So summer is just a few months away. The Administration is allegedly having problems on how much to spend in case it pursues its plan to go to Palawan (?). (Nakakainggit!) However, the faculty members are having problems on where to get money to spend during the summer because of the yearly problem on summer loading.
To solve this problem on summer loading, the UNION submitted several suggestions (please see below).
The answer of the SLU Administration to these proposals? NONE
These proposals were given last year. Yet up to this time, the SLU Administration has not given any answers to solve the problem on summer loading. Hanggang kalian tayo magtitiis?
So kung titingnan po natin, puwede namang ma-solve yung problema sa summer loading dito sa loob ng University. Pero, mukhang sa labas na naman ng SLU eto mabibigyan ng solusyon. Nag-iisip tuloy ako…The SLU Administration is depriving many of its teaching employees their rightful salaries (nine units) during summer. Mayaman naman ang SLU!!! Napakakaunting bagay, hindi man lang nila maibigay…
So here are the proposals submitted to the Administration to solve the summer loading:
1. Decrease the minimum class size during the summer term. The minimum class size should be decreased from thirty -five (35) to a MAXIMUM of twenty-five (25) students in each class.
At present, SLU claims that thirty-five (35) students should be the minimum class size for the summer term for a “break-even” situation in terms of expenses and salaries of teachers. However, in the past years, when the total enrollees of SLU for each semester is lower, SLU allowed even fifteen (15) or twenty (2) students for the summer classes. Ironically, at the moment when the enrollees at SLU have dramatically increased, the number of students for each class during the summer term has increased.
2. Maintain a thirty-five (35) student MAXIMUM for each class (all classes) during the summer term.
This means that each class (all classes) during the summer term should have a MAXIMUM of thirty-five (35) students. Logically, no class then has more than 35 students.
3. Averaging
During the summer term, some classes have full fifty students (50) but some classes also have less than the SLU imposed thirty-five (35) student-for-each-class. Since some classes already have 50 students, the classes with less than 35 students should not be dissolved. With this, the need to fill the class to a maximum of 35 students is already solved with the “excess” of other classes.
4. Paid summer in-service work
Faculty members will be required to do summer work such as curriculum development, syllabi upgrading, research work, module making, and other possible work related to their teaching. This summer work will be given equivalent units.
5. Return to the old system of assigning permanent general faculty members for each of the colleges.
Before globalization, general education teachers were permanently assigned to specific colleges. With this, there was no problem on summer loading since the Deans of the colleges were obliged to offer subjects for their general education teachers during the summer.
For instance, before globalization, a general education math teacher is permanently assigned in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS). He/She was always given full nine units during the summer term since the Dean of the CNS had to offer basic mathematics subjects for the summer so that his/her general education math teacher would have something to teach.
At present, general education teachers are now placed under the supervision of a specific college (ex. CHS, CICS). But there is nothing wrong of putting specific general education teachers in specific colleges so that the Deans of the specific colleges have to see to it that his/her general education teachers have something to teach during the summer. But the supervision and evaluation of these general education teachers stay with their mother college (ex: CHS, CICS).
6. Close coordination with the mother college of general education teachers on the subject offerings during the summer term.
At present, the different colleges decide on what general education subjects to offer during the summer. Such that these colleges are not knowledgeable on what subjects to offer so that the general education teachers will have full summer load.
This could be solved when the Deans of the different colleges coordinate with the mother college (ex. CHS, CICS) of general education teachers to discuss subject offerings during the summer.
7. The problem on NSTP
During the summer term, NSTP classes are offered to first or second year students with a class reaching 100 students. These classes of 100 students each are usually held for the whole morning or the whole afternoon. With this set-up, summer load for general education teachers will be greatly lessened since most of the students who are supposed to take basic subjects during the summer are enrolled in NSTP. Most students would only be free then in the morning or in the afternoon which set-up reduces the number of subjects they take for the summer.
In the past, ROTC was offered regularly every Sunday of the semester. There should be no reason why the same set-up should be applied in the present for the NSTP.
This may be done even while at present there are still unresolved issues in the giving of NSTP loads to teachers. Last time we heard, there are still no written guidelines on the selection and rotation of NSTP teachers. In fact, many teachers attended NSTP seminars and are therefore qualified to teach.
8. Allow incoming freshmen to enroll for summer
First year students of some colleges are fully loaded and over loaded during their first semester in SLU like the College of Nursing and the College of Natural Sciences. If some of the basic subjects are offered during the summer for these colleges, it would greatly reduce their stress during their first semester. Likewise, there would be additional load for general education teachers for the summer.
