With College of Media and Communication (CMC) Dean Fernando Paragas’ term nearing its end, CMC students fear that delays in the dean selection process may weaken the college’s measures against state attacks and delay the revision of the guidelines for organization recognition. 

Paragas’ term is set to end Monday, but the call for nominees will only begin Sunday. While Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan has not directly responded to the letter sent by the CMC Student Council, Paragas said that Vistan moved the selection to March. 

“Nadidismaya talaga kami tungkol sa nangyaring delay kasi since October or November [ay] nakapag-email na rin talaga ang CMC admin sa chancellor at ngayon lang kami nabigyan ng ganitong update,” Chairperson of CMC Student Council Gnoiel Edelweiss Nazal said.

Without a permanent holder of the position, student concerns and requests may be left unattended, including the revisions for the Faculty-Student Relations Committee manual regarding CMC’s organization recognition process, and the removal of fees associated with the use of college facilities. 

Since its implementation under former Dean Elena Pernia, the manual has been condemned by students for its anti-student provisions. 

Several CMC-based organizations were not recognized due to the strict member requirements, including a maximum of only 16 recognized college formations per year. These provisions have led to the dissolution of several organizations under the college, such as UP Aperture and the Filmmakers’ Guild of UP.

While Paragas introduced the “caring community” plan under his term, marked by several revisions to the manual, further amendments have been pending for almost a year—efforts that could be stalled due to selection delays. 

Nazal also worries that the college’s legal and security services would further weaken. The members of the community, and even the college itself, have been targeted by red-tagging and misinformation. With the onset of the 2025 elections, unrecognized organizations and students on fieldwork may be left without college support from state attacks. 

The college’s dean selection will now coincide with those of the School of Urban and Regional Planning and the College of Human Kinetics, whose deans are marked to end their terms by March. 

Under this schedule, an officer in charge will oversee the college for the remaining days of February until the selection is finalized. 

For now, students continue to call for transparency and a thorough evaluation of the future dean’s stance on upholding their democratic rights to address their long-standing concerns. 

“Gusto namin na ang selection committee, ang chancellor, at ang president ng UP System ay makiisa sa calls at sa demands ng students … wala tayong direct na vote on that [dean selection], kaya what we want is to hold them accountable sa magiging decision,” Nazal said. ●

First published in the Feb. 18, 2025 print edition of the Collegian.