DLSU once again asserts its reputation as one of the nation’s leading research institutions, emerging as the second top university among the 229 Philippine institutions evaluated by IdeRunk. This globally renowned metric system assesses higher education institutions based on research performance, non-academic prominence, and alumni score.
However, the University seems to be unsatisfied with being number two. In a bold move to finally cement itself at the top spot, DLSU is rolling out the “Holistic Link Economy Development Roadmap.” The initiative requires the academic community to boost the University’s “non-academic prominence” and “alumni” scores by embedding at least 50,000 backlinks to the University’s website and by increasing the Wikipedia page views of alumni by 500 percent at the end of each academic trimester. Non-compliance will result in academic penalties, and accumulating too many of them may lead to a term grade of FDIED, or “Failure Due to IdeRunk Engagement Deficiency.”
Clicks, clout, and Canvas tracking
Despite having a relatively decent reputation as an international ranking system for higher education institutions, doubt has been raised on the robustness and the quality of the methodology used by IdeRunk. One such criticism is its measurement of non-academic prominence and alumni scores, which are weighted 45 and 10 percent, respectively. The former is measured using backlinks to a university’s website, while the latter is a reflection of the aggregated page views that a university’s graduates and other affiliated individuals have on all languages of Wikipedia.
Even so, this opens opportunities for higher education institutions to have a more direct hand at their rankings and eventually (and hopefully) their reputations, too. DLSU’s plan? To flood the web with links to the DLSU website and to spam visiting alumni profiles on Wikipedia to boost these scores, especially since the two tweakable components make up 55 percent of the total.
In addition, every Lasallian will also now be required to post a minimum of three TikToks per month using the hashtag #DLSUInTheNews, with extra incentives for viral content. The more shares and viral videos the student generates, the higher their “Lasallian Engagement Score.”
To make compliance seamless, the University is rolling out an upgraded version of AnimoSpace. Students will be required to link their social media accounts directly to the platform, where the engagement metrics will be displayed in real-time next to their academic grades.
As part of this initiative, students will also be required to participate in weekly “Fourth Hour Backlink Embed Parties,” where faculty members will oversee mass-linking generation marathons. Where they link doesn’t matter. “Students should think of it as an academic integrity exercise,” explains Vince Saeur-To, a part-time faculty member in the Department of Communication and an alumnus whose Wikipedia page visits boosted DLSU’s rankings. “Just as citations matter in research, backlinks matter in university rankings.”
More than just fame
The mandate was first introduced earlier this year during Gawad Sikip 2025 held last February 5 at the Verdure, Henry Sy Sr. Hall. In the open forum following the announcement, the University administration insists, “It’s not just about the clicks and the statistics. It’s about building a legacy, both online and in-person, that finally fulfills the validation we crave.”
Vice President of Social Media Fame and Aura Affairs Dr. Kristen Mary Jenner further explains that climbing the IdeRunk ladder could unlock a host of institutional benefits, potentially attracting increased donor interest and funds to—dare we dream—functional campus infrastructure and facilities.
When confronted with the question of whether the University was “clout chasing” and “using the huge follower [numbers] of their students,” Jenner defends the roadmap, arguing, “The University only does what is best for its students. Every backlink is a brick toward our shared mission of living out Lasallian pride in our hearts forever.”
Even the University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) Office is on board. One ITS officer, who requested anonymity for fear of possibly being “dragged by Freedom Wall keyboard warriors,” hints that, “if we hit the set backlink quota, we might finally be able to have enough funding to upgrade MLS (My.LaSalle)… instead of a 200-hour queue time, students could expect a mere 199-hour wait—a game-changing improvement every non-dean lister Lasallian will surely cherish.”
“All this browsing and clicking is critical talaga as we must adapt [to] modern demands…partida, bahagi talaga ito ng Lasallian core values of zeal, service, and clou-ommunity,” Jenner verified.
(All this browsing and clicking is really critical as we must adapt to modern demands… this is really a part of the Lasallian core values of zeal, service, and clou-ommunity.)
From skeptics to believers
Preliminary discussions have also indicated that the anticipated new funds could be used to install an additional elevator in the Br. Andrew Gonzalez Hall. However, skeptics remained unconvinced. “Hindi ko knows, pare. [If] mag-a-add ng new elevator, ayan na naman tayo sa walang katapusang ‘under maintenance’ status things,” Migs “Miggy” Miguel (II, BS-MGT) remarks.
(I don’t know, dude. If a new elevator is added, we’ll just end up with never-ending ‘under maintenance’ status things.)
Other students, meanwhile, remain cautiously optimistic about the proposed initiatives, particularly the projected reinstatement of unrestricted Google Drive storage and the adoption of a new air-conditioning system in response to rising heat index levels and increasing Jisulife user population. “Okay na ‘to…if spamming Wikipedia might get us back unlimited Google Drive capacity, eh gaw’in ko na rin,” admitted Grace* (VI, BSA).
(This is already okay…if spamming Wikipedia might get us back unlimited Google Drive capacity, I might as well do it.)
*Names with asterisks (*) are pseudonyms
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Spoof 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSSpoof2025.