KEEPING THE FAITH
Eric Jude E. Recentes
Considered one of the most impactful global events, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed human existence. Carrying the brunt of such impact are educational institutions that have not been caught unaware. The onslaught has spared no one, rich and poor alike, countries and individuals.
No one was prepared in adjusting to the rushed digitization of processes. Students, faculty, and staff were all affected. Teacher-student interaction transformed from face-to-face classes to a less personal online learning environment. Educational institutions all around the world have encountered varying levels of challenges.
The University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC) has not been an exception. It, too, has taken a huge blow brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic. But the University has stood firm while maintaining its integrity of providing quality education to generations of students in this part of the world.
TWICE THE EFFORT, HALF THE PEOPLE
Sanitation became a holy word all over the world. Government agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines, released guidelines for safe cleaning and disinfection. Several guidelines, each with their own specification depending on the type of offices, were released to serve as a standard procedure to establishments. The maintenance, who worked tirelessly to maintain the cleanliness of an institution such as UIC, had to work twice as hard to minimize the spread of the virus. Before the pandemic, maintenance employees were split into two types: outsourced and employed. During the lockdown, several offices had to close temporarily or in some cases, permanently.
Those outsourced by the school would have to go while those who are directly employed cover the areas previously occupied by the agency workers. Every corner of the buildings, including the ones that were not used, had to be sanitized for the sake of prevention. Despite all these, everyone persevered and managed to get through thanks to strong will and hard work.
Meanwhile, security guards who keep the safety of the people inside the University had to reconfigure their standard procedure. They had to make sure that both employees and visitors follow the policy of wearing face masks and face shields within the premises of UIC. But they, too, also had to wear masks and shields despite the difficulty while discharging their duties.
The pandemic has also made physical classes unavailable which made campuses almost empty. Although new entry procedures were introduced, some security guards felt different with the absence of students. A lady guard said that she missed interacting with students as it was one of the things she enjoyed in her work because it made her more productive. The changes have made the security personnel well-adjusted eventually and were able to maintain their of discipline and alertness.
SPEEDY DIGITAZION
Accessibility has become a challenge to the UIC processes. It resulted in server bottlenecks and crashes to the domains. In UIC’s case, they had to digitally shift their focus towards most of their processes. Although the online enrollment system has already been established, the Management Information System (MIS) office had to revamp several online platforms to cater to online classes, enrollment, and other requests. A drastic increase in students had to raise their concerns through the internet.
Coordinating each of the enrollees’ needs to various departments and disseminating new ways of processing things became a challenge since the physical aspect of applying has become a moot. An MIS employee quipped that some students were not aware of what to do because they were used to enrolling in person. The school had to adjust a few policies in terms of the requirements needed for students to be enrolled. Despite the challenges, MIS employees were able to adapt to the situation and enhance UIC’s online capabilities. The impact of the pandemic may have caught the MIS employees unprepared but with the necessary adjustments they were able to up their game leading to the smooth operation
QUESTION OF RELEVANCE
Since online learning became the new norm, many offices started to ask about their primary functions. Some of the offices, like the Office of the Student Affairs and Discipline (OSAD), were starting to wonder about the relevance of their services given the unavailability of in-person activities. Questions were gathered as to how OSAD will adapt to the situation and find its place in the rise of virtual interactions. Since online platforms are the only medium that students can spend their time academically, this left them with drawbacks that they would not normally experience during face-to-face classes.
One example is dealing with their mental health. As the pandemic continues, the troubles of anxiety and feeling of loss have exponentially increased. A student, regardless of age, is still considered to be in the formative years and may not be able to manage the deprivation of socialization with his/her peers. Fortunately, OSAD was able to fill in the gap and help the students with their troubles by coordinating with the proper offices. The student affairs office has a newfound purpose by becoming mediators when it comes to the interaction between the school and students. Subsequently, OSAD was able to conduct various activities for the students through online platforms. They can now manage and able to find communication tools to connect with the students.
Despite all the challenges, UIC remains consistent in providing quality service to its stakeholders and making sure that the core values of Faith, Excellence, and Service stand firm through dedication and the constant pursuit of knowledge.
