Palma Hall

Palma Hall
Art Studies 2 THR-2
Sir Robert G. Paulino

Report by:
Cristina Camua
Karina Gonzales
Sharmaine Gonzales

PAGE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I. History

A. Palma Hall Building

• 
  Plaque commemorating the birth centenary of Rafael Palma (AS Lobby)

Palma Hall used to be the home of the College of Liberal Arts, at present, it is more commonly known as "AS", and currently houses the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. It was named after Rafael Palma (1874-1974), who served as president of the university from 1923 to 1933. Rafael Palma formally assumed the Presidency of the University of the Philippines on July 18, 1925 after having served as acting President for nearly two years.

The building was finished in 1951.

B. College of Arts and Sciences

Before the start of the first semester of the academic year 1959-1960, the College of Liberal Arts was reorganized into three academic units -the University College, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. All three units, however, were served by only one faculty.

The College of Liberal Arts was reorganized in order to solve the problem that may result with the implementation of the basic education program. The University College started its operations during the first semester of 1959-1960. It was given the task of teaching the general education courses, including the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, for the first two years. To strengthen the foundation of a liberal education, the college was expected to continue the general education, as well as to correct some aspects taught in high school.

Meanwhile the third and subsequent years of college studies were handled by the College of Arts and Sciences which was mandated to continue offering undergraduate courses in the humanities, social scien-ces, natural and physical sciences, mathematics and languages. These disciplines were offered by the college as fields of specialization. As such, the third and subsequent years of college studies of a student were focused on one discipline for in-depth study, aside from other related disciplines, called free electives, which he may rake.

The different roles played by the University College and the College of Arts and Sciences necessitated separate administrations. To avoid the overlapping of roles of the two colleges and to integrate the various disciplines, three major divisions were formed to take the place of the academic departments -- the Division of Humanities, Division of Social Sciences, arid the Division of Natural Sciences. The traditional academic disciplines operated under their respective divisions without any departmental head

On 26 October 1983, the UP Board of Regents issued Administrative Order No.170 creating three new colleges from the former College of Arts and Sciences - the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), ripe College of Arts and Letters (CAL), and the College of Science (CS). [1]

II. Parts of AS

A. AS Lobby

• 
  Plaque found outside the "Basement"

AS Canteen - known at present as the "Basement", the AS Canteen used to be the meeting place of the artists and scientists of UP where they used to hold intellectual debates in the 60's and 70's. Some of the topics were Existentialism and Marxism. A prominent figure in the canteen was Salome Flores, more popularly known among the students as "Mommy". The canteen was closed in the 90's. At present, it serves as the office of the Archeological Studies Program.

• 
  Plaque at the AS 2nd floor Lobby

AS 2nd floor Lobby - during the latter part of the 70's, the AS 2nd floor Lobby became known as the "Second Floor Republic" among the student activists. It served as the 'tambayan' of three activist fraternities/sororities; the Pi Sigma/Pi Sigma Delta, the Sigma Kappa Pi/Sigma Delta Pi, and the Alpha Sigma/Sigma Alpha Nu, and other organizations such as Kalilayan, Asylum and Kutang Bato.

AS 209 - served as the office of the UP President from 1951-1956. Used by then UP President, Vidal A. Tan.

AS 207 - served as the meeting place of the Consultative Committee on Student Affairs (CONCOMSA) from 1974-1975. The CONCOMSA was a group of students in charge of preparing the return of the UP Student Council (USC) which was abolished during the Martial Law in 1972. It also served as the office of the AS Student Council, SINAG and the Freshmen Orientation Program Committee (FOPC).

• 
  Plaque beside "Mga Natatanging Pilipino"

2nd floor Mural "Mga Natatanging Pilipino" - the mural was made by the UP Artists' Circle Fraternity in 1996. It features exceptional Filipinos who played important roles in the Propaganda Movement (1882-1892), the EDSA Revolution (1986) and other student leaders.

B. AS Steps

C. AS Walk

D. AS 101

AS 101 is the Office of the College Secretary for CSSP. This is where students can get their TCG (True Copy of Grades), dropping slips, ChangeMat slips (Change of Matriculation), and registration materials (Form 5 and Form 5A) during enrolment.

