VSU Student Affairs and Services explores stronger student support at national PAPSAS training in Albay

Three Student Affairs and Services (SAS) officials and Student Affairs practitioners from the Visayas State University (VSU) joined a nationwide gathering of professionals working to improve the day-to-day experiences of students in higher education .

Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Dr. Aleli A. Villocino, Director for Student Affairs and Services Dr. Christina A. Gabrillo, and Coordinator for Student Programs Mr. Junito A. Panonce represented VSU in the 4th National Research Training Conference of the Philippine Association of Practitioners of Student Affairs and Services (PAPSAS), held from June 18-20, 2025. 

The event brought together over a hundred SAS practitioners from state colleges and universities across the country. 

Carrying the theme “Champions for Change: Leveraging Research for SAS Practitioners,” the conference centered on a growing need to better understand and advocate for student services using evidence-based approaches. 

While many still view SAS as playing a backstage role, this event pushed a different message that student success is tied not only to academics but also to the everyday support students receive outside the classroom. 

A moment came during the keynote address of Prof. Jeremiah Opiniano, Research Director at the University of Santo Tomas, who raised several thought-provoking questions: Do we need more regulations, or better self-regulation? How do student services figure into world university rankings? When a university attains Level IV status, is its student support at that level too? What are the gain and growing pains of working in student services in the Philippines today? 

According to Vice President Villocino, these questions resonated deeply with the VSU delegation. 

“It made me pause and think if we have been telling our own story enough,” she shared. 

Throughout the three-day program, VSU’s representatives engaged in hands-on workshops that introduced unobtrusive research techniques and mixed-method research designs that provide new tools for examining student behavior, feedback, and needs. 

For Dr. Gabrillo, this was an opportunity to look beyond administrative routines and reflect on how VSU can build a more responsive student support system. 

“Sometimes, you do not realize how similar our struggles are until you listen to someone from another region describe what you are also going through,” she said. 

Next year, the PAPSAS will bring this annual training program to Dumaguete City.

This article is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 4: Quality Education.

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