The College of Education's (Eduk) six student organizations, currently sharing two long tables as org spaces for their members, are calling for concrete actions after the appointment of a new dean on Thursday.
The tables located at the college’s health department are sectioned into six parts for the UP Education Society (UP EdSoc), UP Educators’ Circle, UP Preschool Practitioners, SIKHAY Eduk, SIKLAB Eduk, and SULO.
This setup allows at most two members per org to use the space—a negligible number compared to their average membership of 20–30 students, and in the case of UP EdSoc, about 80.
Cramped into the now deconstructed health office, organizations occupied the space out of fear the administration would confiscate it. (Jay Janubas/Philippine Collegian)
Despite numerous consultations with the administration, Eduk organizations have, over the years, repeatedly transferred to various tambayans, consistently encountering similar issues like inadequate space, poor ventilation, unreliable internet, and insufficient electrical outlets.
With a new administration led by Dean Joel Javiniar, organizations continue to grow more anxious after the newly appointed dean failed to deliver plans for student spaces during the dean selection public forum on June 2.
“We don’t see any assertiveness sa kahit sino sa kanilang dalawa [dean nominees]. Kunwari yung mga table, naghihintay pa kami ng buwan…It’s really the administration that feels like an enemy in our own college,” Eduk councilor-elect Mix Dy said.
Struggles for space
Space has been a problem for the orgs ever since they were relocated from their former tambayans on the ground floor, which is now a storeroom for safety reasons.
After the pandemic, they were relocated to the third floor near the Special Education Area, but electric fans and outlets were almost always unavailable, as college admin offices were prioritized.
“Nanatili kami roon ng isang taon. Wala pang electric fans. Magsusummer noon, yung pagputok ng isyu ng heat index. Yung mga members namin hindi na tumatambay kasi walang electric fan, mainit. Pero nanatili kami para may tumao, kung wala, babawiin yung [tambayan],” UP EdSoc President Christopher Pahimnayan Jr. said.
Without any consultation with the organizations, the administration finally moved the tambayan to two long tables in the right wing of the third floor.
The area, now declared a social space to be used by the entire college, further limited the space of organizations, especially with the surge of new members and organizations, such as the UP Advocates for Literacy Education (ALE) and Alliance of Concerned Teachers - Education Students UP Diliman (ACT-ES UPD).
The lack of proper space has also affected storage. The organizations and the student council, who moved from the first floor, now share one metal cabinet, forcing some members to store their materials in their dormitories.
While some organizations opted to switch to online meetings due to the lack of space, others like the UP Educators’ Circle moved between venues—from rooms in the Student Union Building to the Kamia Dormitory. But they eventually resorted to online sessions owing to the hassle.
Organizations were not the only ones affected by the lack of space. Previously located on the ground floor of the Eduk building, the council’s space was reduced to a small table in the corner of the tambayan. (Jay Janubas/Philippine Collegian)
Without physical meetings, organizations such as the newly established UP ALE see numbers of members go inactive owing to the lack of interaction between members, Rocz Charles Dela Cruz, a member of the organization, added.
The council's operations are also confined to a small desk in the corner of the organizations’ space.
“Naaapektuhan yung mismong visibility ng council kasi nga yung mismong council is yung table lang sa dulo. Do you expect na tumambay diyan ang mga tao? Sa mga spaces na-re-restrict pa rin, paano kami makikita ng mga tao,” Juvhi Kamus, Eduk councilor-elect, said.
Admin’s call
Despite several consultations and especially with the college’s budgetary constraints, the organizations continue to struggle with the slow processing of their requests, such as additional tables for their current tambayan to alleviate the lack of space.
Since the issue began, student organizations have proposed several locations to expand space for the tambayan. One suggestion was to clean and repurpose the condemned teachers’ training center into a tambayan, but it was immediately rejected by the administration, citing a mosquito infestation.
“Willing kaming maghanap ng solusyon hanggang sa makakaya namin. Kung madumi, lilinisin. Kung makalawang, pipinturahan,” Pahimnayan said.
The lack of some orgs’ college accreditation has subjected them to antagonistic actions by the administration. The property office, for one, has long been in conflict with the organizations. Pahimnayan shared instances of a certain administration staff throwing away the organization’s stored materials, which they deemed as eyesores.
“[The past administration said] that Eduk is like a tahanan pero bakit yung mga mismong nasa loob ng tahanan hindi makapag-feel at home,’” Dy added.
Although several organizations are recognized at the university level, such as UP EdSoc, they are not accredited by the college. Official accreditation for Eduk organizations, particularly newly established groups, has been delayed for two consecutive school years due to bureaucratic issues within the council and administration, Pahimnayan told the Collegian.
Future demands
Despite the college’s slow action on their demands, Pahimnayan said that organizational activities are still used to enhance the college’s image, with the previous administration encouraging them to carry out service projects to win awards.
With a new dean just declared recently, direct consultations are still on hold. However, without a concrete plan from the new administration, student-proposed solutions remain unrealized.
Now, the organizations are continuously urging the college to recognize their value, rather than focusing solely on the prestige and awards generated by their projects.
As of writing, the administration has not responded to the Collegian for a statement.
“Sana maintindihan nila yung value ng mga tambayan, yung pag-build ng student bonds and connections bukod pa sa pag-aaral at pagpapahinga ng mga estudyante. Diyan tumitibay yung pag-oorganisa,“ Vice Chairperson of ACT-ES UPD Sean Kirby Cruz said. ●
First published in the June 28, 2025 print issue of the Collegian.
