Tomasi-Know: UST Facts and Trivia...

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Baka meron kayong alam na UST facts or trivia diyan na pwedeng i-share para Thomasians will know... Pangit naman tingnan na maraming bagay ang hindi alam ng Thomasians tungkol sa USTe... gaya nito...


'UP Sana Tayo'
Ni Deni Rose M. Afinidad

ALAM niyo bang muntik nang maging “University of the Philippines” ang UST noong 1870?

Noong 1870s, pinagbantaan ng mga rebolusyonaryong Filipino at mga Amerikano na buwagin ang UST dahil nasa ilalim ito ng mga Kastila.

Dahil ang UST na rin ang tumatayong departamento ng pampublikong edukasyon noon, napagkasunduan ng mga Dominikano at liberal na panatilihin na lang ang kasalukuyang pangalan nito, sa ilalim ng ilang kondisyon.

Iminungkahi ng mga rebolusyunaryo na gawing nasyonalista at “positivistic” ang oryentasyon ng paaralan. Ninais naman ng mga Amerikano na angkinin at ipasailalim ito sa sekular na pamantayan.

Upang maprotektahan ang Unibersidad at iba pang institusyong nasa ilalim ng Espanya, ang “Moret decrees” ang naging kasagutan; Dahil sa liberal na oryentasyon ng mga bumuo ng “Moret decrees”, hindi ito naging matagumpay dahil hindi sila nagtagal sa pamumuno sa Espanya. Mariing tinutulan din ito ng mga Dominikano dahil sa tangka nitong pagsasaliberal ng sistema ng pagtuturo sa UST.

Para pigilan ang mga kaaway nito, lalong pinaigting ang kurikulum ng mga kursong Medisina at Parmasya , upang manahimik muna ang mga pumupuna sa “mapamahiin at hindi makasiyensiyang” pagtuturo ng Unibersidad.

Sa paglipas ng panahon, lalo pang tumatag ang “tradisyunal” na oryentasyon ng UST nang ginawaran ito ng titulong “Pontifical” ni Pope Leo XIII, at nang ipinatayo ni Pope Pius X ang Central Seminary na nakadagdag naman sa pag-angat ng internasyunal na estado ng Unibersidad.

Magpasa-hanggang ngayon, patuloy pa rin ang UST sa pagpapayaman sa ispiritwal na kalinangan ng mga mag-aaral. Ito ang maipagmamalaki nitong malaking kaibahan sa lahat ng mga kakompetensyang pampublikong unibersidad, tulad ng mas nahuling itinatag na Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.

www.varsitarian.net/filipino/usapang_uste/up_sana_tayo

[sherekhan]

Alam nyo ba na magkaklase UST College of Commerce sina Florante Aseron at Laura Acuzar, former partners ng SGV?

Ang hindi ko lang alam kung professor nila si Francisco Balagtas

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Evolution of Santo Tomas Seal







The University seal—the 13th design since 1619—is a light blue shield with gold frame quartered by the black-and-white Dominican Cross on which the sun of St. Thomas Aquinas is superimposed.

On its quadrants are the four gold symbols—the Papal Tiara, the lion derived from Spain’s seal, the sea lion from Manila City’s old seal, and the rose. They represent UST’s pontificate, royal patronage of Spain, belongingness of the University to the Republic of the Philippines, and the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, respectively.






UST Colleges' Logos/Seals

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Interesting facts and trivia about the UST Museum.

The UST Museum's collection dates back to 1687, making it the oldest in the country, although the Museum was formally established in 1871.

The UST Museum’s collection was originally housed in the Intramuros campus, then transferred to the Sampaloc campus in 1936.

The UST Museum owns the finest and largest carved ivory religious image, a Crucified Christ, in the country.

Rev. Fr. Silvestre Sancho, O.P. established the University’s Annual National Painting Competition in 1941 and thereby paved the way for the growth of the UST Museum’s visual art collection.

The nucleus of the UST Museum’s collection was the gabinete de fisica, a collection of animal, mineral and vegetable specimens used as study aids by students of the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty Medicine and Surgery.

The grand staircase leading up to the UST Museum is flanked by murals by Filipino masters Galo Ocampo and Carlos “Botong” Francisco.

