Nursing students barred from graduation, file suit

Two nursing students sued   Southwestern University (SWU) after they were prohibited from graduating last March.

Jervis Dreamond Leonardo and Raymart delos Santos were nine days away from receiving their diplomas when they were told they couldn’t join the ceremony.

They said their instructor Juliet Salares told them that they obtained failing grades in one of their subjects.

Assisted by their parents, the two students asked the court to compel SWU to release their records and the results of their pre-board examination.

The complainants  said the school declined to show the two students’  school records.

They are seeking  payment of P400,000 as moral and exemplary damages, and P100,000 for legal fees.

Named defendants in the civil action were  SWU president Elsa Suralta; Lucris Tan, dean of the SWU College of Nursing; JulietSalares, clinical instructor in Clinical Forum 2; and Neil Brian Villaraso, chairman of SWU College of Nursing Level II.

Cebu Daily News tried to contact SWU board member Andrew Aznar for comment but calls and texts to his mobile phone went unanswered.

Leonardo and Delos Santos said they  were supposed to graduate as their names were listed in the program for the 66th Commencement Exercises held on March 30, 2012.

They were required by the school to pay P6,215 for the pinning of uniform; P300 for toga rental, and P700 as deposit for the graduation.

On March 21, or nine days before the scheduled commencement exercises,  the two students were told by Salares, their instructor, that they couldn’t join the traditional graduation march since they have failing grades in their Clinical Forum 2 subject.

Surprised, the two asked for their scholastic records but  Salares allegedly refused to show them. Instead, he showed a  summary  computation.

Based on the computation, Leonardo got the following grades: prelims, 2.4; midterm, 2.8; semi-finals, 2.6; and finals, 2.91.

Delos Santos, on the other hand, had the following grades: prelim, 2.7; midterm 2.9; and for the semi-finals and finals. He got grades of “two point something.” The two graduating students immediately informed their respective parents about what happened.

The parents went the SWU and met Salares and Villaraso, chairman of SWU College of Nursing Level II. Salares allegedly told Leonardo’s mother, “I really don’t know why your son failed.”

But he explained to Leonardo’s parents that 70 percent was taken from the final grade of 2.91 and 30 percent from the pre-board examination results.

By computing the grade, Salares said Leonardo would get a grade of 3.24 or a failing mark.

The Leonardo couple demanded for the result of the pre-board examination but Salares allegedly declined.

Leonardo’s father asked Villaraso and Salares if the inclusion of the result of the pre-board examination in the computation of the grades was included in the curriculum approved by the Commission on Higher Education.

Villaraso said they could not answer the query as of yet. He allegedly instructed the parents to write a letter to the dean.