OVCSA future-proof student programs and services with new management systems

The past few years, characterized by much uncertainty and disruption, compelled educational institutions, including UPLB, to reimagine their delivery of student programs and services.

UPLB launched future-proofing programs and a digital transformation initiative to catch up and cope with these challenges. Many of these were anchored on technology and technological developments.

It is worth noting, though, that automation began early at the then Student Organizations and Activities Division (SOAD) under the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), the forerunner of OVCSA. The Student Organization Module or OrgsUP, conceptualized in 2011 by former SOAD Head Asst. Prof. Mark Lester M. Chico with former Communication and Information Technology (COMMIT) Head Juan Miguel Carlos V. Abriol-Santos, was the first system designed to facilitate organization-related activities and concerns such as organization registration, activity permits, and narrative reports.

OrgsUP led to the development of the OSA Management (OSAM) System, which has long been in use since June 2012. OSAM is an advanced software suite with web, desktop, and mobile components aimed at making students queuing up for services to become a thing of the past.

New systems have been developed by OVCSA’s Research, Communication, and Information Technology (RECOMMIT) to provide easier access to their services. These systems streamline necessary information and processes through an online system.

One of the new systems is the Student Assistantship and Graduate Assistantship (SAGA) Program, which accommodates services for student and postgraduate assistants.

Launched in October 2021, the Online University Clearance System was developed to make the processing of students’ clearances simultaneous across offices and transparent. A clearance application kicks off the process with the system enabling involved offices and the applicant to view and act on it. Both parties can immediately address deficiencies, significantly reducing processing time as the process is simultaneous across the offices.

The Online Dorm Reservation System, introduced on July 11, 2022, on the other hand, accommodates student dorm applications and guarantees a systematic management of the slots.

In July 2022, the Queuing System was relaunched to make the services offered by OVCSA units more efficient, and shortly thereafter, the SU Logs System, pioneered in November 2022, was launched to monitor the comings and goings of people in the Student Union Building.

The OVCSA-managed Spaces Reservation System is an additional module of OSAM, which seeks to ensure better services and equity in the use of spaces where events are held. Reservation of facilities managed by the OVCSA Main Office will be accommodated in the system to ensure their availability for university constituents as well as paying individuals and groups.

These systems stand as components of the OSAM System being maintained by OVCSA through RECOMMIT. As a modernization project of the office, the OSAM System takes advantage of the benefits of information technology to promote students’ growth and personal development.

RECOMMIT continues to ensure the development of needs-based systems that respond to the evolving landscape of the university and higher education.