While the University was occupied and used as a civilian internment camp for Allied nationals by the Japanese military during World War II, the UST Museum was closed. Only a handful of internees were allowed to work with the collection, cataloguing shells, coins and rare books.

When the International Council of Museums (ICOM) was established in 1949, the UST Museum was one of the first member-institutions.

The UST Museum’s Main Gallery was originally called the paraninfo or paranymphus, a large, multi-purpose function hall that was used for lectures, symposia and other academic activities.

The UST Museum’s Natural History collection is of great interest to researchers and students, because many of the specimens that were plentiful when they were collected are now endangered or extinct.

The UST Museum participated in the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition, the 1870 Exposition Universale, the 1883 Amsterdam International Expo, the 1883 Exposicion Nacional Madrid, the 1887 Exposicion General de las Islas Filipinas, the 1895 Exposicion Regional de Filipinas, and the 1902 Hanoi Exposition.

The UST Museum’s collection includes the Papal thrones used by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II during their visits to the University of Santo Tomas, the Catholic University of the Philippines.

The UST Museum is located in the Main Building, the first earthquake-resistant structure in the country. It is built in 40 separate pieces, with the gaps filled in with tar and gravel.

The UST Museum features a diorama of Philippine endemic species that are either endangered or extinct.

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Tanaw ang Manila Bay kapag ikaw ay nasa tuktok ng UST Main Building Tower.

España ang naging pangalan ng kalye sa harap ng UST dahil sakop dati ng UST ang lupa hanggang sa katapat nito at noong panahong gustong bilhin ng Gobyerno ang lupain upang gawing kalye, para pumayag ang UST na ipagbili ito, sinabi ng mga prayleng Dominiko na kailangang pangalanan itong Calle España.

Ang seminaryo na binubuo ng tatlong Fakultad lamang ang kabuuan ng UST nang itinatag ito.

Walang gusaling pinapatayo sa loob ng UST na mas mataas sa (tuktok ng) Main Building.

Binuhat pa mismo mula sa Intramuros ang pinaka-entrada ng UST na tinatawag ngayong Arch of the Centuries.

Nasunog ang unang High School Building na kasalukuyang kinakatayuan ng UST Health Services.

Kailangan pa ng basbas ng Santo Papa mula sa Vatican bago maitalaga ang Rector magpasahanggang ngayon.

Ang kauna-unahang Pilipinong Rector ng UST ay si Rev. Fr. Leonardo Legaspi, O.P. na naitalaga noong 1971.

Noong panahon ng mga Amerikano, inalok ang UST na maging National University of Philippines. Hindi pumayag ang mga Paring Dominikano dahil mapapasa-ilalim ito sa pamahalaan ng Gobyerno. Ito ang naghudyat ng pagkakatatag ng University of the Philippines.

"Universidad de Filipinas" ang nasa diploma ng UST noon.

Ang UST Museum ang pinakamatandang museo sa Pilipinas na magpasahanggang ngayon ay nananatiling nakatayo.

Ang kauna-unahang aklat sa Pilipinas ay nailimbag sa UST - ang Doctrina Christiana.

Ginawang World War II Military Stronghold ang UST Campus noong masakop ng Hapon ang Pilipinas.

Ang UST Main Library ay ang minsang naging pinakamalaking silid-aklatan sa Asya.

Makikita sa UST Libarry Rare Books Section ang ilan sa mga librong tulad ng kay Copernicus.

Mayroong urban legend na nagsasabing pag lumabas ka raw sa Arch of the Centuries nang hindi ka pa grumagraduate at made-debar ka.

Dalawang beses lang nainterrupt ang pasok sa UST, noong First Revolution at World War 2.

UST ang pinakamalaking paaralan sa siyudad ng Maynila.

Ang lupang kinatatayuan ngayon ng UST ay dating marsh.

January 28 ang Feast day ni St. Thomas Aquinas at April 28 naman ang foundation day ng UST.

Tinawag na 'Faculty' ang kinabibilangan mong kolehiyo dahil una itong inalok dito sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng UST.

Among the Thomasian Martyrs, some of them were canonized as saints and the rest are beatified.

