The Varsitarian

THE BROKEN windows allow as much air as they can manage. The floors and stairs are wet. Some of the walls are chipped and vandalized. Residents are cramped in a small space, which reeks of an overwhelming, pungent smell.

Welcome to the living quarters of the UST male athletes. The very same athletes the University expects to excel in 14 different sporting events.

Out of more than 300 UST varsity players, more than 50 of them live in the men’s dormitory located beside the UST Publishing House. Track and Field athletes comprise most of the residents in the male quarters that have been around since the late ‘80’s.

Needed necessities

Water has always been a problem in the male dormitory and the residents complain that that has not been solved for the past two years.

Players complain that the water pipes have leaks and they still need to find other bath rooms in UST just to take a bath. Worse, even drinking water is scarce. Add to that clogged sinks and defective flushers in the comfort rooms.

The administration and the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA), however, said they are already looking into the problem.

“(The comfort room situation) has already been brought to the proper authorities for proper action,” IPEA athletics moderator Felix Michael Silbor said.

Besides the uncomfortable comfort rooms, athletes complain of lack of ample room space and beds. One athlete revealed he has to sleep in a room, one-third the size a regular classroom, of three double-deck beds with seven other players.

But Silbor said the players themselves request that they be squeezed into one room so they could be with their friends or teammates. He added he is now making adjustments to address the lack of room space.

“I asked the UST coaches to limit their recruits from the province (to avoid overcrowding),” Silbor said. “Kaso minsan nandiyan na, ano pang magagawa natin?”

Proper ventilation is another issue. Several of the electric fans are reportedly defective. One athlete confessed he had to save part of his allowance to buy an electric fan.

Charles Reyes of the UST Men’s Volleyball team, meanwhile, complained about the water seeping through his room’s ceiling whenever it rained.

Female neighbors

The situation of the female athletes, however, is a different story. Having a relatively clean and comfortable dormitory, the female players have fewer complaints.

Majority of the 99 female athletes living in the Sta. Isabel Ladies Dormitory on España St., are from the Football and Track and Field teams. The players have been living in the dormitory for two years now.

Of the 18 rooms in the dormitory, nine are being occupied by female athletes. A maximum of 10 players are roomed together in an average classroom-size room. The other nine rooms, according to Silbor, are saved for male athletes whose quarters inside the University are up for renovation.

Each room has five double-deck beds, two ceiling fans, study tables, and built-in closets. A television and a freezer is also available for the athletes’ use.

While each player is responsible for the cleanliness of their room, a particular group of players are assigned each month as part of the maintenance policies of the dormitory.

Non-compliance with the policies will mean a 30-per cent deduction, as agreed upon by IPEA and the athletes, from a player’s monthly allowance. The same conditions govern male athletes.

“Okay lang naman maglinis, kaso minsan hassle kasi pati yung mga CR lilinisin mo. Papasok o kaya magpapahinga ka na lang, maglilinis ka pa,” Lady Spiker Denise Tan said.

Tan believes the dormitory has good living conditions, but cannot say she is “completely comfortable.”

Supervision and monitoring

Imposing the house rules is one thing, seeing to it that the rules are followed is another. IPEA admitted the living quarters lack proper monitoring so the problems are recurrent.

“Kailangan namin maglagay ng supervisor na titira din sa mga dorm. Problema kasi sa gabi, wala nang nagbabantay, nagkakaroon tuloy ng discipline problem,” Silbor admitted.

A 10-p.m. curfew is strictly imposed in both the ladies and male dormitories, but there have been instances when players sneaked out. It was also reported that some players even bring in alcoholic drinks.

The monitoring in the ladies dormitory is done every day by a caretaker, while Silbor himself visits the male’s quarters four times a week.

Tan, however, said additional supervision should be made considering the size of the dorm.

“They (dormitories) should have monitoring policies and reprimand the players who are not doing their duties,” UST Tigresses coach Peque Tan said.

Aside from monitoring problems, the male dormitory also suffers from the lack of manpower in maintaining the cleanliness. Only one janitor is assigned to clean and check the entire two-story building everyday.

“Blamestorming”

After a long day, Tigress Michelle Arellano heads back to her room only to see that the floor she just swept in the morning has been littered again.

The loopholes in the living quarters may be attributed to some defective facilities. The incessant problems, however, are caused by the players themselves.

“Athletes should take some of the blame. Some do not follow the house rules,” said Arellano of the UST Tigresses. “May mga hindi sumusunod sa cleaning schedule nila, natatambak tuloy ‘yung mga kalat.”

Reyes admitted that the athletes are also to be blamed for the unpleasant male dormitory.

“Kahit naman ano’ng gawin ng administration, walang mangyayari kung hindi aalagaan ng mga player (ang dorm),” he said.

Silbor has imposed cleaning schedules and policies for the male and female dormitories, which the IPEA and the athletes have agreed upon.

Monthly cleaners per team were assigned to clean floors and sections of the dormitories. Leaders were also assigned to make sure there are cleaners daily. Not all player residents, however, follow the cleaning schedules.

Silbor said despite the strong efforts of the administration and IPEA to improve the athletes’ living conditions, there are players who do not seem to care.

“Malimit pa rin ‘yung mga sumusunod, mayroon pa ring nambababoy,” Tiger Spiker Glenn Boonggaling, one of the designated cleaning leaders, admitted.

One good thing deserves another

Hounded by several other problems like recruitment, alumni support, and decrepit facilities, the UST sports program has to deal with the sorry situation of the athletes’ quarters.

The UST administration and IPEA said they are making improvements on the male dormitory, which was last renovated in 2001. Silbor said the rewiring and re-walling of the dorm is already under way, as well as the fixing of old doors and installation of new light bulbs. Old toilet bowls and bathroom tiles are also being replaced. The repainting, meanwhile, and the installation of window screens will follow.

Silbor said the IPEA and the players conduct meetings where the athletes’ grievances are heard.

“There’s really nothing to improve, (the dormitories) have a mess hall, a laundry room, comfort rooms, and the flooring is good,” Silbor said.

But there are athletes who beg to differ.

“There are times that it (dorm situation) gets irritating and frustrating, but we do not mind it anymore, we are used to it already,” Arellano said.

While the renovations are still on-going, the players have to make do with the quarters currently given to them.

“They are in a better place. We (IPEA and the UST administration) all work together because we only want the best for our athletes,” Silbor said.

These athletes, indeed among the best and the brightest in the amateur ranks, have made the University a home to 32 general championship titles. That achievement shows that these athletes, who have been keeping that winning tradition, duly deserve a better place they could call home. Icy M. Luzano and Paolo S. Mariano