The Department of Economics held its DE Kumustahan for the 2nd semester of AY 2023-2024 on April 24, 3:00-5:00 pm, at the ICOPED Auditorium.
The fun-filled afternoon served as an avenue for students to take a break from their academics and bond with their fellow Isko and Iska and with the DE faculty and staff.
“We saw the need for a Kumustahan session with our students during the peak of the pandemic in 2020. Our students were going through a lot of stress because of the switch to online learning and the lockdown,” says Assoc. Prof Amelia Bello, Chair of the DE Student Welfare Committee. “Since then, we have made Kumustahan a semestral event,” she added.
DE Kumustahan 2023 featured the Ekonnect Talk Show. It gave an opportunity for the students to ask questions to DE faculty members and, in turn, gave faculty members a chance to share experiences that might help current economics students to hurdle the challenges that come with being an Iskolar para sa Bayan.
The Ekonsulta Corner became an outlet for students to share their struggles in the University, whether academic or non-academic.
A photo booth was also present at the event to capture the fun moments shared by the participants.
Various performaces showcased the singing and dancing talents of the students. Refreshments, ice cream, biscuits, and other snacks were served as a simple way of extending appreciation to students who became a big part of the event.
“As much as we hold high academic expectations from our BS Economics students, we also recognize that effective learning requires rest. We want our students to experience an enjoyable learning journey, and this activity is one of the avenues to achieve that goal,” says Dr. Gideon P. Carnaje, Chair of the Department of Economics.
The students feedback describes how this kind of event uplifted the spirit of the students— “opportunity to loosen up” amidst the academic requirements, “got to know the [faculty members] on a much deeper level”, “appreciated and enjoyed the life lessons shared by the interviewed faculty” , [Food] was amazing, and the effort put in by the Department is highly appreciated.”
DE Kumustahan 2023 was attended by more than 100 BS Economics students from various year levels.