Ang mga nag-aaral sa UST Central Seminary ay ang "Cream of the crop" ng iba't ibang Archdiocese sa Pilipinas at sila ay pinipili kung sinong ipapadala at papag-aralin dito.

Bago pa naging UST Growling Tigers at UST Tiger Cubs, ang unang tawag sa mga manlalaro ng Unibersidad ay UST Glowing Goldies at UST Golden Nuggets.

Ang kauna-unahang punong hukom ng Korte Suprema ay si Cayetano Arellano, mula sa UST Faculty of Civil Law.

Ang UST lang ang may natatanging titulong "Royal and Pontifical" sa lahat ng Kolehiya at Pamantasan sa Pilipinas.

Sa loob ng Fathers' Residence ay may chapel at oratory pa, liban sa mismong kapilya ng Unibersidad.

UST ang pinakamalaking Katolikong Pamatasan sa Asya.
Nagsimula lang tumanggap ng kababaihan estudyante noong dekada '20.

Ang UST - AMV (Alfredo M. Velayo) College of Accountancy ang kauna-unahan at nagi-isang academic unit sa UST na ipanangalan sa isang mag-aaral nito.

Ang Main Building ang kauna-unahang earthquake-resistant building sa buong Pilipinas na itinayo ni Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P.

Ang UST Main Building Tower ay minsan nagsilbing Kilometer 0, dahil ito ang pinakamataas na gusali noong kapanahunan nito ngunit inilipat na ang tawag sa Rizal Shrine.

Pinagpilian mula sa Manila at sa isang bayan sa Cagayan kung saan ipapatayo ang UST.

UST ang nagi-isang unibersidad sa Pilipinas na tatlong beses ng binisita ng Santo Papa. Sina Pope Paul VI (1970) at Pope John Paul II (1983) and (1995) ay nakadaupang palad na ng mga Tomasino noong sila'y bumisita dito. Ika nga ni Pope John Paul II "As a Pontifical University , Santo Tomas has a special right to the Pope's attention."

Ang UST Publishing House (o dating UST Press) na itinatag noong 1593 ay mas matanda pa sa mismong Unibersidad at ang pangalawa sa pinakamatandang Publishing House sa buong mundo, kasunod ng Cambridge University Press.

Ang AB Diploma ni Rizal ay galing sa UST na pinirmahan ng UST rector kahit na tinapos nya ang kurso sa Ateneo dahil:
Ang UST ay nagsilbing Ministry of Education noon. Tanging UST lamang ang tertiary school noon, ang iba ay secondary schools lang gaya ng Ateneo, Colegio de San Jose, Letran, Colegio de Sta. Rosa, St. Catalina, at iba pa. Hindi sila makakapag-tapos nang walang pagpapatibay ng UST Rector.

Ang Faculty of Civil Law ng UST ay ang pinagtapusang pamantasas ng anim na Supreme Court Chief Justices.

Ang Facultad ng Inhinyeriya ng UST ang kauna-unahang nag-alok ng mga kurso sa Inhinyeriya sa Pilipinas - ang kursong Civil Engineering.

Nasa UST Museum ang nagsilbing upuan ni Pope John Paul II noong siya ay bumisita dito.

Makikita sa UST Museum ang mga artifacts nang sinaunang panahon, pati ang mga barya na ginamit ng mga Espanyol noong sila ay unang bumaba sa Pilipinas.

Si Dr. Pio A. Valenzuela ay nagtapos ng Medesina sa UST noong taong 1895. Isa siya sa 'triumvirate' na nagtatag at nagtaguyod ng samahang Katipunan. Sa kanya ipinangalan ang ngayo'y tinatawag na Valenzuela City sa gawing-Bulacan, ngunit bahagi na ng kalakhang Maynila.

Ang araw sa bandila ng Pilipinas ay mula araw ni Santo Tomas. Nakita ito ng mga ilustrado ng sila ay nag-aaral pa sa UST.

Ang krus sa tuktok ng Main Building ay simbolo ng pagiging Catholic University ng UST.Nangangahulugan din ito bilang kaligtasan; habang ang orasan naman na matatagpuan sa ibabang na bahagi ng Tria Haec ay sumisimbolo sa kasaysayan.

