In the midst of the recent rumblings in the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines there thrives a bunch of happy-go-easy boys in the College of Business Administration ho call themselves Semenites.
That makes a lot of sense since they are members of SEMEN. Come again? Semen which stands for the Society of Emancipated Men. But despite its provocative acronym and the sexiest label, Semen (membership open to all juniors and seniors in the College) or so its all male members claim, is not an anti-women liberation orgastic organization.
Also sensible is an organization like Semen in the College where the female-male ratio is 4 to 1. “In my batch, says Semen president, senior Manny Gervasio, “we were 150 enrolees, only 30 were men. According to the usually combative male logic, Semen had to be, Or the College would be no man’s land, a woman’s world.
At is founding I 1968 by Cesar Evangelista (B.A. ’72) now a money market analyst, Semen meant Society of Emancipated Men, the implication being that during its seven-year existence, it has succeeded to emancipate the male students in the College. Though ever outnumbered, they cannot be outfought.
Because of the numerical superiority of female B.A. students, they were able to control business organizations in the College like for instance the Business Guild (the College’s Student council) whose officers before Semen came to be, was top-heavy with females.
But not today. Of the five educational organizations in the College, like the Junior Philippine Institute of Accounting and the Junior Marketing Association three are headed by Semenites and their memberships are 60 per cent controlled by Semenites. Does that mean emancipation? Replies Joe Reyes, Semen veep: “Yes. That’s why we changed the preposition from “society for” to “society of” emancipated men. There is now equal participation of men and women in College activities.”
Occasionally a female student throws in a remark like “male chauvinist pigs” at the Semenites, but she’s no doubt a freshman and does not know what the Semenites are about. Perhaps being firmly on top of things now, the Semenites can afford to be magnanimous and let such a remark pass.
In fact Semen with malice toward none, overflows with good intentions, its objectives being to foster the spirit of camaraderie among its members; to help fulfill the intellectual and social needs of the members and to develop their business and social talents; to encourage leadership and participation in the College and University activities; and to instill the spirit of nationalism in business in the university.
The do-gooding Semenites have embarked on projects such as a scholarship fund and a beautification project, a pocket park by the College that the Semenites weed and tend and landscape.
Regular food sales, a textbook rental service (books donated by the alumni) Christmas caroling and benefit shows support the projects.
The P500 raised so far will be sufficient to cover the tuition fees next semester of two scholars in the College of Business Administration. The target is to raise P2,000 this year.
A disappointing list, indeed, for those in the habit of taking things literally. On the other hand, Semenite Jimmy Corpin (at 23, the society’s oldest member) explain what the group is all about by invoking the literal meaning of semen.
“It simply means seed. The seed of development planted in college life hopefully will flower into success for all the members in the future.” When Jimmy, Manny, Joe or any of the members say “Semen,” they are not well conscious, not blushing. But the Dean of Student Affairs, Armando Malay, normally as advocate of brevity. Exhorts the Semenites against abbreviating the Society of Emancipated Men.
Even the College girls are beyond blushing at the mention of the name. The Semenites are either to swallow now that they feel emancipated enough. Issa Unison who is taking some B.A. units says, “Semen makes BA life for me. It’s okay. It’s definitely more popular than the Pan Xenia.” The Greek-letter frat is the College’s one and only.
And Issa is not just displaying bias because she is going steady with a Semenite. Semen with 10 members and 18 applicants, compared to Pan Xenia’s eight has to be the popular one. And anyway, the frat’s eight are all Semenites. “The frat members are more involved in Semen than in Pan Xenia,” says Jimmy.
Unlike the university fraternities, with their exclusive ambience and mystique of initiation rites, Semen open to all College juniors and seniors, is very relaxed (but not lax as members are subject to disciplinary action for frequent absences in meetings) about being young, alive and well and studying in U.P.
Camaraderie is stressed, according to Joe Reyes. Interaction with other groups in the university and to other schools is frequent. The Semenites recently held a soiree with St. Paul’s College, Manila. Planned for December is a song fest involving singing groups from the different colleges in campus.
“I’d never join a fraternity because of the hazing,” says semenite member Jun Magsalin. Says Efren Lapus: “I’m a Semenite because, you know, the gang’s all here.”
Is there a trend among UP students today to stay away from the clubby and oftentimes brutalizing frats and to join instead a free-for-all, hail-n-hi society “like Semen?” Without the rumbles yet. And only at P3 a year.
“I don’t know that to be true now,’ replies Jimmy Corpin. “But from my own experience, I would say that fraternities because of their neophyte-master relationships can not possibly achieve the camaraderie of a group like Semen. We are always very informal.”
Meetings held every Tuesday in an assigned classroom is a happy hour for all the members. The meeting is conducted in Tagalog cause it prompts “better and livelier communication among the members.”
It is on such occasions when no doubt the boys feel really free because they are by themselves, away from the College’s overwhelming females. (a proposal for a Semen ladies auxiliary was quickly voted down). As we sat in one of the meetings which discussed the sale of tickets for a benefit show for Semen’s scholarship fund, the camaraderie bursting at the seams, we felt very good to be sitting there.
We had come intrigued by the name semen. If it did not meet our “bold” expectations, it’s no matter because we met, a swell bunch of guys in the mainstream of academics but swinging still to the bitter-sweet rythmn of campus life.
A healthy balance that makes for emancipated men. Even women. --
