FILIPINO UNION OF STUDENTS IN EUROPE

The Voice chatted with the coordinators for FUSE, the organization of Filipino students here in Leuven. Here is what Anne Mendoza, Lovelyn Paclibar, and Fr Mario Masangcay, have to say about FUSE, its members and activities, and what makes it such a unique group.

The Voice - How many members do you have at present?
FUSE: There are around 25 student members studying at different faculties.

The Voice - What are the main goals of FUSE?
FUSE: It’s supposed to be a simple goal: to gather students and to organize activities for socialization. FUSE is like a support group for students. However, we also have members who are non-students and we call them FUSE friends. These are mostly Filipinos and they also participate in our activities.

The Voice - What are your usual activities?
FUSE: The first major activity is the welcoming of and orientation for new Filipino students in Leuven. That happens usually in October. Then in November, we have a gathering that is our version of the Filipino tradition of honoring the saints and the dead. We have a celebration of the Eucharist and then we have dinner afterwards.

The Voice - Does this mean that you have to be a believer to participate?

FUSE: Because it is a Filipino group, de facto, most of the student-members are believers. But everyone is welcome. And we don’t only have religious activities. We organize sports activities, parties, a Valentine’s celebration, fund-raising events, and more academic activities like colloquia.

The Voice - Does the organization facilitate or promote contact with Flemish and other international students?
FUSE: At least once this year we were able to do that. At the beginning of the school year, we had this fund-raising event for the benefit of the victims of a typhoon in the Philippines. It was open to everyone connected to the university, to other students and professors, and to anyone who was willing to participate. But in fact, the monthly gatherings of FUSE are open to members and their friends who may not be Filipino, who may be Belgian, Spanish, or Latin American. Everyone is welcome as long as you’ve got a friend from the Filipino circle.

The Voice - What happens in a typical FUSE gathering?
FUSE: For sure there’s eating. That’s the mark of Filipino gatherings. There’s always sharing of food. It’s usually a potluck dinner: people bring their own contribution for dinner. Then there’s a prepared programme. Mostly there’s singing, because Filipinos love to sing!

The Voice - What events do you have planned for the rest of the academic year?
FUSE: We have something scheduled for late February, a group tour of the Atomium in Brussels. It’s like an after-exam period unwinding activity for students. The point is that the task of the FUSE coordinators is to think of activities that will gather the students at least once a month.

The Voice - When and where do you usually hold your activities?
FUSE: Usually in the Janssens Hall of the Holy Spirit College (on Naamsestraat). Our activities are normally scheduled on Saturdays. They begin around dinner time, like 6pm onwards.

The Voice - What do you think makes FUSE unique?
FUSE: In the Filipino language we have this term “barkada.” I don’t know if it has an equivalent in other cultures. The idea is that we have this group bond that serves as a support for everyone here who’s away from home.
And we call FUSE a support group because we do not only gather and dine together, we also help each other out when it comes to more academic matters. For instance, when there’s someone about to finish his or her dissertation, we sit together and help in editing the work. We also to listen to each other at colloquia. When you have to present a paper but you want your ideas to be heard first in a smaller group, FUSE can become a venue for that. So it’s not only support in terms of eating together, but it’s a more wholistic concept. It’s not only social and emotional support—and these are things that you can readily expect from a Filipino group—support can also mean help in academic things. I think that makes FUSE unique.

The Voice - How can your organization be reached?
FUSE: You can email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We also have a Facebook page and a multiply site (fuseleuven.multiply.com/).

The Voice - Thank you for letting us conduct this interview! |