Ang "The Varsitarian" pinakamatandang publikasyon sa bansa na kinabibilangan ng mga mag-aaral.

Hindi lang ito basta-bastang student publication ang The V dahil ito rin ang nag-oorganize ng Pautakan (longest-running university-wide quiz competition), Ustetika (longest-running campus literature competition), Inkblots (longest-running nationwide campus-based journalism workshop). Kasabay ang paglimbag ng hindi bababa sa 12 isyu kada taon; hindi pa kabilang dito ang mag magasin at folio.

Ang mga V staffers lang ang nakakapunta sa mga prohibited corners ng USTe at mga close-door events dahil sa makapangyarihang press ID.

Ang tawag sa dating V Staffers ay Amihan.

Noong 1938 itinatag ni Angel de Blas, O.P.ang Experimental Psychology Laboratory sa UST.

May 37 nang tropeyo ang UST bilang kabuuang-kampeyon sa UAAP simula 1935 sa Senior Division at 12 mula 1996 sa Juniors Division.

May sariling sewing room ang UST located sa Second floor ng grandstand

Ang Health Service ay dating Restaurant.

Ang Faculty of Pharmacy at Faculty of Medicine and Surgery ay sabay na itinatag noog May 29,1871 sa bisa ng Modification ng Moret Decree at naging kauna-unahang paaralan ng parmasya at medisina sa Pilipinas. Ipinagdiriwang ngayong taon ng 2 pakultad ang kanilang ika-140 taon.

Nakapaloob sa isang time capsule na nasa loob ng UST Marker sa Plaza Intramuros ang pangalan ng mga Quadricentennial graduates, faculty at staff at mga diyaryo sa araw na iyon. Ito ay nakatakdang buksan pagkatapos ng 50 taon.

www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=191681730852739

[Tom A. Saiyan]

“The University of Santo Tomas gratefully looks back to July 24,1605, when Bishop Miguel de Benavides, O.P., the third Archbishop of Manila bequeathed a modest amount from his personal funds and his personal library collection for use in the establishment of a ‘seminary-college’ to prepare young men for the priesthood.

“Thus, on April 28, 1611, the Colegio de Nuestra Senora del Santisimo Rosario, later named Colegio de Santo Tomas, was born in its original campus within the walled city called Intramuros.

“On November 20, 1645, the College was elevated to the rank of a University by Pope Innocent X. King Charles of Spain granted the title “Royal University” to UST in 1785, for the exceptional loyalty shown by its administration and students who volunteered to defend Manila against the British invasion.

“On September 17, 1902, Pope Leo XIII made the University of Santo Tomas a “Pontifical University” and in 1947, Pope Pius XII bestowed upon it the title “The Catholic University of the Philippines.”

“The continuing increase in enrolment prompted the administration in 1927 to relocate the University in its present site in the Sampaloc district, along Espana St, Manila, which covers 21.5 hectares.

“Inspired by its rich history, spurred on to impart wisdom and knowledge, enthused by noteworthy accomplishments, the University has remained steadfastly responsive to the needs and issues of the time as they occur, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere in the world.

“Today, the University campus is considered a historic site and is a recognizable landmark in Manila and the country.”

www.philippine-trivia.com/trivias/institutions-society/trivias-about-the-university-of-santo-tomas-ust.html

[Tom A. Saiyan]

COMMENTARY
No contest: UST is oldest university
By José Victor Torres
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:40:00 01/27/2011

MANILA, Philippines Learning history sometimes means memorizing superlatives?;the highest,' 'the longest,' 'the shortest,' 'the earliest,' 'the lowest,' etc. It sounds like studying history means grabbing a Philippine edition of the Guinness Book of World Records and reading through its facts.

Yet, it is these superlatives that give people, places and institutions distinction.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is one of these institutions. It is recognized as the oldest in Asia, older in fact than Harvard in the United States.

In addition to this claim to fame along with the titles 'Royal' and 'Pontifical' and 'The Catholic University of the Philippines,' UST boasts of a historical continuity with its original owners and administrators' the Dominicans.

