Congratulations to ELC Class of 2008. You made it!

The Honor Graduates:

De Castro, Evangeline (Magna Cum Laude)

Uminga, John Paul (Magna Cum Laude, Nicanor Reyes Leadership Awardee, TOSS)

Belen, Larissa (Cum Laude)

Ruiz, Davis Marc (Cum Laude)

Correa, Sarah Jane (Cum Laude)

Ferrer, Vincent Paul (Cum Laude)

Roxas, Rhea (Cum Laude)

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Elcians and Proud: The 5^th English Language Circle General Assembly and Teambuilding Activity

By: John Paul C. Uminga

Prof. Bong Villanueva, the new adviser of the English Language Circle, Mr. Michael Pamular and Mr. Mark Infante, former presidents of the organization, fellow student linguists, a very pleasant afternoon!

Our event today, ELCians and Proud: The 5^th Annual ELC General Assembly and Teambuilding 2007, is a very significant gathering for all the AB English Language Majors. I would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome the new members of our family, the freshmen.

The English Language Circle is actually the youngest among the academic organizations in the Institute of Arts and Sciences. As you know, the ELC is the official organization of all the students pursuing Bachelor of Liberal Arts major in English Language. Our mission states that: ELC is committed to the development of students’ communication skills both in writing and in speech. It aims to conceptualize programs and activities according to their intellectual needs. Moreover, it aims to cultivate the potentials of every AB English Language student to become contributors to their fields of study.

And to attest that we are able to actualize this mission are our students and graduates who have been achievers in various aspects. We have of course our very own, Mr. Michael Pamular of Batch 2007, who was the President of our university’s supreme student council, the Far Eastern University Central Student Organization and was awarded as one of the most outstanding senior students. We also have our debate team composed of Ms. Glaiza Belvis, Mr. James Pestanes, and Mr. Justine Cinco who were fielded last year at the 1^st Nicanor Reyes Debate Classic and ranked 2^nd among __ teams coming from different institutes of our university including the East Asia College. The most recent perhaps would be the accolade of another alumnus, Mr. Mark Infante, former ELC President, who won in the “May Trabaho Ka!” for the QTV 11’s job search for a researcher, defeating other hopefuls from other outstanding schools.

Meanwhile, the English Language Circle envisions highly spirited and competent students and graduates of the Far Eastern University, who are proficient in English and will use their skills to empower, enrich, and globalize the Filipino nation.

One major purpose of today’s gathering is to instill a deep sense of pride among us, English Language majors. For all you know, English Language Circle is an organization, but beyond that, it is a team and a family. Later on this afternoon, Mr. Infante is to discuss on a topic: FEU ELC: Venue for Student Development and Excellence.

To further reinforce the notion of strengthened ELC, this year’s Executive Board and committee members, collectively known as TEAM ELC, has revealed its FIVE-POINT AGENDA, which can be summarized as follow: 1. Uphold Academic Excellence 2. Promote English Language Proficiency 3. Build Responsive Student Leaders 4. Instill Social Responsibility 5. Strengthen One Growing Family.

In this regard, I encourage everyone to join any of our standing committee (read committee/ sub-clubs).

ELC’s being the youngest served as our challenge to do best in all our endeavors. An early fruit was reaped when we were awarded 3^rd place during the 1^st Gawad Tamaraw: Search for the Most Outstanding Academic Organization at the Far Eastern University. We are the only one from the Institute of Arts and Sciences to have been given the said award. There are really much to discuss as regards to ELC’s present standing in the Green and Gold community. But it can be zeroed in intoto one thing: that the English Language Circle, with full conviction, is really doing well, moving forward, lifting its bar of excellence, year after year. Let us remember that together we can do much! Be proud Tamaraws! Be proud Elcians! Thank you and enjoy the rest of the day!

Strengthening the Armament

By Roland Rainier Z. Adriano

In the advent of globalization, proficiency in the English Language has been the most sought weaponry of every individual who engages in a competitive career battlefield. The proficiency of the English Language, whether it is oral or written discourse, gives a very good cutting edge among its competitors. This is what the FEU English Language Circle is focusing on. And for us, being the students of the English Language, it gives us a very good vantage point of the medium.

The objectives of the organization are getting closer to its realization. It is apparent on how the graduates, and even the students, of FEU English Language, have applied their knowledge on their field of interest. One of the most popular examples is the employment of graduates in the call centre industry through which the exhibit their mastery of the language by way of oral discourse. Moreover, the ELC is continuously providing opportunities to its members to showcase their ability and their proficiency, not only in academics but also in their extracurricular activities: essay writing contest, extemporaneous speaking, scrabble championships, battle of the brains. The quest of ELC in establishing very good strong core competency to every student is very dynamic and at the same time, effective. It is expected that every graduate of the English Language will have his own fine weapons that he can use in the fierce and competitive career battlefield.

Yet, these are not entirely what ELC is aiming. The entire faculty do not train us to be just mere followers; they have instead to us the value of leadership. Our ideas are not entirely confined in providing services, our mastery of the language is good enough for us to advocate on something. The way we get along with language or our communicative competence will give us strong push forward, ahead of others to lead the race and to be someone that the can look up to. Our academic professors will just give us the theories, it is up to us on how to use them to e able to stand out and make ourselves known. Just like one of the characteristics of language, which is productivity, our proficiency can allow us to explore the unknown and bring pride to everyone.

Touching down to reality, our world has given us a very challenging role to play. We have established our core competency and excelled n various fields, yet those are not enough. We pioneer or advocate strategies yet we are not done. All we need is to expand, explore, to conquer the vast regions of our horizons. To be brave in facing challenges no matter how risky. We are not trained to be confined in one career, believe that having the mastery of the English Language is a very good vessel that will take us to new venture. It will bring us to a very challenging yet fulfilling role. And when everything seems to be getting off-track, we should always remember that we have the mastery f the fundamentals of communication – to speak and to write English. Sure enough that we will never run out of opportunities and having these would have expanded our knowledge base and have developed various core competencies.

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This essay piece garnered the first prize in the Magnum Opus Zero One: Elcians Quest for Excellence sponsored by FEU English Language Circle. The author, Roland Rainier Z. Adriano is a senior AB English Language student.

John Paul Uminga, a senior Elcian, was awarded Outstanding Delegate during the 33rd YMCA National Congress for College Students held last December 16-20 in Baguio City. Likewise, he was a medalist for the conference essay writing contest.

Be proud Elcians!

To see Jap Uminga in multiply, visit: www.jpcuminga.multiply.com