OSA-OVCSA conducts first Organization Space Utilization Forum for 2024

The UPLB Office of Student Activities (OSA) of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) organized the first Organization Space Utilization Forum for forty-two (42) building and venue administrators with University Planning and Maintenance Office (UPMO) and Business Affairs Office (BAO) representatives.

The forum was a venue for discussing student organization-related concerns on the use of venues and spaces in different locations in UPLB. It was held on March 18, 2024, at the Makiling Ballroom Hall, Student Union Building.

OSA Director Marcelina C. Miranda facilitated the forum with the assistance of faculty member and OSA Project Development Associate (PDA) John Lorenzo A. Yambot. Miranda discussed the role of OSA as the coordinating body concerning student organizations. She clarified that the use and approval of the venue is not under the jurisdiction of OSA but the building (venue) administrator.

Miranda also gave a quick tour of the OVCSA website and the OSA webpages, OSA’s services and programs, as well as the currently registered student organizations. OSA staff member Kim D. Adlaon presented the brief process of activity permit (AP) generation using the OVCSA Management System (OSAM) before the open forum was held.

Yambot discussed the current OSA Merit System and its updates, focusing on the rewards system that was proposed to building administrators before the pandemic. He also called for comments and suggestions on the rewards catalog before the next consultative meeting.

Administrative Officer V Otoniel A. Genosa demonstrated the use of the OVCSA Spaces Reservation System. Attendees said that it was an efficient reservation system of the OVCSA-managed spaces.

An Open Forum followed where OSA stated that while the future direction of the UPLB Spaces Reservation System is its inclusion in the OSAM System, the short-term solution is to ensure that the building administrators and concerned units are on the same page as regards the current activity permit process.

The venue and building administrators consequently raised their concerns regarding student organizations’ adherence to venue guidelines such as observing cleanliness, scheduled time slots, and payment of the staff assigned to oversee the use of the venue.

During the forum, it was clarified that venue administrators must sign the activity permit before it is processed at the Business Affairs Office and the University Planning and Maintenance Office, with OSA being the final signatory. Furthermore, all venue administrators may opt to look for the organizations’ APs and their necessary attachments for official filing and security purposes.

The Organization Space Utilization Forum is aimed at helping realize OSA’s role as the University’s coordinating office on activities concerning student organizations.