But its reputation as the 'oldest university' was challenged by the University of San Carlos in Cebu which, in 1995, officially celebrated its '400th Foundation Day.' The Cebu institution traced its beginnings from the foundation of a Jesuit-run school, Colegio de San Ildefonso de Cebu, in 1595 to the present.

San Carlos? assertion dates back to 1948 when the college was elevated to a university. Since then, newspaper articles published this 'fact,' the latest in 1995 when writer F.C. Borlongan reiterated in a newspaper article that "San Carlos, not UST, is the oldest university."

As well-respected historian and former UST archivist Fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P. pointed out in a journal article, "UST or San Carlos of Cebu" A Question of Age?: 'This is not the first time that newspapers, periodical publications and even an occasional history book have come out with such a claim which, in our considered judgment, is totally erroneous.'

With the ongoing quadricentennial celebration of UST, this contention must be resolved with available historical data. Several questions are to be answered: Which educational institution is the oldest? What are the evidences? And, why argue about these claims?

Looking through facts

UST's history remains unquestionable: The Dominicans were at the helm of higher learning in Spanish-colonial Philippines. It is a tribute to their roles as stalwarts of education that their legacy 'UST' still remains today as a bastion of higher learning.

Its foundation on April 26, 1611, happened more than three decades after the founding of the City of Manila. It was from Manila Archbishop Miguel de Benavides, O.P., that a school of higher learning came into being through his last will that provided a library and funds to erect a "seminary-college."

Its name was Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, later to be renamed as Colegio de Santo Tomas de Nuestra del Rosario, and, finally, to Colegio de Santo Tomas.

Through the years, the colegio underwent major changes that raised its stature. In 1619, Pope Paul V authorized the granting of degrees of Philosophy and Theology to all colleges administered by the Dominicans in the 'Occidental Indies.'

In 1645, Pope Innocent X raised Santo Tomas to the rank of university. In 1785, the title 'Royal' was given by Charles III in recognition of their loyalty to Spain during the war against England.

In 1902, it was given the title of "Pontifical" by Leo XIII and, in 1947, the title of "Catholic University" was granted by Pius XII.

What about San Carlos?

The university?s fame also provided the impetus for the Spanish government to assign it as the Bureau of Education in the mid-19th century when the secondary school system was revamped. This is the reason many student records of different schools, such as Ateneo and Letran, are found in the UST archives.

The case against San Carlos' claim was made in two scholarly articles written by Villaroel and a professor of the San Carlos Seminary itself, Aloysius Lopez Cartagenas.

Villarroel wrote that the historical problem of San Carlos is this: "The case of the University of San Carlos is an entirely different story. Different in the sense that its origins have yet to be established solidly on the basis of unquestionable historical documentation. But whatever date may be fixed and conventionally accepted as the foundation date, it cannot be the year 1595."

San Carlos has its roots tied with those of another institution?the Jesuit-run Colegio de San Ildefonso. What made it troubling is that this school has a spotty past.

San Ildefonso opened in 1595 and closed down in 1608, leaving only a primary school (similar to an elementary school) for boys. There was a lack of students as many Spanish residents left Cebu to settle in Manila.

The school closed down after the Jesuit expulsion from the Philippines in 1768. Its buildings, however, were used by the Diocese of Cebu for San Carlos Seminary, which was established in 1783.

In 1867, the seminary opened a government-authorized secondary school that became known as 'Colegio de San Carlos.'

In 1924, during the American period, the colegio separated from the seminary and, in 1948, was given university rank by the Philippine government.

In its entire existence, the school changed administration from the diocese to the Vincentians and, finally, to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) order.

Based on these facts, Cartagenas wrote: "The earliest roots of the University of San Carlos in Cebu are not the Jesuit Colegio de San Ildefonso of 1595 but Seminario de San Carlos which, under the Vincentian Fathers, began to admit lay students in 1867. The year 1867, not 1595, as claimed, appears to be the auspicious beginning of an educational institution that would later become a university."

Conclusion

It seemed that University of San Carlos? history does not come from one but three different schools?the 1595 Jesuit Colegio de San Ildefonso that began as an institution of higher learning but was reduced to a primary school that later closed down; San Carlos Seminary, which educated and trained the diocesan clergy; and, from this seminary, Colegio de San Carlos was founded in 1867, recognized in 1912, and becoming a university only in 1948.

