By: Arlene Adrianne Go

The Finster Auditorium was filled with excited students as the Computer Studies cluster conducted its Orientation Day last June 21, 2014. Students travelled back in time to the era of 8-bit animation, donning retro outfits and groovy hairstyles to go along with the throwback atmosphere.

The Computer Studies faculty welcomed the Chameleons with introductions of the cluster and its departments. Dominique Cimafranca, Assistant Dean for Computer Studies, gave a brief talk about what to expect on the cluster, along with a few words of inspiration. Novie Joy Pelobello, Grace Tacadao and Antonio Bulao, members of the faculty, presented the rising trends in computing technology and introduced the curriculum of the Information Systems, Computer Science and Information Technology courses.

The orientation also introduced the Computer Studies Students Executive Council and Ateneo Circle of Computer Studies Cluster. CSSEC officers, committee heads, and the Ciphers, the dance crew of the cluster, wowed the audience with a dance number.

A sneak peek of the cluster’s biggest events was previewed to the students. A glimpse of the CS Sportsfest was shown, and the four teams – Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian – were introduced. Second year IT student Roland Enrique was hailed the winner of the shirt design contest as the official shirt of the cluster was unveiled.
In a time where anyone can run the world at their fingertips, Mr. Cimafranca gave five final tips for students to succeed.

“Be useful. Master your tools. Build something. Catch fire. Be heroic,” Cimafranca said.