By Kate Giordan Flores
SU college fair logs 64% turnout
The Silliman University (SU) Marketing Team recorded a 64-percent turnout of student attendees during the Oct. 8 City-Wide College Fair, aiming to maximize participation of other neighboring schools next year.
According to SU Admissions Office head Yolanda Elenita Luz Maxino, various factors such as scheduling conflicts with pre-existing planned events caused the lower-than-expected turnout at the fair.
“We only [had] less than a month to prepare for that event. This was really initiated by the Office of Business and Finance. This is part of their marketing plan but they want it to be sooner than we planned,” Maxino said.
Senior high school students from the Dumaguete City National High School and Dumaguete Science High School were part of the approximately 400 participants in the fair.
“Sa a calendar nila, they [students] have exams so they can’t really come, so we have to make sure next year nga atong schedule ma fit pud sa schedule sa tanan,” Maxino added..
Despite the turnout, Maxino also noted that the fair received an “excellent rating” from the participants through the feedback form.
“There were positive feedback responses from the different schools, especially private schools and public schools,” she said.
Meanwhile, SU marketing assistant Krystle Joyce Ozoa shared that budgeting and logistics need to be considered to accommodate a larger audience for next year’s fair.
“For [the] Department of Education, they would require transportation [and food for public schools] that would entail a cost for us. It would not be a mere ₱200,000, it could be more,” she said.
College concerns
Moreover, concerns on time constraints and lack of financial support were also raised during the recently-held State of the Student Body Address (SSBA) last Nov. 19.
Kapunungan sa mga Mass Communicators Governor Luke Timothy Burbano said that the short notice created a conflict to their college’s planned timeframe.
“We were given at most a week to prepare for it and […] that’s really not feasible for us because we also have our own events, […] and we were provided no funding for [the college fair],” he said.
College of Performing and Visual Arts Governor Amanda Bumagat also stated that the college fair’s Amazing Race was not an effective way to market courses.
“Pagkahuman sa [Amazing Race], [the SHS students] were so tired that they were not really interested anymore in hearing […] us trying our best to market our courses,” she said.
Office of Media and Public Affairs Chief Dr. Warlito Caturay Jr. responded that an evaluation for all participating colleges can “help [them] prepare the event better.”
“I think what was missing was an evaluation for all the colleges. There ought to be an evaluation from the participating organizers,” he said.
The City-Wide College Fair was the first to be held in SU to help graduating students make informed decisions on choosing their career path for college.
