August marks the start of planting season in CASS, when new blooms take root. The College of Arts and Social Sciences does not just welcome its new students with forms and timetables—it plants them in the rich soil of its traditions. This year’s CASS Freshmen Welcoming Ceremony, held on August 12, 2025, at the CASS Lawn, bloomed with energy, color, and voices as first-years took their first steps into the vibrant ecosystem of the college.
From the opening hymn to the final photo opportunity, the day’s program was a careful cultivation of connection, watered by cheers, warmed by applause, and rooted in shared identity. Dean Marie Joy D. Banawa, PhD, set the tone in her welcome remarks, sharing her hopes for a meaningful and productive school year. She reminded the freshmen that CASS would be their home for the next four years, urging them to embrace the opportunities ahead and have fun in the process.
One of the most awaited parts of the ceremony was the Society Chants Competition, a tradition where each society belts out its anthem with unrestrained pride. For the freshmen, this was more than a performance—it was their first taste of belonging.
BA Sociology freshman Ishi Tyriz Clet recalled, “At first, I was very nervous because I was in the front sa among chant and then eventually, I was really feeling the welcome spirit sa CASS and I was energized. And very, very excited sa puhon nga ing ani napud na event.”
For BA History freshman Cyril June Sanchez, the experience felt like a genuine embrace from the community: “My experience in the welcoming tradition today as a new member of CASS is very awesome and I can literally say that my whole department welcomed me. Also, ang akoa pud mga co-freshies very friendly kaayo sila and very accommodating. Overall, ang akong experience sa welcoming week is ganahan ko, nindot siya.”
Meanwhile, BA English Language Studies freshman John Daniel Ragandang described the event as something entirely new, “Basically, ang nahitabo karon is very new to me. Amazing gyud kaayo siya kay dili ra ang IIT ang ni welcome sa amo, kundi ang among college jud. And naay friendly competition nahitabo and I think that we all did well and I think na achieve ang pag enjoy sa mga freshies tulad nako para karon sa welcoming week.”
For CASS, chants are not just noise—they are the heartbeat of the community. Closing the program, CASS-EC Officer-In-Charge Freed Carl Turtosa expressed gratitude to everyone behind the event, as well as the students who brought the tradition to life, and reminded all about the upcoming CASS Executive Council elections.
The excitement carried through to the announcement of winners in the Society Dance Showdown, where MSU-IIT Sociology Society (MISS) and MSU-IIT Historical Society (MIHS) took the top two spots, with the Historical Society claiming the crown. In the Society Chant Competition, the Literature, Language, and Culture Society (LILACS) emerged as champion, followed by the Historical Society in second place and the Psychology Society (PsychSoc) in third.
With new seeds planted, students were encouraged to nurture the connections they had begun that day. Like any garden, the CASS community will need tending through collaboration, creativity, and care. In this garden, fresh blooms will one day grow tall, shading and guiding the next seedlings to come. For now, they enjoy the warmth of this first day, unaware that the garden they planted together will be the place they return to, in memory, whenever they need to feel at home again.
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