Anti-Hazing and Safe Spaces Act Prompted in FACS Lecture 2024
By: Steffi Abigail T. Lee
To instill unity among the College of Science (CoS) faculty and produce better projects for the school year ahead, the annual Faculty General Assembly (FACS) was held on March 21, 2024 in the Science Online Learning Environment (SOLE).
Assoc. Prof. Ruel Valerio R. de Grano, RCh, PhD started the assembly with his talk on “Anti-Hazing Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations,” where he reminded the faculty members of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, emphasizing the need to ban hazing in the University.
Prof. de Grano explained that students are drawn to fraternities and sororities since they want to experience a sense of belonging, challenge, and networking. However, the practice of hazing in joining these organizations leads to physical and psychological harm to the individual.
He therefore reminded professors to be in the “frontline”—to be sensitive and observant towards students who may be lying through their bruises and scratches. Prof. de Grano also asks the professors to remind the students of the Student Handbook PPS 1028, Sec. 1.3 stating the consequences of hazing, which include possible exclusion, non-readmission, and expulsion.
He also discussed the Republic Act No. 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act (Bawal Bastos Law) with an emphasis on Article 5 “Sexual Harassment in Educational Institutions.” He stressed that the law also applies to someone in authority to another individual, thereby the limitations in professor-student relationships. Some forms of violations include catcalling, wherein unwanted remarks are directed to a person, and sexual advantages.
Prof. de Grano calls for stricter implementation of these laws to prevent unwanted acts from happening in the university.