Three different schools. Three different histories with a break in its timeline. This historical discontinuity and the institutions that were founded lacked what Villarroel called San Carlos' "homogenous growth."

'You do not call a mango tree an orange tree just because the mango tree has grown in the place where formerly an orange tree was planted, grew and died,' he wrote.

Accident of age

Why argue about superlatives?

At first glance, such arguments and contentions may be trivial to the reader. After all, both universities enjoy a reputation of excellence. But, as Villarroel said, 'the accident of age may add luster to the institution.'

This has been true for UST throughout its 400 years of existence.

If we research, study and interpret the historical facts well, the honor of being 'the oldest university' belongs to the University of Santo Tomas.

House resolution

Perhaps the issue was settled last Dec. 1 when the House of Representatives passed Resolution No. 51, 'Resolution Congratulating the University of Santo Tomas (UST) on the occasion of its Quadricentennial University in 2011.'

The resolution was officially presented to UST Rector Magnificus Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P., surrounded by proud UST alumni among the lawmakers, in a special session of the lower chamber on Jan. 18.

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the opening of the 10th biennial conference of the International Council of St. Thomas Aquinas Universities (Icusta) headed by UST, with presidents and administrators of several prestigious international universities present, the resolution was read by Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo of Valenzuela City.

The resolution leaves no doubt as to which is the oldest university in the Philippines and Asia. It describes UST as 'founded on April 28, 1611 by Archbishop Miguel de Benavides' and 'has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and Asia.'

The UST charter and other historic documents, preserved in the UST archives, should show the historical and documentary validity of UST's claim as the oldest university in this part of the world.

UST events

UST has been celebrating its 400th anniversary this week. On Monday, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales blessed the UST Jubilee Door at UST Santisimo Rosario Church and gave an apostolic blessing in a High Mass on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, who has proclaimed 2011 as UST Jubilee Year.

Yesterday, UST formally opened the 10th biennial conference of the International Council of St. Thomas Aquinas Universities at UST Santisimo Rosario Church after a High Mass presided over by Archbishop Karl Adams, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines.

President Aquino addressed the conference, an international federation of higher-education institutions taking after the principles of St. Thomas Aquinas, the universal patron saint of Catholic schools. The UST Conservatory of Music later mounted the opera 'Cavelleria Rusticana' at the UST College of Medicine Auditorium.

Today, the Quattrromondial, the UST Quadricentennial Memorial Monument, a 10-meter sculpture in bronze and glass by internationally renowned Filipino sculptor Ramon G. Orlina and modeled by actors Piolo Pascual and Charlene Gonzales, will be unveiled at UST Quadricentennial Park.

On Friday, a High Mass marking the UST Quadricentennial and the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas will be held at the UST Grandstand and Football Field, at 5 p.m. The principal celebrants are Cardinal Zenon Grocheleweski, the special papal legate sent by Benedict XVI, and Fr. Bruno Cordore, master general of the Dominican Order.

The alumni homecoming party follows.

(Editor's Note: Jose Victor Torres was a former senior historical researcher of the Intramuros Administration. He has a doctorate in History and has won the National Book Award for his Intramuros history guidebook.)

newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110127-316853/No-contest-UST-is-oldest-university

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Vanda ustii, the University of Santo Tomas' vanda, is an orchid species found only in the Philippines. It is named after the University of Santo Tomas.



Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanda_ustii


Vanda ustii

Vanda ustii is found in Nueva Vizcaya in Philippines. It was initially treated as another colour form of Vanda luzonica and is only offically described in 2000. This impressive plant is very free flowering in Singapore.

There are 2 forms that are cultivated in Singapore. One form is clear pristine yellow petals, the other has a faint blotches at the edge of the petals.

orchideae.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/vanda-ustii/

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Since wala na akong makitang UST trivia at facts, ito na lang...


