Dr. Dennis C. de Paz, University President, emphasized the university’s plans and actions towards the implementation of face-to-face classes to media and campus directors present in a Local Media Conference at ORDEX Building last November 30. 

Said press conference aimed to inform the local community of Eastern Visayas regarding the plans and platforms of the recently inaugurated university president.

 “Actually, EVSU is not yet planning to open by December. Diri pa kami ready hito nga December because our semester is about to end. First semester namin yun. So, second semester will start by January, so that’s the time na nagplalano kami to open” Dr. de Paz said.

According to Dr. De Paz, 3rd year and 4th year students will be prioritized to have a limited face-to-face set up in consideration of their On-the-Job Training courses and laboratory activities.

“When I was still the Vice President for Academic Affairs, I already designed a strategy on how to conduct the limited face-to-face.” Dr. de Paz said.

He further explained that the students will be divided into groups who will be attending classes depending on their assigned week in a month.

Qualified students must be fully vaccinated and are required to seek permission from their parents or guardian to be allowed to join the limited face-to-face set up. 

However, the university will not force student to attend the said set up and let them continue with the flexible learning set up.

Current Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Lydia M. Morante, emphasizes the university’s measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19. She further said that the university will be retrofitting laboratories and rooms to ensure 1.5-meter distancing, have a separate gate for entrance and exit and have a systematic allocation of students per room.

“In case mag-open kami by January, nag-allocate na kami hin room nga amu it magiging isolation room kumbaga pagsulod hit estudyante makita namon nga mayda niya fever, so didto la anay hiya ipa-standby hito nga isolation room.” Dr. Morante said.

Concerns on the making of instructional materials, ensuring the mental health of faculty and students, Tertiary Education Subsidy grant and changes that were implemented by Dr. De Paz were also discussed.

Face-to-face classes will resume by the Second Semester for School Year 2021-2022 in January if the university will be able to complete and submit all the necessary requirements to Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Article by James Angelo Noble & Mediatrix Macasil