E. East and West Wings

F. Third World Library

The Third World Studies Center is found along the AS Walk. The Third World Studies Center (TWSC) of the University of the Philippines is an academic research institute based at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), committed to analyze and develop alternative perspectives on Philippine, regional and global issues. [2]

G. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater

• 
  Plaque outside the Guerrero Theatre (AS 2nd floor Lobby, UP Diliman)

Found at the AS 2nd floor Lobby, the theatre, which was named after Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero in 1976, is dedicated to the former director of the UP Dramatic Club. The theatre was first opened on September 16, 1976 and was inaugurated by the UP Dramatic CLub with the play, "I Remember Mama". Renovation of the theatre was completed in the year 2000 through the efforts of Claro T. Llaguno (UP Diliman Chancellor, 1996-1999), Emerlinda Roman (UP Diliman Chancellor, 1999-2000) and Leonor M. Briones (Treasure of the Philippines, Bureau of the Treasury).

H. Anthropology Museum

• 
  Plaque outside the Anthropology Museum (AS 2nd floor)

The Anthropology Museum, found at the AS 2nd floor, was opened on July 13, 1967 through the efforts of then University Secretary, Iluminada Panlilio. Its first exhibit featured Prof. H. Otley Beyer's collection of archeological and ethnological artifacts which he had gathered from 1905 to 1926. The said collection was first featured in 1668 at the Museum and Institute of Archeology and Ethnology in Aviles Street, Manila which was destroyed during the 2nd World War. In 1961, Beyer was offered by the University of the Philippines several rooms on the third floor, east wing of Palma Hall to house his collection. "The rooms were kept for several years until... due to the shortage of classrooms, the rooms were gradually encroached upon, until only one big single room was left, all the collections were transferred here where they remained until his (Beyer's) demise." (Noriega, 1978) Natividad Noriega, Beyer's personal secretary, served as the museum's first curator. The Anthropology Museum has two sections; Section A (Prehistory and Archeology) and Section B (Ethnography). (Source: Museum of Anthropology Brochure, 1978)

III. Artworks of Palma Hall

A. AS Lobby mural

• 
  Plaque found below the AS Mural

The mural at the AS Lobby, entitled "The Arts and Sciences", was made by National Artist, Vicente Manansala in 1960. With a length of 14 meters and a width of 2 meters, "The Arts and Sciences" is the biggest mural in the UP Diliman Campus.

B. AS Lobby floor design

The floor of the AS Lobby has a terrazzo granolithic design.

C. Second floor mural

Entitled "Mga Natatanging Pilipino" (Exceptional Filipinos), this mural made by the UP Artists' Circle Fraternity features prominent Filipino figures of the Propaganda Movement, the Katipuneros, the First EDSA Revolution, etc.

D. Jose Rizal busts

IV. Surrounding Buildings

A. Benton Hall

Benton Hall is located to the east of Palma Hall, also facing the Academic Oval. It houses the Center for International Studies (CIS), as well as offices like the Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment (OASH) and the UP Diliman Gender Office (UPDGO).

B. Palma Hall Annex/PHAn

The Department of Psychology is one of the few departments in the university which has its own building - the Palma Hall Annex (PHAn), which, being connected to Benton Hall, is located between Palma Hall and Benitez Hall (College of Education). Graduate and undergraduate courses are held in classrooms in the second and third floors of PHAn. [3]

C. CASAA

The College of Arts and Sciences Alumnae Association food center, more commonly known as CASAA, is located just across the street from the east wing of Palma Hall, in between Benton Hall and the Institute of Biology. It is an open cafeteria/ food court that serves different kinds of food. It currently houses 8 food establishments: Gloria's (which has 2 stalls facing each other), Chef's Grille, Chinatown, Sizzler, Mongolian Grill, Big Kids (?), Pasta House (?), and the soda fountain, which serves only softdrinks and ice cream.

D. Institute of Biology

Located to the east of Palma Hall and facing Quirino Avenue, the Institute of Biology of the University of the Philippines Diliman is the premiere institution on the Philippines for higher learning and research in biology [4]. It houses some classrooms and laboratories, as well as the administration offices of the Institute of Biology.

E. Science Pavilions

The Science Pavilions consist of four separate buildings located right behind Palma Hall, facing Quirino Avenue. These buildings house the laboratories for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The first building across the street from the Institute of Biology is the Biology Pavilion; next to it is the Physics Pavilion; and the other two buildings at the west side of Palma Hall are the Chemistry Pavilions.

F. Bulwagang Rizal/Faculty Center

The Bulwagang Rizal or the Faculty Center, more commonly known as FC, is found to the west of Palma Hall. It houses the rooms for the faculty of CSSP and CAL. It also houses different departments of both colleges, such as the departments of Anthropology, Geography, Filipino Studies, Art Studies, etc.