HAU admin imposes aircon fee for summer; students not consulted
Multiple complaints regarding the unconsulted PHP 486 per student air-conditioning fee imposed by the Holy Angel University (HAU) administration were perceived from Angelites who take classes for this year’s summer term.
In an interview with The Angelite, a 1st year student from the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) stated that he was unaware of the aircon fee until he checked his ledger of accounts in the HAU Campus++ portal.
“Upon enrollment, I was not really aware of the aircon fee until I checked my ledger of account[s] on Campus++. Although with the good intention of considering the welfare of the students, I think it should have been communicated or at least announced prior to implementation,” the student stated.
In another interview with a 2nd year BSA student, he mentioned that he was surprised about the imposition of the aircon fee. More so, he also expressed that it is the admin’s duty to consult the students regarding this matter.
“I was surprised when a friend told me that there was an imposed P486 aircon fee on all students who will take their summer classes without any heads up. I believe it is the university’s administration duty to inform the students regarding this,” he stated.
Furthermore, Rica Gaña, another 2nd Year BSA student, exclaimed that the imposed fee is too much given that the summer term is only a month and a half long. Gaña further mentioned that their schedule for face-to-face classes is only two days per week.
“I think na ang [OA] ng 486 pesos para sa 1.5 months na summer class. [Tapos] hindi naman araw-araw yung face-to-face classes namin, 2 days per week lang. Tapos bigla nalang nag-reflect sa C++ namin yung aircon fee, ‘di man lang kami in-inform,” she stated.
“Hindi naging transparent yung institution sa process and decision nila. Syempre gusto naming [mga] students na naka-aircon, ok[ay] kami don, pero yung way ng pag-impose nila na biglaan lang and wala mang pa-announcement, ayon yung [hindi] okay,” she
added.
Meanwhile, The Angelite reached out to the Chief Enrollment Officer, Dr. Jesus Panlilio and to the Vice President for Finance, Ms. Joly Aniceto last May 15, requesting for the total number of students enrolled for summer term, and for a detailed explanation regarding the imposition of the said fee without prior consultation.
The publication received a response from the University Registrar’s office on May 17, two days after reaching out. Dr. Panlilio stated that the decision of the university to impose the aircon fee for 2,500+ summer term students was in response to the Angeles City’s directive to hold in-person classes in air-conditioned rooms, given the prolonged heat wave we are experiencing.
He further stated that the lack of consultation to students was because the admin did not have enough time for consultation before summer term starts.
Excluded from fee breakdown
On the other hand, in an interview with the College Student Council of the School of Business and Accountancy (CSC-SBA) Chairperson, Bianca Raguindin, she stated that no survey forms circulated with regards to this matter, and such fees were not initially included in the breakdown of fees posted by the Finance Office.
“The decision to impose a 486-peso air conditioning fee for the summer term came without prior consultation with the student body. There was not a survey form that was circulated for such fees to be approved or consulted,” Raguindin stated.
“Hindi siya kasama sa initial na nakalagay sa Finance na breakdown of fees. It was added later on na lang after the enrollment sa C++,” she added.
Raguindin also mentioned that for departments like the SBA, which have academic calendars with three consecutive semesters, this may cause financial burden to students.
Moreover, according to the CSC-SBA Chairperson, the council plans to propose a reassessment of the imposed fee to accurately reflect the reduced utilization of air-conditioned facilities by students during this period.
“With the current heat we are experiencing, the need for an airconditioned room is understandable. However, due to the lack of prior consultation and the consistent suspensions of classes leading to synchronous classes instead of face-to-face, we believe it’s necessary to reassess and recalculate the fee based on actual student usage,” Raguindin said.
Raguindin further stated that during the entire Midterm period of the summer term, which began on May 2, 2024, only those with Monday and Tuesday face-to-face schedules have attended onsite classes two to three times only.
“In our regular schedule, students attend face-to-face classes twice a week, from 8 AM to 4 PM. However, with recent conversations with fellow students, it’s evident that during the entire [Midterm] period this summer, which began on May 2, 2024, only those with [Monday and Tuesday] face-to-face schedules have attended classes onsite two to three times,” Raguindin stated.
With this, the council believes that the reassessment of the imposed fee is fair and necessary to alleviate the financial burden on students.
via Clare Patrice
