Un-uniformity

Originally published in Heraldo Filipino Volume 38, Double Issue

 

When the new uniform design was announced, I shared disappointment with my fellow students. Actually, I laughed when it was first announced—then it later sunk in that I would not be laughing when I have to wear it in the future. 

From what I see, it is a burden and an unnecessary waste of money for students once implemented for the future academic years (AYs), considering financial constraints of students who were affected by multiple tuition and other fee increases (TOFIs) recently. As the University recently announced a new uniform design that would be implemented for upcoming AYs, it was widely criticized for being too impractical to be used daily, due to it having four different versions, with one of it having at least three layers of clothing. As a person who sweats heavily, I can already envision the nightmare of wearing a blazer, polo, necktie, and undershirt all at once. On top of that, our laboratory and lecture rooms have weak air conditioning units for who knows how long, which cannot provide enough cooling inside the rooms, especially on hot days. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA), the average temperatures in Dasmariñas, Cavite range from 23° to 33° throughout the year. Wearing a blazer over a polo and an undershirt during such days is an extreme burden on the students who have to endure extreme temperatures like what happened last April to May when temperatures exceeded 40°. The heat was still unbearable while wearing the old uniform after onsite classes resumed. It can be a hassle to commute in cramped spaces of public utility vehicles (PUVs) while wearing or carrying a blazer and a necktie. I already drip sweat with the old uniform design which only consists of a polo and an undershirt. There were even occasions wherein I would open a few buttons on the polo because the weather is too hot to handle even if I am already inside an air-conditioned classroom.

Another issue raised was regarding the expenses of buying multiple sets of a uniform with several articles of clothing, along with the fact that each type of uniform has specific guidelines on when they can be worn. I have bought two sets of the past uniform—consisting of a polo barong and black pants—from an external supplier to save money during my freshman year, and it has already exhausted the uniform allowance from my scholarship. If a uniform with only one piece of clothing already costs me that much, what more if I were to buy a set with five? If I could have used my scholarship’s uniform allowance now, I could not even buy a single set with the allowance as a set costs around P 1,300 to P 1,500. Additionally, the necktie, pants, and shorts/skorts can not be easily bought from external suppliers as these involve specific shades that are hard to find, unless you buy them directly from the official supplier of the University. Students also typically buy multiple sets of uniforms to account for multiple days of classes, which also contributes to the increased  cost of the new design.

Moreover, outsiders usually associate the name “La Salle” to the color green, but the new design is mostly brown with a little bit of dark olive green on the necktie. The barely readable white embroidered “De La Salle” on the polo further loses the identity of being a Lasallian representing our own University. One of the uniform types also looks too similar to other schools near the University. This would only create confusion, like in public establishments who do not allow high school students to enter during class hours because people will not assume that we are Lasallian college students at first look because of what we are wearing. School uniforms are supposed to bring a sense of identity when worn, but the color choices defeats this because it does not even match the colors attributed to our University.

I have no problem with enforcing uniform policies as these provide a distinguished visual unity among the students when we wear it. Uniforms also eliminate the socio-economic divide that arises when students are wearing civilian clothing—those who can wear luxurious and varying outfits everyday and those who can only wear simple casual outfits.

The University administrators should consider the change from our point of view before enforcing them, in order to fully realize the reason why it is a burden and an unnecessary waste of money.

Changes are not necessarily bad, but when this garners thousands of laughing reactions and hundreds of comments criticizing it on social media, it may be a sign to re-assess if the changes were made for the better.