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| Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto welcomes the REPS and gives an overview of the conference |
A UP system-wide REPS conference was held on 18-19 October 2018 at the School of Statistics Auditorium. This came on the heels of the UP Diliman REPS General Assembly which was held on 25 September 2018 at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development [NISMED] Auditorium. The focus of the system-wide conference was on REPS concerns which were discussed during consultations with REPS in all UP CUs. The concerns were framed in relation to the contributions of REPS to the mission and mandate of the university.
The first plenary session on Day 1 thus began with narratives about the contributions of REPS in relation to knowledge generation and public service. The speakers shared the different ways that REPS help in the attainment of the university’s goals regarding research and extension undertakings. The second plenary session was devoted to various perspectives vis-à-vis the desire of REPS to participate in University governance. Everybody was then assigned to breakout groups which trooped to nearby NISMED to discuss the proposed mechanisms for said participation in governance. Representatives from the groups later shared the results of discussion to the rest of the participants.
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| A light moment after a serious discussion on a more progressive career path for REPS |
On Day 2, the speakers in the third plenary session tackled the unhappy matter of REPS career paths. Unlike the faculty who may be promoted based on merit at any given time, REPS may be promoted only if a higher vacant position becomes available, accomplishments notwithstanding. Another round of breakout sessions was then conducted to discuss the possible approaches toward a more progressive career path for REPS. The output of each group was shared again in plenary session.
The conference was well attended and it ended with feelings of hope and promise. After all, the bigwigs were there: Chancellor Michael Tan, President Danilo Concepcion, Vice-President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Vice-President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista, and Regents Analiza Fulvadora, Patricia Arinto, Angelo Jimenez, and Francis Laurel. The conference was the culmination of the efforts of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review REPS Concerns and Recommend Policies to Address Them.
by EC Obille Jr.
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