People+Parties | Profiles
School Stereotypes: University of Santo Tomas
Bestselling author and FHM columnist Stanley Chi on what it’s like to be Thomasian.
By: Stanley Chi | Published on: Jul 3, 2013 - 7:00am

(SPOT.ph) ADMU, DLSU, UP, or UST? Choose your poison. There will always be stereotypes associated to whatever university you choose. And having graduated from the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and biggest Catholic university in the Philippines, I have had to bear with my own share of typecasting.

But before touching on the inaccurate generalizations associated with Tomasinos, here are a few stereotypes that any UST student can relate to.

1. If you’re from UST, you are a suki of the photocopying and bookbinding stalls found in Dapitan.

2. As a Thomasian, you are not easily impressed by fireworks displays elsewhere, thanks to four (or more) years of exposure to pyrotechnics during Paskuhan.

3. As a student of USTe, you know that the security guards will eat you alive if you don’t wear your ID upon entering your building.

4. After four years in UST, you become a certified guru in flood wading—and your friends start believing you’re genuinely waterproof.

5. You know better than to assume that all Thomasian students wearing white uniforms are enrolled in medical courses. (To those not privy to UST culture: Even Thomasian students taking up Commerce and Education wear white uniforms.)


Growling Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Tomasino = Tahimik?

Perhaps my reference to the famous Chinese movie in the above heading can’t be helped, especially because I’m Tsinoy. (Speaking of stereotypes, yes, I may be part-Chinese, but I don’t know kung-fu, I’m not kuripot, and I don’t necessarily have to marry another Chinese. But that’s another topic altogether.)

I remember that whenever the UAAP season rolls in, even those who can’t tell the difference between a free throw and a field goal start chanting, “Go USTe!” when the Growling Tigers are on deck. But many Thomasians are relatively quiet in class, even when they know the answer during recitation.

There’s that “Hidden Dragon” inside us—that intrinsic desire to stay tight-lipped and invisible—for as long as necessary. While graduates from other schools are more outspoken, those hailing from UST are content to stay out of the limelight.

But hey, maybe that’s just another stereotype.


“USTereotypes”

There are many other stereotypes about Tomasinos, most of which are largely untrue. But you be the judge:


UST STEREOTYPE #1: If you’re from UST, you’re a Mayrics patron.

Although Mayrics was known as the hotspot of underground Pinoy music during its heyday, not all Tomasinos were aware that it was just a stone’s throw away from UST. Too bad.


UST STEREOTYPE #2: UST students are good little boys and girls.

Just because we went to a Catholic school does not make us instant angels. And don’t assume we’re not activists. We go to rallies, too—but you can hardly find us because of our “hidden dragon” powers.


UST STEREOTYPE #3: UST is the last to announce suspension of classes during typhoons.

Okay, this may be true sometimes. But who needs an official declaration when you’ve got the fast-rising floodwaters making the announcement?


UST STEREOTYPE #4: If you don’t prove your mettle in UST, you end up transferring to “the other school.”

There’s a statue of Bishop Benavides in front of the main UST entrance—and it’s pointing in the direction of another university. “If you’re not UST material, doon ka sa kabila!” is its hidden subtext, or so others claim. But that’s a rather rude punchline a Thomasian of good upbringing will never make.


UST STEREOTYPE #5: If you’re from UST, you are anti-RH law.

No, this is not necessarily true. But with my fellow MIBF literacy ambassador Carlos Celdran facing charges for allegedly hurting religious feelings, elaborating on this would be like stirring a hornet’s nest—and I don’t want to get stung.

Besides, my favorite color is yellow.


About the Author:
Stanley Chi is the author of the bestselling Suplado Tips book series and Pogi Points. He is also a cartoonist, stand-up comedian, and host. Tapping his business-centric Chinese roots, he designs the now-viral Suplado Shirts. When you’re not reading his online FHM column called One Night Stan, you can stalk him on Twitter (@stanleychi).

www.spot.ph/peopleparties/53851/school-stereotypes-university-of-santo-tomas[/font]

[Tom A. Saiyan]

[Tom A. Saiyan]

Para hindi maligaw ang mga bagong salta sa USTe at sa mga Tomasinong matagal na nag-graduate at hindi pa nakakabalik sa Santo Tomas...






Baka kasi ito pa ang USTe na alam ninyo...