Check out http://www.thirdcharm.blogspot.com. That is George’s blog; his latest report included that of the year’s controversial news about De La Salle – Dasmarinas’ losing its University title. Well explained, really.

But for those who need a recap, this is what happened.

System schools, like that of University of the Philippines, follow a certain grand charter that�s applicable to all of the schools under its wing. However, that charter acts only as the charter for the system, not for the individual schools. Now, in order for a school to stand on its own as a university, it then has to have its own charter. Inside the De La Salle System, the only schools who have its own charter are De La Salle University � Manila (DLSU-Manila), and De La Salle University � Araneta.

Apparently, De La Salle � Dasmarinas has been carrying the University title since before (its former name, being De La Salle University � Dasmarinas), yet it still doesn�t have its own charter. Due to that, the school had to apply for its University name retention, which the Commision on Higher Education (CHED) promptly denied, due to being deficient in 4 fields.

Technically, De La Salle � Dasmarinas is not a University.

However, this is the very same statement that most of the population, headed by most of the faculty and administration, deny vehemently, claiming that we are still a University being an overflow from DLSU-Manila�s charter. And that we are still a part of the De La Salle University System. But this declaration is proving to be misleading. First off, for a school to be an overflow of another school, they have to be 1) an extension, and 2) not a separate entity. Such is the case that happened with AMA�s being approved of the University status. When AMA�s main campus held the name University to its name, an AMA school here in Cavite followed suit, also attaching the University to its name thinking it was applicable to all the AMA schools. Later on, CHED had to point that out, and AMA Cavite promptly took off the University name and replaced it with �Cavite Campus.�

Therefore, in order for us to be an overflow of DLSU-Manila, we have to be proclaimed as an extension. However, DLS-D is claiming to be a separate entity, which is the main reason why the school is applying for its own University status. The use of the University title is therefore, illegitimate.

This is the very same issue that�s been occupying the gossip line of Lasallians for the past week. Since the release of Heraldo Filipino Vol 19 Number 01, July issue, people have been riding on the bandwagon, trying to place different opinions on the subject. The most popular is that we (Heraldo Filipino/I being one of the two writers who composed the banner headline, with the help of our News editor Maycee who practically re-overhauled the news article) could have written it in a rather positive angle. They claimed that we downed the school when we could have uplifted it.

Most of us from the publication were trying to laugh it off despite the obvious emotional and professional plus academic tensions. What are we going to write? our Editor-in-Chief asked, write down, �We can be a University?�, coupled by laughs from my editor. No matter how you put it, you cannot place a good side to a bad subject. In the first place, why should one sugar-coat such a thing?

People are claiming we�re biased. Students are saying we wasted their money. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the accusation of the century.

First off, we presented both the facts: the administration�s side, and the students� side. We placed rather hopeful comments from the admin, while we placed the disgusted comments of the students. The end of the article was even hopeful. And we printed what we believe the students deserve to know. We told them the truth. The majority of what comprised this school is us students, and we were given obscure facts: some said we were doing it to conform to the university system (because there�s the De La Salle � Lipa, De La Salle – Canlubang), others said we didn�t lose the title, just improving it. If HF were not going to give them the facts, who would?

Heraldo Filipino is created by the students FOR the students. We did it for them to know the truth that they deserve. These students paid good money because they were assured DLS-D was a separate entity, a real university first and foremost, with only the school being a part of the Lasallian system as a huge consolation. If there are students who were angered by the news, then the people who were covering their ears ought to know what these people feel.

We are not downing the school. Like the vast majority, we are also hoping. We love the school. We are Lasallians, after all.

What�s going to happen next, we can only hope it�s a good one.