A PETITION TO THE ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS-MANILA FOR THE IMMEDIATE RE-EXAMINATION AND ABOLITION OF THE UNJUST HAIRCUT POLICY IN THE COLLEGE OF

TO: THE AUGUST RECTOR REV. FR. ROLANDO V. DELA ROSA, O.P.,
Rector of the University of Santo Tomas,

DR. CRISTINA M. CASTRO-CABRAL,
Assistant to the Rector for Student Affairs,

ASSOC. PROF. ANITA P. GARCIA,
Director of the Student Welfare and Development Board,

THE AUGUST DEAN DR. CYNTHIA LOZA,
Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Design,

REV. FR. EDGARDO ALAURIN, O.P.,
Regent of the College of Fine Arts and Design

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, HEREBY PETITION THE ABOVEMENTIONED UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS TO RE-EXAMINE THE REVISED POLICY ON HAIRCUT IMPLEMENTED BY THE OFFICE OF THE DEAN, COLLEGE OF FINR ARTS AND DESIGN THAT HAS CAUSED THE ACADEMIC DEMISE OF SEVERAL OF OUR CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS IN THE COLLEGE.

Relevant Facts:

Prior to 2007, the College of Fine Arts and Design has enjoyed the freedom of sporting their hair of choice.
In 2007, calls for the college to impose a haircut policy has been stressed by Peter Lim, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, in order for them to attend classes in the Engineering Building.
As a compromise, it has been agreed upon by student leaders, and then Dean Jaime delos Santos that they shall be allowed to sport long hair provided it is tied within the buildings premises; an acceptable compromise to all concerned.
In 2008, the National Service Training Program of the university failed students en masse from the college for not trimming their hair despite knowledge of the permission to sport it in that manner.
In 2009, the college administration imposed, WITHOUT DUE CONSULTATIONS, a haircut policy that denied students with long hair entrance to the Beato Angelico building and from attending their classes.

Our Belief:

The College of Fine Arts and Design is the one of the universitys final bastion of liberalism and freedom. Freedom is a cherished virtue of our college, for our craft and thrust as Thomasian artists are based on the core virtue of FREEDOM. It is this freedom that enable us to create wonderful and beautiful things, and it enables us to practice our craft with a level of professionalism and aesthetics.

The Haircut policy, we believe, does not contain wisdom to stand as a legitimate policy. In other colleges such as those whose tracks are leaning to the sciences, hair of males are sported short because of imminent danger of being exposed to corrosive substances, which may induce harm to them. In other colleges with tracks leaning to business and education, hair of males are sported short to espouse a sense of professionalism. In the College of Fine Arts and Design, we have been sporting a variety of hairstyles for it is the most concrete symbol of our freedom; the freedom to become the distinct human beings that makes us artists.

Our administrators only implemented a haircut policy because they view us to look dirty or immoral. Our administrators view that long hair becomes a liability to the college, when in fact no direct linkage has been established. The CFAD administrators who constructed this policy believed that we need to conform with the rest of the university, which we do not have to do. Freedom is the core of our study, and all our endeavors emanate from it.

Our hair lengths do not affect our academic performance, and we believe that no such study can prove that is has an adversarial effect to our academic life. If the administrators can prove that our hair length is adversarial in the pursuit of higher learning, we shall yield.

Our Request:

We humbly request the abovementioned university authorities to IMMEDIATELY RE-EXAMINE, AND EVENTUALLY DISPOSE OF THIS POLICY THAT INTERCEDES WITH OUR HUMAN RIGHTS, and moreso, OUR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC FREEDOMS.



THE UNDERSIGNED,