FACS Lecture 2023: Thomasian Science Educators’ Response to Relevant Times
Words by Rafael Iñigo I. Marqueses
This year marks the end of the two consecutive online Faculty Association of the College of Science (FACS) lecture, as it was held on-site at the Engineering Conference Room of the Roque Ruaño Building yesterday, March 31. Assistant Prof. Vladimir Villegas served as the moderator of the program, while the members of the FACS were the audience.
Professor Maria Claudette Agnes, Ph.D., the Asst. Dean of the College of Science, formally launched the event with her introductory remarks, foreshadowing the lectures’ topics by informing the audience about the rising suicide rates and the significance of addressing students’ and faculty members’ motivation in light of the university’s evolving mode of instruction.
The first speaker is Asst. Prof. Rodel P. Canlas, PhD, RPsy, RPm who joined via Zoom Meetings. On screen, he straightened out the differences between the terms non-suicidal self-injury and suicidality, as well as suicide attempt and committed suicide. He upskilled the faculty by bringing light to the causes, risk factors, activities, and behaviors that are associated with suicide. After which, he highlighted the role of teachers in promoting the emotional and social well-being of their students. However, he reiterated that educators are not solely responsible for their students’ mental health. Hence, he said, “The mental health of the person is a collective responsibility.”
The second speaker, Prof. Eric Dimar, MA, RGC, RPsy stood with a definite intention to begin his discussion with data he personally collected in order to gain a better understanding of the faculty’s subjective experiences in both work from home and in-person classrooms. From this, he also shared his personal classroom management techniques to cope up with both set-ups. He emphasized how crucial it is to strike a balance between work and family life and to be aware of the borders between the two from many angles. He also stressed how crucial it is to have a healthy mindset in the midst of difficulties so that we won’t blame others but rather be reflective on our own shortcomings. He ended the lecture by underlining the habit of working on the things that we can change, and letting go of the things beyond our control. After all, “there are far more things to be grateful for,” he expressed.
The third talk centers on life stage financial planning. Mr. Lark G. Silva gave advise to concentrate on enhancing cash flow in the early years of employment and to have a specific financial objective for the long term. Then, in the years that will follow, he spoke about the value of managing money, drawing comparisons to the “winning the lottery and eventually becoming poorer” trope to illustrate how improper treatment of a significant sum of money may result in a worse socioeconomic beginning. To individuals who begun to raise families, he also offered advice on how to raise kids to handle their own finances, which typically come from birthday presents. He finally ended the lecture with the importance of growing your money through bonds, equities, or a good combination of both in the latter years of lifespan.
The event was concluded by an officer from the Faculty Association of the College of Science, Assoc. Prof. Ma. Ninia I. Calaca, MPhil, MA, expressing gratitude to all the speakers from the event. She emphasized that the university is still in the transitional stage and is not yet operating under the new normal. This is a call to action for the faculty to prepare for more difficult challenges, especially in light of the university’s consideration of furthering on-site classes.
