Expired: CHANGES AND TRANSITIONS

Academic Year 2017 – 2018 started with several transitions at the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA). Despite these changes, the center was able to jump start the year with key accomplishments from each unit.

Here are some changes in COSCA’s work:

Last September 5, the center bid farewell to its  Director, Ms. Ma. Lourdes F. Melegrito. Direk Lou, as she is fondly caled, served as COSCA Director for the past fifteen (15) years. During her term, she successfully instituted systems and structures that led to the institutionalization of community engagement and service-learning within and outside the university.

She is succeeded by former LSPO Director, Ms. Fritzie Ian P. De Vera. Ms. De Vera’s vast experience in leading various Lasallian Mission Offices would prove beneficial in expanding COSCA’s strategic role in university social engagement. She has previously served as Dean of Student Affairs (DSA), Director of the Office of Student Life (SLIFE), Director of the Student Publications Office (SPO) and Coordinator of the Career Services Office, respectively.

COSCA also sent-off Carl Fernandez, Abraham Garcia, Marjorie Amistoso and Floramie Villareal, staff members of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) to the Student Affairs Office (SAO). The unit is now part of the newly-formed NSTP and Formation Office (NFO) composed of ROTC, iPERSEF and NSTP.

The transfer was effected to ensure centralized supervision of all NSTP components. With the inclusion of iPERSEF (Lasallian Studies in the NLCC), integration of all Lasallian Formation Courses would now be possible under the auspices of the Student Affairs Office (SAO).

Former NSTP Community Service Coordinator, Marichel Escalante and newly-hired staff, Mary Ann Santiago joins community engagement associates Evelyn Laranga, Roel Quenamot and Laizalyn Layco to form the Partnership and Network Development Program (PNDP) of COSCA.

PNDP​ now becomes the sole unit of COSCA that focuses on the establishment and development of partners and networks for social engagement, volunteer work and social formation for students and personnel. Community partners previously supervised by the NSTP, TREDTWO-CSP, Service-Learning and Community Engagement Programs of COSCA are now joined and fully supervised by PNDP.

The previous University – Community Engagement and Development (UCED) Unit now becomes the Lasallian Sustainable Development Program (LSDP). LSDP is now the lead unit of COSCA in terms of involving University students and personnel in direct and sustainable social engagement through an impact-driven localization project based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

LSDP personnel will match assigned offices to social engament opportunities that best fit their strengths and needs. These opportunities would fall under the four (4) components of the SDG Localization Project namely:

1. L-ARAL – Lasallian Accessible, Relevant and Alternative Learning (education)
2. L-SEED – Lasallian Social Enterprise for Economic Development (social enterprise)
3. L-EnviSage – Lasallian Environmental Sustainability and Governance (environmental sustainability)
4. L-HEARTS – Lasallian Health Education, Accessible Resources and Training Services (health and wellness

In preparation for the eventual phase-out of TREDTWO-CSP, the Community Engaged Learning Program (CELP) is now renamed as the Service-Learning Program (SLP) of COSCA. The unit shall lead efforts to achieve the undergraduate, graduate and international service-learning targets of the university.

Former TREDTWO-CSP Coordinator, Jon Alcazar, now becomes the Student Social Formation and Development Coordinator of COSCA. His new mandate now is to formulates and implement, in partnership with LFAT, a standard social formation program for all DLSU student volunteers, student leaders and other student organizations.

The resource mobilization unit now joins the research and technology unit to form what will now be called the Social Technology and Resource Development Program (STRDP) of COSCA. The unit’s primary mandate is to develop social technology and funding for all programs of COSCA.

Finally, COSCA welcomed the Red Cross Youth – DLSU Chapter (RCY) as one of its affiliated student organizations. With RCY in its fold, student-led disaster risk reduction and emergency response is within reach.

Proposed COSCA Structure

As a result of the strategic planning among DLSU administrators, university social engagement goals were revised and expanded. Central to this change is the shift from “community engagement” to “social engagement.” The shift is intended to broaden the ways in which faculty members and staff may contribute to Church and society, especially the poor and marginalized.

From “active collaboration between campus and community to improve quality of life (IUPUI, 2005), ” the university now adopts ‘social engagement’ which refers to the ways individuals and groups come together to advance the public good, address systemic challenges, or to influence the direction of a community.” (The Washington Center, 2015)

Combining this definition with Boyer’s (1996) framework for scholarly engagement, external initiatives include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Socially-Engaged Research​

• Research ‘For’ and ‘With’ the poor and marginalized
• Studies that help build greater awareness on poverty, education, good governance and environmental issues;
• Studies that develop sustainable solutions towards nation-building

2. Service-Learning

• “course-based, credit bearing educational experiences in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs, and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995, p. 112).”

3. Interdisciplinary Fora

• Inter-department, inter-college, inter-school fora / conference that seeks solutions to societal problems like poverty, ecological degradation, poor governance, youth at risk, etc.;
• Issue-awareness / advocacy activities for the last, the lost and the least;

4. Public Engagement

• Inter-department, inter-college, inter-school fora / conference that seeks solutions to societal problems like poverty, ecological degradation, poor governance, youth at risk, etc.;
• Issue-awareness / advocacy activities for the last, the lost and the least;

5. Direct Service to the Poor and Marginalized

• Involvement of students, academic and support staff in a program that provides social services, humanitarian assistance, capacity-building and the like for a disadvantaged community or sector.

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6. Others

From popularizing and assisting other units on service-learning and community engagement, COSCA would now be establishing a validation mechanism to check reported accomplishments in both areas.

With the university’s desire to contribute to a sustainable Earth, public engagements on the SDGs and the reduction of university operations’ environmental impact,  are now included as targets.