Counsellors

I became a member of several organizations on-campus. One of these was called Student Counselors Organization. This was originally created by the Student Affairs office to properly handle, orient and guide freshmen. Freshmen were enrolled in blocks, ensuring that these new students would the same faces as classmates for all of their first semester classes, and if they were lucky, also for the second semester. The blocks themselves were composed of students who were taking up the same course. This had the added effect of making sure that they would have a support group for their complete stay in the university and beyond.

When the notion of block counselors started out, there were several groups which had their own agenda. The guidance counselors wanted to develop student leaders and student activism. On the other hand, the various university organizations also had their agenda, that of handling students of the same course or college as a recruitment pool once the freshmen became eligible for membership.

The Student Counselors Organization was formed by several counselors who saw a need for a more independent and mature group of people who would undergo training in group handling and peer counseling. The ideals were met but the individual agenda was not something easily eradicated or hindered. Individual counselors still used the
counselling experience to filter possible candidates for their other organizations. There are rules in place which does not allow organizations to recruit freshmen members. During the second year however, it's open season for recruitment. The counselors are not supposed to be positioning their organizations, but some use their
influence with their blocks so the students would be applying in these other organizations.

--andoy