As part of the Gender and Development (GAD) awareness continuum for College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) students across all year levels, the second-year and third-year students participated in learning sessions at the College of Engineering Audio-Visual Room (CEn AVR) on September 21 and 23, respectively. The second-year seminar focused on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE), while the third-year activity tackled gender-fair language.

Stepping into SOGIE awareness with second-year students

Following last school year’s basic GAD seminar for first-year students, this year’s iteration focused on SOGIE with the theme, “Fostering Diverse Expression: Institutionalizing SOGIE Literacy.” Tailored to the students' developmental needs, the event featured informative pamphlets and a competition that showcased CAS creativity, such as video, poster, and infographic-making contests to boost engagement.

James M. Sarmiento, Project Technical Assistant III and youth leader, served as the resource speaker for the first two sessions. The morning session catered to BA Communication and BA History students, while the afternoon session was held for BA Psychology students.

"Hindi made-determine ng itsura ang gender identity nila. Ang identity mo [ay nasa] sarili mo," Sarmiento emphasized as he dispelled common SOGIE stereotypes and biases across various social settings.

Meanwhile, Dr. Leomar Miano, Program Chairperson of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, led the third session for BS Biology and BS Mathematics students. The seminar highlighted the importance of understanding gender identities and fostering sensitivity in academic spaces.

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Advancing gender-fair language with third-year students

Centered on the theme, “The Inclusivity Mandate: Advancing Gender-Fair Language and Literacy,” the activity for the third-year students emphasized the necessity of using gender-neutral communication in both academic and professional environments to dismantle deeply rooted biases.

Dr. Luigi P. Saludez, associate professor of the College of Teacher Education, served as the resource speaker for BA Communication and BA History students during the first session from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Meanwhile, Sarmiento led the succeeding sessions.

Both speakers emphasized the importance of using the right pronouns for an individual. In particular, Dr. Saludez put a spotlight on how the students can demolish gender bias.

“Automatically using male pronouns to refer to a hypothetical person or professional whose gender is unspecified assumes the default person filling a role or performing an action is male,” Dr. Saludez noted.

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Translating SOGIE and gender-sensitivity concepts using creative platforms

As part of the event, CAS students exhibit their creativity in video, poster, and infographic-making contests. The team of Seann Marcus B. Jacobo, Alyana Jo N. Estrada, Ronald Justine M. Vergara, and Jess Cyrene N. Perolina bagged first place in the video-making competition with their engaging and informative entry. Meanwhile, the narrative-driven clip by Ellah Mae C. Rodil, Margarette P. Cataytay, John Derek M. Valencia, Leanne Claryz M. Coronado, and Janhea Airee P. Aban finished as finalists. Both teams represented BA Communication 2A.

In the third-year poster-making contest, Jhenielle Yvonne C. Eleazar secured first place with a vibrant piece depicting SLSU student diversity, while Jaiden L. Ansano’s symbolic poster entry from BA Psychology 3B finished as a finalist.

Out of seven entries in the infographic-making contest, 'Sarikulay,' which featuring informative gender-fair language concepts by BS Biology students Gerald M. Vergara, Jhay Anne O. Vergas, and Ivy Quinto, won first place. Mikko Dapadap, Ashlymae M. Santiago, and Rick Raymond Pioy from BA Communication took second place with an infographic emphasizing gender-fair language within the Filipino context, while the graphic-rich entry by BA Psychology's James Marcia D. Anareta, Katrina B. Hernandez, and Genlin P. Rabina placed third.

The remaining finalists in the infographic-making contest were the group of Alexis Q. Almadrones, Althea Veronica B. Carraso, and Bethany Beaulah O. Sabornido, alongside Julianna Samantha N. Baes, April Lou B. Caballes, and Marcela L. Fabella from BA Psychology 3A.

First-place winners in the group categories, such as video-making and infographic-making, will bring home ₱5,000, while finalists will receive ₱1,500. For the individual poster-making contest, the top winner will receive ₱2,000, and finalists will receive ₱500.

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Ultimately, this initiative serves as an institutional requirement toward a complete GAD learning cycle. It guarantees that every CAS graduate leaves the university not only academically accomplished, but as a gender-sensitive and rights-conscious advocate in their personal and professional life.