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Still My College Hangout
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by Isabel Pefianco Martin (BA 1986, MA 1989), March 10, 2010
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 It was 7 a.m., on a Monday not too long ago, when I discovered that the Colayco Hall did not exist anymore. I could have sworn I saw it three days ago, on my way to the faculty parking area from De La Costa Hall. On that cool morning, I stood still for some minutes and stared sadly at the empty space that once was my college hangout. I had known for months that the MVP Center for Student Leadership would be constructed in that space. But I was not quite prepared for the realization that the Ateneo of my college years was slowly disappearing.
Alumni from the 80s who plan to visit the campus for first time since graduation must brace themselves. Some have claimed that the college campus is beyond recognition. The quadrangle is now a Zen garden. The Rizal Library, where students can check books in and out through one swipe of a card, is five stories tall; at its heart stands a wishing fountain of rainwater. The School of Arts and Sciences doesn’t exist today; in its place are four Schools, collectively referred to as the Loyola Schools. The Administration Building, which used to be bordered by 50-year old trees, is now known as Xavier Hall. No one on campus today will direct anyone to the Loyola Gym; that name has not been used for decades. And yes, we have The Doll House, a Friday afternoon party place.
Today, even after many years of teaching at the Ateneo, I find myself walking into the 2nd floor toilet of Berchmans Hall, which is now the Men’s Room, but was the Ladies’ Room for decades until recently when the school decided to practice gender sensitivity through the toilets. I am sometimes disoriented by the movement of gardens, the removal of covered walks, and the construction of pathways. But I still see students huddled under trees, in animated conversation about what they had just discussed in their Literature or Philosophy classes. One can still find young men and women talking to the air as they nervously wait for their turn at the oral exams.
The college chapel is still a full house, especially during exam week. Green Archer bashing is still a popular pastime (I love the “I passed the ACET” t-shirts!). Campus sweethearts, especially on Valentine’s Day, still do the H.H.W.W. The students today are also quick to respond to disasters and mobilize themselves very efficiently (thanks to Facebook and Yahoo messenger), which is so very reminiscent of the 1980s. Marijo Ruiz, Ricky Abad, Fr. Aydee Dacanay, Ramon Reyes, Benilda Santos, Soledad Reyes—the giants are still around. True, the Ateneo of my college years may be slowly disappearing, but only in its physical sense. What matter most remain the same.
A week before the Colayco Hall was demolished, my husband went to the ACIL Room to try to salvage his old, wooden G.G. set (Games of the General). The Acilistas in the room must have thought, “Who is this strange, sentimental alumnus?” Knowing that the Colayco Hall had to be emptied soon, the students were only too happy to turn over the antiquated G.G. set to him. Today, my husband and I play G.G. with our three sons (ages 17, 12, and 9). We dream of them hanging out at the Ateneo of the future, just as we did in the past. We are confident that the Ateneo that took care of us is the same Ateneo that will take care of our children. ###
Isabel Pefianco Martin (BA 1986, MA 1989), or Doc Marts to her students, is associate professor of English language and literature at the Department of English, School of Humanities. She is married to Ronaldo “Onnie” Martin (BA 1986, JD 1992). They have three sons, Enzo, Santino, and Vito.
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