Culture and traditions of the Ateneo de Manila
The culture and traditions of Ateneo de Manila University (Filipino: "Unibersidad Ateneo de Manila"; ) is a private research university in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded as the "Escuela Municipal" in 1859 by the Society of Jesus, the Ateneo is the third-oldest university in the country. Among the several articles on the Ateneo, this article deals solely with its culture and traditions.
History of the Ateneo de Manila
In October 2008, 66 faculty members from different departments, including members of the Theology Department, challenged the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the Reproductive Health Bill pending before the Philippine Congress, and declared that Catholics can support the RH bill in good conscience. The bill would encourage the use of contraceptives to bring down the large number of abortions in the country. University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J., explained that their position was not an official position of the university but that these faculty members had a right to express their views as individual Catholics and that there should be continuing efforts on the critical study and discussion of the bill among Church groups, at the university and in civil society.
In November 2008, the university began work on building a new Rizal Library facility. In December, a new set of university dormitories was inaugurated. The Ateneo High School was granted Level III accreditation by the PAASCU, the highest level in the country.