Located right next to the St. Martin De Porres Bldg. in the University of Santo Tomas campus is another academic building named after a saint. Despite it being named after a Dominican friar and who is a patron saint of lawyers (especially those studying canon law) and UST offering degrees in civil and canon laws, the St. Raymond of Peñafort Bldg. is not the home of the university’s law programs. Completed in 1955, the building is home to the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the College of Commerce and Business Administration.
Across the building is the UST Tan Yan Kee Student Center. It’s one of the more recent buildings in the campus, completed in 2006 with the help of the Tan Yan Kee Foundation (thus the name) of the Lucio Tan Group of Companies. Lucio Tan himself is a UST alumnus, having completed his Bachelor’s degree in Science there. As the name implies, many of the student organizations of the university, including its Central Student Council and the university paper The Varsitarian are based here. It’s also interesting to note its location vis-à-vis the Main Building, placed in such a way that both buildings are located on the opposite ends of the middle portion of the campus. Some might interpret this as an interpretation to what is a constant scenario in an educational institution on various occasions as to how the administration (represented by the Main Building) and the studentry (represented by the Student Center) on opposing sides with regards to various issues affecting the institution as a whole.
On the northwestern portion of the campus is another recent addition to the UST campus, the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex. Completed in 2002, it is the university’s main venue for research studies as different research centers for intercultural studies, movement science, natural sciences, education, social sciences, and cultural conservation are based here.
Nearby is the Benavides Bldg., the home of the UST High School. This should not be confused with the Education High School which is a separate facility under the College of Education catered specially for financially-challenged but deserving students. (thus USTHS’ monicker as the “Pay” High School) While the university’s high school program began in 1928, its home that we know today was completed in 1978 after fire burned down the original high school building 3 years prior. In addition, it is also the home of the Graduate School which offers postgraduate programs.
Right behind Benavides Bldg. and the Research Complex is a small strip of greenery that is the Botanical Garden. It’s actually more a tree-lined walkway that leads to, of all places, the motorpool and some laboratories. But it’s nice to see some lush vegetation in this campus.
Up next, the Santissima Rosario and the Central Seminary
Acknowledgement to the usual sources of information.
© The Urban Roamer
