Another academic year has come to De La Salle University (DLSU) and along with it is the new batch of Froshies. But with the pandemic still affecting the nation, their entry into the university has not been as grand as it once was before. Campuses are still closed, and all classes are now being held online. It is unfortunate to be in the situation we are in today, but that shouldn't stop the university from welcoming ID 120 into the community. For the organizations in the College of Computer Studies (CCS), this did not fall on deaf ears when it held its online Frosh Week event. 

OneCCS, the council of CCS organizations, launched its weeklong event on November 9, 2020 in an effort to welcome the Frosh into the college while also exposing them to the CCS culture and community. “As a freshman, everything within the university is a new sight to see,” Anna Catahan, President of Microsoft  Student Community said, “Curious minds will prompt questions that most of the upper batch would find rather ridiculous. With this, Frosh Week aims to answer anything these students may have...” Within this event, various CCS organizations showed their support such as: Computer Studies Government (CSG), Developers Student Club Taft (DSC), La Salle Computer Society (LSCS), Microsoft Student Community (MSC), Peer Tutors Society (PTS), and Society of Proactive Role Models INspiring Total Development (SPRINT).

The most notable activity that came out from Frosh Week was the Zoom Calls that the Frosh could attend to not only learn about CCS organizations but to hear some college stories from their upper batchmen. College President Carlo Santos envisioned the event to be as interactive as Frosh Week in previous years, “I had hoped to keep the original goal and vibe of the original CCS Week of having the organizations set up their booths next to each other but in an online setting. That's why in the event we introduce each organization and what they do to the Frosh to give them what to expect in joining and as well as welcoming them to the CCS Community.” This activity was unfortunately cut short to two days due to Typhoon Ulysses. 

Other than the Zoom meet-ups, CCS organizations posted online posters in part to give Froshies valuable advice for their college journey. SPRINT’s ‘Double Your Skills Programming’ Post showcased many great programming youtube channels that can help them in their first coding activities and machine projects. MSC provided them with useful tips and hacks for Microsoft products, while DSC gave a list of web extensions for Google Chrome. Lastly, LSCS and PTS gave general tips for the Froshies. Tom Bernardo, project head of LSCS’s Back to School 101, believes that these tips are important, especially given the tough times we are in today. He said: 

I  think that a lot of things are piling up one after the other with the pandemic, academics and other activities the school has to offer. I think that people have been stressed out, and they feel like there’s no time for them to rest. And so, we tried to put up some ideas as to how people can be able to take care of themselves while being as productive. We think that people tend to forget about themselves, so this way, they can have some refreshers on what they are supposed to do and how they planned to do it.

This week-long activity hopes to not only introduce the Frosh to the college but also to connect them with the rest of the college even when face to face meet-ups are not possible. Rebecalyn Lao, President of La Salle Computer Society said, “We hope for the Froshies to be more familiar not only with the organizations in CCS, but also some of the people in CCS so that they will be encouraged to join these organizations and form a new family within CCS.” Anna Catahan added to that by stating the responsibilities of the upper batchmen, “The next four years of their lives will be tough, and as the upper batch, we know that going through these alone will definitely not make it easier. We owe it to them to provide the emotional and mental support that we also received as freshmen from these humble organizations.”

As the event draws to a close, OneCCS hopes it has done its part in welcoming the Froshies into the new chapter in their lives. Though the circumstance was not as favorable as everyone hoped for, there is no doubt that CCS organizations still gave their full time and effort for them. This weeklong event proves that CCS is not just a college, but a community that looks out for each other. This selflessness will continue to be exemplified through future events whether it be online or when we return to Gokongwei Building.