To solve this problem on summer loading, the UNION submitted several suggestions (please see below).
The answer of the SLU Administration to these proposals? NONE
These proposals were given last year. Yet up to this time, the SLU Administration has not given any answers to solve the problem on summer loading. Hanggang kalian tayo magtitiis?
So kung titingnan po natin, puwede namang ma-solve yung problema sa summer loading dito sa loob ng University. Pero, mukhang sa labas na naman ng SLU eto mabibigyan ng solusyon. Nag-iisip tuloy ako…The SLU Administration is depriving many of its teaching employees their rightful salaries (nine units) during summer. Mayaman naman ang SLU!!! Napakakaunting bagay, hindi man lang nila maibigay…
So here are the proposals submitted to the Administration to solve the summer loading:
1. Decrease the minimum class size during the summer term. The minimum class size should be decreased from thirty -five (35) to a MAXIMUM of twenty-five (25) students in each class.
At present, SLU claims that thirty-five (35) students should be the minimum class size for the summer term for a “break-even” situation in terms of expenses and salaries of teachers. However, in the past years, when the total enrollees of SLU for each semester is lower, SLU allowed even fifteen (15) or twenty (2) students for the summer classes. Ironically, at the moment when the enrollees at SLU have dramatically increased, the number of students for each class during the summer term has increased.
2. Maintain a thirty-five (35) student MAXIMUM for each class (all classes) during the summer term.
This means that each class (all classes) during the summer term should have a MAXIMUM of thirty-five (35) students. Logically, no class then has more than 35 students.
3. Averaging
During the summer term, some classes have full fifty students (50) but some classes also have less than the SLU imposed thirty-five (35) student-for-each-class. Since some classes already have 50 students, the classes with less than 35 students should not be dissolved. With this, the need to fill the class to a maximum of 35 students is already solved with the “excess” of other classes.
4. Paid summer in-service work
Faculty members will be required to do summer work such as curriculum development, syllabi upgrading, research work, module making, and other possible work related to their teaching. This summer work will be given equivalent units.
5. Return to the old system of assigning permanent general faculty members for each of the colleges.
Before globalization, general education teachers were permanently assigned to specific colleges. With this, there was no problem on summer loading since the Deans of the colleges were obliged to offer subjects for their general education teachers during the summer.
For instance, before globalization, a general education math teacher is permanently assigned in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS). He/She was always given full nine units during the summer term since the Dean of the CNS had to offer basic mathematics subjects for the summer so that his/her general education math teacher would have something to teach.
At present, general education teachers are now placed under the supervision of a specific college (ex. CHS, CICS). But there is nothing wrong of putting specific general education teachers in specific colleges so that the Deans of the specific colleges have to see to it that his/her general education teachers have something to teach during the summer. But the supervision and evaluation of these general education teachers stay with their mother college (ex: CHS, CICS).
6. Close coordination with the mother college of general education teachers on the subject offerings during the summer term.
At present, the different colleges decide on what general education subjects to offer during the summer. Such that these colleges are not knowledgeable on what subjects to offer so that the general education teachers will have full summer load.
This could be solved when the Deans of the different colleges coordinate with the mother college (ex. CHS, CICS) of general education teachers to discuss subject offerings during the summer.
7. The problem on NSTP
During the summer term, NSTP classes are offered to first or second year students with a class reaching 100 students. These classes of 100 students each are usually held for the whole morning or the whole afternoon. With this set-up, summer load for general education teachers will be greatly lessened since most of the students who are supposed to take basic subjects during the summer are enrolled in NSTP. Most students would only be free then in the morning or in the afternoon which set-up reduces the number of subjects they take for the summer.
In the past, ROTC was offered regularly every Sunday of the semester. There should be no reason why the same set-up should be applied in the present for the NSTP.
This may be done even while at present there are still unresolved issues in the giving of NSTP loads to teachers. Last time we heard, there are still no written guidelines on the selection and rotation of NSTP teachers. In fact, many teachers attended NSTP seminars and are therefore qualified to teach.
8. Allow incoming freshmen to enroll for summer
First year students of some colleges are fully loaded and over loaded during their first semester in SLU like the College of Nursing and the College of Natural Sciences. If some of the basic subjects are offered during the summer for these colleges, it would greatly reduce their stress during their first semester. Likewise, there would be additional load for general education teachers for the summer.
