Palma Hall, the home of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) which is UP Diliman’s third-largest college, will only fully reopen after April 15 as problems with the building’s electrical system remain unresolved.
According to CSSP Memorandum No. CSSP-OD 2023-01 issued last January 25, the classroom unavailability issue started from the stalled renovation of the building in 2020.
The renovation was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving some repair works unfinished. A circuit breaker for Palma Hall has yet to be procured, leaving some classrooms, especially in the third and fourth floors, without electricity.
"The [electrical] assessment started in March 2022 with immediate assistance from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Development (OVCPD) and Office of the Campus Architect (OCA.). This electrical assessment is very important for the continued safety of everyone," read the memorandum.
Vayne Del Rosario, chairperson of the CSSP Student Council, said the issue with the electrical system resulted in the temporary closure of the third and fourth floors of Palma Hall, where the linguistics and philosophy departments primarily host their classes.
Del Rosario added that professors and students are forced to change setup due to the uncertainty of room availability. Some GE courses, for instance, are held at the Institute of Mathematics Building in the National Science Complex.
“If we narrow it down to the departments who are affected I can say around 500 to 600 students at the very least who are impacted by this change,” Del Rosario added.
The memorandum stated that CSSP classes might conduct classes on other colleges as long as permitted by the Office of the Associate Dean for Administration and External Affairs (OADAE) through their department. "Classrooms with electrical power supply will be designated. Nearby colleges have also offered to use their spaces for our classes, if necessary," read the memorandum.
With over 2,400 students and the offering college of general education courses like Philo 1, Kas 1, and Soc Sci 1 and 2, Palma Hall can only host rooms on the first and second floors for the first half the semester. The college, therefore, pledged to expedite the remaining infrastructure works, adding that they remain committed in holding their courses in-person.
"The College Executive Board (CEB) notes that there are courses whose nature and content are best taught in a face-to-face setting, as well as courses that are taught in spaces not within the Palma Hall main building," read the memorandum.
The college’s reopening is in line with the UP Diliman Office of Chancellor (OC) memorandum, OC Memorandum No. FRN-23-002 in January which stated that colleges are required to hold in-person classes. The same memorandum also enjoined colleges to reopen its facilities like libraries and other student spaces.
The OC memorandum followed a similar directive by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), which states that higher education institutions (HEI) must conduct 50 percent of undergraduate class hours in-person.
Despite the university's commitment to reopen classes, the availability of classrooms in AS for April is still uncertain, said Del Rosario.
“The departments have put in efforts. The real back up here is looking at new venues. While we push students and organizations to look at this issue. It is undeniable that there is not really enough space in AS anymore,” Del Rosario added.
For now, though, Del Rosario said that the council is taking initiatives for CSSP students to use student spaces in Palma Hall, such as lending the student council’s office for student organizations and requesting departments for spaces from other colleges.
“When we consider how the college administration works, the council should push forward on addressing the concerns of the students. As the council, we plan to continue pursuing access to AS because AS is our college space. It is unfair that we do not experience college face-to-face," Del Rosario said. ●
