At the meeting, as part of an election campaign open to proposals, the representatives of SAÓ conveyed specific needs and concerns on behalf of their association but which affect the entire student body. The scholarship system, university fees and external internships, as well as sustainability and healthy living were the central themes of the meeting.
On Wednesday afternoon, the candidate for the Rector of the Universitat de València met with representatives of SAÓ, the student association with the most representatives in the Senate since the recent renewal, last November, of the highest representative body of the university community.
Maria Vicenta Mestre was accompanied by Isabel Vázquez (Vice Principal for Studies and Language Policy), Ernest Cano (Vice Principal for Academic Regulations and Teaching Staff), Esther Alba (Vice Principal for Culture and Sport), Adela Valero (Vice Principal for Employment and Training Programmes), as well as the future Vice Principal for Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Policies, Helena Rausell, and the Principal's delegate for the student body, Manuel González.
The students who attended the meeting, representatives of this student association on the Blasco Ibáñez, Tarongers and Burjassot-Paterna campuses, expressed the concerns, needs and demands of the student body.
Improvements to the system of grants, fees and external internships
The representatives of SAÓ proposed the recovery of the granting of funds to accompany the SICUE scholarships, an issue which, although it is being discussed with the Ministry of Universities, may have alternative channels such as grants from the Vives Network and aid from entities with which talks are already underway.
In addition, some measures have been proposed that could increase the effectiveness of the University's own aid system, both for enrolment and ICT aid; for example, they have suggested measures for dissemination among the student body so that funds are not left undistributed. The Rector stressed that one of the main objectives of her mandate is and will be that no one should be denied access to higher education because of a lack of financial resources. They have also asked for a reduction in tuition fees, especially for second and subsequent enrolments, to be demanded from the Generalitat (Valencian Government).
Similarly, the student spokespersons have proposed that the transport subsidies, which are granted to people living between 20 and 90 kilometres from their place of education, should be reduced, so that people living closer than 20 kilometres can access these subsidies. This is a matter for the Generalitat, but the candidate for Rector has pledged to initiate the corresponding consultations to address it.
Another demand was to continue with the study of the remuneration of external internships or, at the very least, to grant compensation for expenses, including transport. This is an issue that has been seriously affected by the pandemic and a highly complex one, given the heterogeneity of the degrees at our university and the characteristics of the different sectors and public and private institutions where they are carried out. Even so, the Vice-Principal for Employment pointed out that this is an issue on which work has already begun in an ad hoc commission suspended due to the pandemic and that, once the pandemic has been overcome, the meetings will resume.
Sustainability and healthy lifestyle
Another aspect that was the focus of the meeting was the incorporation of healthy menus in the cafeterias of the different campuses and the recovery of vending machines with bio-healthy products. Although they have expressed that the vice-rectorate for Equality, Diversity and Sustainability made significant progress in this area, it seems that the inertia of the concessionaires has led them to relax their rigidity.
On the other hand, the students have conveyed the need to extend in all the Centres the areas where to heat and consume food, as well as the convenience of extending the sources where to fill reusable bottles, to reduce the consumption of plastics. In the same way, they have also proposed the creation of spaces for students to live together.
The candidate for Principal pointed out that work is already underway on projects to this effect, for example at the Tarongers Campus, and the future Lluís Vives space will play a key role in this area. In addition, she indicated that one of the focal points of the activity of the new Office of the Vice-Principal for Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Lifestyle will be healthy eating and sustainability on the campuses.
To end the meeting, Maria Vicenta Mestre recalled the importance of mobilising the student body in the run-up to the elections on 1 March, given that a high turnout is essential to give the University of Valencia strength in its relationship with other institutions and in its demands to the Valencian and national governments.
