The Student Involvement Unit (SIU), through the Benilde Committee on Student Involvement (BCSI), welcomed all Benildeans to the annual Student Involvement (SI) Week 1 on Oct. 20 to 26. With the theme “Mythical Marvels: A Journey through Ancient Worlds, ”SI Week 1 reminded students of the fascinating worlds beyond reality while offering an engaging and memorable recruitment experience.
As the school returns to full face-to-face classes, the event was held across multiple campuses with booths located on the 12th Floor Cafeteria at the Design and Arts Campus (D+A), on the 9th Floor at the Angelo King International Campus (AKIC), and two stations at the newly opened The Atrium @ Benilde–the 1st Floor Lobby and the 9th Floor Cafeteria.
The 40 accredited and recognized student organizations (ARSOs) for A.Y. 2023-2024 opened their doors to new members as they were able to share their passions, talents, and adventures with the community.
Onto a new odyssey
The first day of SI Week kicked off on Oct. 20 with booths set up in their respective places, but the event did not officially begin until Oct. 24 with the live streaming of its pre-recorded opening ceremony, wherein students were given the chance to promote their respective organizations and showcase their extraordinary Benildean spirit. The opening ceremony was displayed on televisions at 12th Floor Cafeteria at the D+A Campus, the AKIC Lobby, and the Atrium Lobby allowing students from multiple campuses to witness the program.
During the program launch, Center for Student Life’s (CSL) Dean, Mr. Levi Albania, gave his opening remarks. He began by sharing his excitement and expectations for this year’s SI week and its importance in the Benildean community.
“The students are the lifeblood of our academic community. The hustle and bustle of the campus greatly depends on the student organizations,” he said, emphasizing the spirit of each organization and its importance to the school.
Following the opening remarks, SI Week 1 Co-Project Head and ID122 Multimedia Arts student Sam Reyes shared her enthusiastic welcoming message, “We warmly welcome all of the Benildean community, including the frosh on their new journey and experiences as they discover their desired organizations. We hope that this SI Week will start you on your new legendary adventure here in Benilde.” Her words echoed the hopes of each student organization to offer new members unique experiences to color their stay in Benilde.
Despite schedule challenges, the ceremony pushed through, featuring creative promotional videos from each student organization and a final message to encourage students’ participation in the week-long event.
Braving the journey
Throughout SI Week, ARSOs unleashed their creativity as they invited students with exciting games, tempting prizes, and unique gimmicks. On the first day, student performers from the Saint Benilde Romancon Dance Company (SBRDC) graced the stage of the D+A cafeteria with a flash mob of powerful and energetic moves as they left a lasting impression on new prospective Benilde Culture and Arts Unit (BCAU) members.
The week-long event also featured an exciting activity for ID123 CSBLIFE students to encourage them to embrace the spirit of Saint Benilde and embark on the epic quest to unite with the various ARSOs. Participants were given a map to chart their journey with the student organizations and are tasked to obtain signatures or stamps from each of the booths to complete their odyssey.
Before closing the festivities, student organizations were challenged to design and compete for amazing prizes and awards including the Best Poster, Best Organization Pitch Video, and Best Booth.
Final Destination
SI Week 1’s onsite festivities continued until Oct. 26, ending with a closing ceremony taking place at the D+A Campus Cafeteria.
During the closing ceremony, the winning student organizations were announced as follows:
Best Poster Award
Benilde Arts Management (BEAM)
Best Buddies Benilde (BBB)
Travelers in Progress (TRIP)
DrawInk
Benilde Debate Varsity (BDV)
Export Management Society (EMS)
Best Organization Pitch Video Award
Benilde Arts Management (BEAM)
Best Buddies Benilde (BBB)
Benildean Industrial Designers (BIND)
Export Management Society (EMS)
DrawInk
Best Creative Booth Award
Benilde Arts Management (BEAM)
Benildean Industrial Designers (BIND)
Benilde Debate Varsity (BDV)
AIESEC in Benilde
Benilde Hive (BHive)
Didn’t make it to the physical event? Not to worry! Online recruitment will still be open until Nov. 6!
Be sure to sign up for the #BSOrglLfe before they close their registration for the term!
