Alumni Hostel Now a Reality

THE CLSU Alumni Hostel is so far the biggest project that the Alumni Association has ever embarked. It all started with a dream in 1994, yes, a dream of putting up an alumni hostel inside the CLSU campus to provide visiting alumni and friends a home away from home.

Four years later in 1998, the Association started sourcing out funds from benevolent donors, alumni and friends, here and abroad all through the succeeding years under different sets of alumni association officers.

Even with very limited funds, Dr. Romeo S. Cabanilla, the president and board chairman and the other officers of the Association unanimously decided to have the groundbreaking on October 24, 2008. This marked the start of the construction of the hostel. Hon. Joseph Gilbert F. Violago, Representative of the Second District of Nueva Ecija and Dr. Cabanilla, led the rites.

Solicitation of funds has been aggressively undertaken upon the start of the hostel construction. The turn out of the fund solicitation spearheaded by Dr. Eliseo L. Ruiz., is overwhelming because the donations received either in cash or in kind came from benevolent donors from all walks of life.

Construction of the hostel has gone a long way and after almost two and a half years, the first and second floors were ready for occupancy. So, on April 13, 2011, the first and second floors of the hostel were opened and blessed in time for the Annual Alumni Homecoming set on April 15, 16 and 17.

After the 2011 Homecoming, the solicitation of funds continued to complete the rooms in the third floor and buy the necessary fixtures, airconditioning units and sound system, among others.

With God’s blessings and His guidance and with the dynamic partnership of the University, CLSUAAI and CAFI and the full support of our alumni here and abroad and benevolent donors, the hostel is now completed.

The CLSU Alumni Hostel Today

The three-storey hostel is so far the highest landmark structure within the campus that is fit for habitation. It forms part of the Alumni Center and is adjacent to the Food Court and General Merchandise. It is a few meters away from the University main gate, and is near to other key facilities in CLSU such as the University hospital, old market, multi-purpose gymnasium, church, amphitheater, bank, as well as the administration building.

Built with balconies, alumni and guests have a good sight of the university lagoon and the newly developed beautiful landscape with waterfalls located in front of the hostel.

The hostel easily catches the attention of passers-by because of its bright coloroof Madrid-type of roofings with matching spandrel ceilings and eaves. Its yellow-colored walls accentuated with terracotta lines and stoneworks below the window cases and also, its two column posts added statuesque look to the hostel. The hostel is enclosed with a perimeter fence and gates, which were donated by the CLSU alumni and friends.

Each of the floors in the hostel has a reception area. The first floor has 14 rooms, the second, 17 and the third, 10. All the rooms are spacious although rooms in the second and third floors are larger than those in the first floor. They are fully air-conditioned, elegantly curtained, provided with cable connected colored TV, hot shower, refrigerator, computer wi-fi and other amenities.

Further, a part of the third floor is a Conference Hall that can serve as venue for seminars, meetings and parties good for 100 persons. It is provided with airconditioning units and videoke.

Aside from being a lodging place and venue for special occasions and activities, the hostel can serve as a basic training facility for students enrolled in BS Hotel and Restaurant Management, a new curriculum offering of CLSU.

The hostel management is supervised by the CLSUAAI headed by the alumni association president and is manned by five regular staff: 2 HRM graduates, 2 BS graduates with special trainings, 1 security guard and on call workers.

The CLSU Alumni Hostel was opened and blessed on April 11, 2012 at 9 AM.

Its construction was supervised by the Special Committee on Design and Construction headed by Dr. Romeo S. Cabanilla and Dr. Catalino R. Dela Cruz as chairperson and co-chairperson, respectively and with members: Dr. Eliseo L. Ruiz, Dr. Teotimo M. Aganon and Dr. Onofre F. Ringor. The hostel was designed by the late Architect Eduardo C. Tuliao.




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