UPLB’s second day of online registration heated up in social media as the scheduled regular students to enlist at 12AM on July 29 were not able to access the Student Academic Information System site even before the arranged time.
At 2:03 AM, Chris Salvatierra, a staff from the e-UP team, announced in the official Facebook group of SAIS users and developers that the SAIS team is working on the fluctuating status and continuous crashing of the site. Salvatierra apologized for the late announcement and stated that the site may be accessed at 9:00 AM on the same day. Confusions and rants from the students piled up in the morning upon confirmation that certain students were able to enlist their subjects and reserve their slots after having been able to access the site at around 3:30AM – contradicting to the statement of the e-UP staff that the system will be down up until 9:00 AM.
At 9:46 AM, the University Student Council released a statement in their Facebook page about the council’s proposal of a full reversion of slots and operation of the SystemOne instead of the SAIS for this coming semester’s registration. This statement earned different reactions from the studentry.
On the side of the students
Patrick Tenedero, a graduating Electrical Engineering student, told his experience in the registration system, “Sa online reg na ‘to, pareho kong na-experience ‘yung madali at ‘yung mahirap na way. Doon kasi sa first day, wala masyadong pressure sa pag-eenlist namin since unang-una kaming mga graduating na sumabak sa UP SAIS. Meanwhile, sa pag-eenlist ko para sa friend ko noong 2nd day, doon ko na-experience yung laki ng pagkakaiba sa hirap ng enlistment ng mga nasa 1st at 2nd day. Sa 16 online registrations na inabutan ko sa buong stay ko sa UP, ngayon lang nagkaroon ng tahasang diskriminasyon sa mga estudyante kung saan tinanggalan ng karapatan ang marami sa isang patas at maayos na registration system–something na dapat ikahiya ng UP admin.”
Ian Patrick Esguerra, an irregular Veterinary Medicine student, expressed his sentiment on the prioritization of registration “Yung paghiwalayin pa ang regulars at irregulars? Parang hindi na siguro necessary. Pantay pantay na dapat dito. Dahil kahit naman may nabagsak na kami, parepareho lang naman natin gustong maka-sablay. Wala na ba kami chance makabawi? O makahabol?”
Ivan Aguilar, a regular Mathematics and Science Teaching student, said, “Nanaig yung dismaya kasi maraming pagkukulang yung administration – kulang sa preparation, mga mock enrollment, at trials at info dissemination. Pero mas nangingibabaw yung pagiging proud ko sa mga students na laging binibuhay yung kultura ng bayanihan lalo na sa mga ganitong oras at kalagayan!”
On the side of the student council
Amidst the registration chaos, the University Student Council members try to reach out to every concern the students and first time SAIS users address to their office. The following statements are the messages they would like to relay to every UPLB student:
“I have always said that the registration process is difficult, to say the least. In such times of desperation, we forget that our greatest enemies here are not ourselves nor the UP faculty and staff, but the very system of injustice we are facing. The very reason why students are fighting for their own slots and why we have resorted to a new but far inferior system when our very own homegrown registration software works well is all interconnected. We must always remember that the fullest implementation of SAIS is a part of a bigger scheme: make UP a self-reliant institution. And as part of the University Student Council, I urge the students to be critical and not think just at the surface level, but think about as well of why such phenomena are happening; why we are being divided. It is high time to let go of our personal biases and think of the common welfare of every UPLB student, not just the majority but as well as the minority. Division, most of the time, comes from confusion. Until then, we would only realize that UPLB is built on student movement, through collective action and unity among us. Only then we would achieve what’s ours, our right for education.” said Janssen Andrew Calvelo, USC Councilor.
“Bale kahapon talaga mahirap i-handle yung dami ng mga studyanteng nagrereklamo at nagagalit tungkol sa SAIS. Sanay naman na tayo sa mga nagwawala online kapag padating na yung enrollment pero this time iba rin talaga yung pagka-agit ng mga estudyante sa hindi makatarungan na 12mn na oras ng enrollment. Mabuti nalang rin at may initiative ang CEATSC na bumuo nung Student Academic Information System Bulletin Board. Karamihan ng estudyante akala ginawa yun ng SAIS Team, pero nag effort lang talaga ang mga student council na mabuo yun para mabigyan ng tamang impormasyon ang mga estudyante, at para maging madali ang pagkuha namin ng mga concern nila na pwedeng masolusyonan at magtulungan lahat. Pagdating ng bandang alas-dose, sobrang dami nang nagpo-post, mga meme, nagmumura, nagwawala, hindi na namin ma-maintain yung group.
