Hail to the new Lions!

From Sept. 3 to 6, San Beda University celebrated its annual integration week to welcome a new breed of Lions.

The 700 incoming freshmen were asked to participate in a set of activities that would allow them to have a deeper connection to their Bedan spirit, and form a stronger connection with their friends and batch mates.

Marga Vinluan, an integrator, sprays goop on passing integrants.

“These integration rites made me feel more welcomed to be part of the Bedan community. It made me feel accepted for who I am as a person,” said Martin Abraham, a business management freshman.

“I am proud to be part of this community,” Abraham added. To his fellow freshmen, he said: “I hope we can all be proud of who we are and what we can become in San Beda University.”

A freshman digs into a pail of red muck to find a toy lion.

AJ Macalino, an integrator from the Department of Psychology, said: “The role of an integrator is to make freshmen trust you that everything will go smoothly. It’s also to make sure we complete this tradition without fail.”

“Integration has been a part of the Bedan culture for several years,” said Charmaine Bilgera, student council president. “It is our duty to continue this tradition. Integration is significant because it embodies the Bedan identity.”

It’s a special activity that many Lions cherish. —CONTRIBUTED

Integrants play “Protect the Crown” as their integrators drench them with water.
Freshmen react to a spray of water.
New breed of Lions experience the “red baptism,” a ritual of being doused with red liquid and showered with water by fire trucks. —Photos by Josh Espinoza

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