education of the underprivileged children whom these scholars
serve,” the letter of Dr. Sycip started.
“I look forward to hearing from the beneficiary school about
the impact this donation has made in their learning community,”
Dr. Syscip wrote.
Also present during the launching were Dr. Milagros Velez, Division
Superintendent of Schools, Negros Oriental Division, Ms Chiara Cruza,
Manager of the Ayala Foundation USA/Ayala Foundation Inc., and principals
and representatives of the 28 partner public elementary schools
in Negros Oriental.
Click here
for more information about the project.
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FSGO
Lecture Set Nov.11
Three members of the Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO) will
give a lecture on November 11 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium.
The three former government Cabinet members are Prof. Karina Constantino
David, former Chair of the Civil Service Commission, Dr. Quintin
Doromal, former Commissioner of the Philippine Commission on Good
Government and former Silliman University President, and Prof. Leonor
Magtolis-Briones, former National Treasurer and presently Chairperson
of the SU Board of Trustees.
Students will have the opportunity to engage the three FSGO members
in a discussion on prevailing issues that plague the country.
FSGO is a group of senior officials at Cabinet and sub-Cabinet levels
of the Philippine government under six presidential administrations
over the past 40 years. It seeks “to reclaim good governance
from the malignant power of bad leaders,” and calls a stop
to corruption and abuse of political power.
Silliman is hosting Professors Briones and David and Dr. Doromal
under its General Education Integrative Lectures program.
As with Silliman University, the lecture series program maintains
a non-partisan stand on issues. It welcomes any personality regardless
of political, racial, or ideological affiliation. This school year's
theme is "National and Political Life."
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Instruction
Director Reads Paper in Banaue
Silliman University Director
of Instruction Dr. Earl Jude Paul Cleope read a paper entitled,
“The Maritime Raiding in the Visayas,” during the 29th
National Conference on Local and National History held October 23
to 25 in Banaue, Ifugao.
The conference, themed "Philippine Ethnohistories: The Luzon
Cordillera and Beyond," was hosted by the Philippine National
Historical Society (PNHS), the oldest historical society in the
Philippines founded in 1941, and was held in the place where the
UNESCO Heritage Site Ifugao rice terraces are located.
One of the highlights of the conference was the launching of the
Journal of History Vol. LIV (January-December 2008) which features
Dr. Cleope’s article, "The Visayas: Islands in the Seas,
A Historical Perspective (Series III).”
According to Dr. Cleope, the paper is part of a modest attempt to
offer a new framework for the writing of a "total" national
history, “one that underscores the role of the sea as a factor
in the historical development of the Visayas in the context of national
history.” The paper is a sequel to the collection of essays
of an ambitious project anchored on the maritime perspective as
analytical framework for the reconstruction of the history of the
Visayas.
Dr.
Cleope is concurrently Vice President for the Visayas of PNHS.
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COPA
Receives NCCA Grant
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA) has approved funding of P200,000 for the Tayada sa Pinaghiusang
Sayaw project of Silliman University.
To be undertaken by the College of Performing Arts, the project
is a dance session for 12 weekends, aimed at enriching the artistic
experience of the general public in Dumaguete City.
Silliman, under the Memorandum of Agreement, agrees to weave into
its project activities “the transmission of values that would
instill honesty, integrity, hard work, and concern for the environment…
in compliance with the United Nation’s Millennium Development
Goals.”
COPA will run the project until March 15, 2009.
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