At this point nakikiusap na kami as USC na i-down na yung server kasi napaka-unfair naman nito para sa mga umuwi na, sa mga walang access dahil sarado na yung comp shop, lahat. Ang nakakalungkot pa dun, yung ibang estudyante sinisisi pa kami pagdating sa mga problemang ‘to, eh ang ginagawa namin ay nakikipagcoordinate naman talaga sa SAIS team and maaga palang sinusubukan na namin macontact yung offices ng admin pero wala silang reply.
Nung mga 5:00 na, umabot na kami sa punto na kailangan nang pagusapan yun ngang reversion ng slots. Nagdiscussion kami kung kailangan ba talaga ‘yon, kung ano ba magiging implication nun. Narating namin yung ganung decision kasi ang nangyayari so far ay sobrang biased against dun sa mahihirap na estudyante; sa mga estudyanteng walang pang computer shop, yung mga umuuwi ng madaling araw.
Gising ang USC buong magdamag. Inaakala ng mga estudyante na tinulugan namin ‘to, pero buong magdamag kausap namin si Sir Chris sa kung ano ba ang pwedeng magawa pa sa mga estudyante. Nakakalungkot din na may mga ilan na sinasabi pa na kaya lang namin gusto gawin iyong reversion kasi wala din kaming slots. Pero yung decision talaga dun sa reversion ay hindi naging madali sa amin. Nag-emergency meeting pa ang USC at 7AM para ma-formalize na namin ang mga proposal namin sa admin para dun.
Mahirap yung decision, sobra. Alam naming hindi siya magiging popular, o kaya maraming magagalit sa amin, pero naniniwala at naninindigan ang konseho na ang SAIS ay walang ginawa kung hindi i-divide ang mga studyante into a disgusting caste system kung saan binibigyan priority ang mga studyante na ‘regular’ kuno at pinapahirapan ang mga irregular. Na sobrang problematic ng sistema nila at may mga estudyanteng sobrang arbitrary ng pagiging irregular, walang proper system in place.
May isang nanay na lumapit sa akin, kinuwento niya na yung anak niya daw sobrang naiyak nung nalaman niyang irregular siya, eh nagmidyear naman siya. Incoming sophomore palang yung bata, pinaghihirapan niya yung pagaaral niya at may GWA na 1.5, pero ayon daw sa SAIS irregular siya. Yun ba yung tama at efficient na sistema? May mga estudyanteng hindi nagmidyear, o kaya nag loan or humiram ng libro sa library, pero pagtingin nila sa SAIS nila may holds sila mula sa mga ‘to. May kulang pa daw silang bayad, o kaya hindi binabalik na libro. out of nowhere. Mga estudyante ‘tong walang ginagawang mali, pero ninanakawan ng karapatan nilang mag-aral dahil sa palpak na sistema ng SAIS
Kinonsider rin namin yung mga estudyanteng nakakuha na ng slots sa SAIS siyempre pero kung iisipin natin, hindi naging patas ang sistema at may nakakalamang, at ang ginagawa lamang nito ay pinaglalaban ang mga estudyante sa isa’t isa. Ang nakikita na lang natin ngayon na problema ngayon ay SAIS, pero hindi natin nakikita yung mga pinagdadaanan ng kapwa nating Iskolar
Sobrang sakit talaga sa puso nung mga nanay na lumalapit sa amin na nagsasabi na naawa daw sila sa anak nila dahil pinaghihirapan nila yung pinagaaralan nila o kaya wala silang magawa kung hindi magdasal na lang para sa anak nila nung sinabihan sila na kailangan nilang magpagabi sa labas dahil lang sa SAIS. Iyon yung mga hindi nakikita ng mga estudyante eh. na hindi naman tayo dapat nagaaway sa isa’t isa. dapat walang estudyanteng swerte sa ganitong slots, o swerte sa ganitong subject. Lahat tayo pinapahirapan ng ganitong sistema. madalas nalang nagiging bulag tayo sa pinagdadaanan ng kapwa nating Iskolar. Nawawala yung spirit ng oblation, yung pagiging handang magsakripisyo para sa iba ng walang pagaalinlangan.” according to Jason Del Rosario, CDC Representative to the USC.
#JunkSAIS placed first in the Philippine Trends on Twitter due to the rage of the first time SAIS users.
According to Former Student Regent Mico Pangalangan’s End of Term Report on the 42nd General Assembly of Student Councils, the P750 million project of President Alfredo E. Pascual, the e-UP project, is now estimated to cost into P1 billion. [P]
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