The Student Involvement Unit (SIU), in collaboration with the Benilde Committee on Student Involvement (BCSI), invited Benildean students to experience the fun and thrill of Student Involvement (SI) Week 1 with the theme “Republish” on Nov. 4 to 11.

With goals of motivating Benildeans to join the college’s different accredited and recognized student organizations (ARSOs), the recruitment event created an avenue for the 37 ARSOs of A.Y. 2022-2023 to open their membership slots, as well as to share their unique stories, passions, and advocacies to the Benildean community.

After more than two years of conducting SI Week solely through an online modality, ARSOs were now able to station their respective booths at the Greenway Square in Taft Campus and the 12th Floor Cafeteria at the Design and Arts Campus (DAC). For the convenience of the students, registration forms were also made available online via BCSI’s social media accounts.

Discovering many possibilities

This year’s opening program took place at the Greenway Square in Taft Campus and was livestreamed on BCSI's official Facebook page. The ceremony was hosted by ID 119 Consular and Diplomatic Affairs (CDA) students Gallahan Ventura and Chantal Laude. Two Filipino Sign Language (FSL) interpreters were also present for the Benildean Deaf community. 

The ceremony kicked off with a promotional video clip of the various ARSOs under their respective clusters: the Academic Cluster, Socio-Civic Cluster, Special interest Cluster, and the SIU-Recognized Cluster. 

For the opening remarks, Center for Student Life (CSL) Dean Mr. Levi Albania expressed his desire for students to join the different organizations as a way to establish healthy and life-long relationships and instill the values of the College. “Joining organizations help you develop knowledge, skills, abilities, and values. It provides an opportunity to work and collaborate that will realize your full potential,” Mr. Albania stated.

An open mic session was conducted where different student leaders went up on stage to promote their respective organizations and pique the viewers' interests. Afterward, pre-recorded intermission numbers from Benildean talents were featured, including duo artists Kyla & Jam with their soothing cover rendition of Billie Eillish’s “bellyache,” and songwriter-producer Ice G with his electrifying performance of his original song “BOW!!! (Going Ghost).”

Following the opening program, the ARSOs began recruiting at their corresponding booths on campus. At the same time, the online registration form was opened on BSCI’s social media platforms.

A story of new beginnings

The closing ceremony occurred at the 12th Floor Cafeteria at the DAC Campus, with Ventura returning as host, alongside ID 119 CDA student Aira Yutuc. The pre-recorded event was streamed via BCSI’s Official Facebook page.

Furthermore, the winners of BSCI’s pre-event Facebook games were awarded a complimentary prize. Following is another set of performances by Benildean talents, including vocal artists Andrea Resurreccion also known as Lily Stargazer, with her sweet rendition of Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love,” and Hana Adriano with her angelic cover of Kehlani’s “Honey.”

As for the main segment of the program, the hosts then announced the ARSOs that won Best Video, Best Poster, Best Booth, and Most Participative Organizations. The winners are the following:

Best Video:

Benilde Red Cross Youth Council (BRCYC)

Google Developer Student Clubs Benilde (GDSCBenilde)

Gamers Union for Innovation and Leadership Development (GUILD)

Society of Analysts and Business Intelligence (SABI)

Vateliens in Progress (VIP)

Best Poster:

BRCYC

Atelier

Mark of Designers Alliance (MODA)

GUILD

Best Booth:

Benildean Scholars Association (BSA)

Benilde Nature Development and Outdoor Club (BUNDOC)

Human Resource Management Society (HRMS)

Guild of Rising Interior Designers (GRID)

Benilde International Student Emissaries (BISE)

Most Participative Organizations:

1st Place: Social and Academic Guild for Architecture (SAGA)

2nd Place: Best Buddies Benilde (BBB)

3rd Place: BISE

To formally conclude the closing ceremony, BSCI Chairperson Phoebe Pineda gave her closing remarks as she expressed her desire for the students to join the different organizations in hopes of meeting their new-found families and finding which suits them best.

“I’m looking forward to seeing them excel in their organizations and stepping outside their comfort zone because we Benildeans do ordinary things extraordinarily well,” Pineda shared.

BCSI serves as the main coordinating body of all duly accredited student organizations in Benilde. SI Week is the College's recruitment event which takes place every term, with the goals of ensuring membership recruitment and promoting the different organizations towards the Benildean community.