The Senate does not approve the reform of the Constitution of the University of Valencia

The Senate of the Universitat de València, reunited in an ordinary session on Thursday, 17 July, has voted the reform proposal of the Constitution with the goal of adapting them to the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU). For its approval an absolute majority of the Senate was needed (136 votes), that has not been reached since they only obtained 121 favourable votes (the 87,68% of the emitted votes), in a session marked by a low participation: only 138 of the 271 members of this governing body of the UV have practised their voting right.

The reform procedure, presented by the president of the Constitutional Committee

In the third item on the agenda of the Senate session, the Constitution reform has been tackled, presented by the president of the University Constitution, the professor Lourdes Ferrando, who indicated the limiting goal of the statuary reform to the adaptation to the new universities law.

In her intervention, the Dr. Ferrando has informed that it has been a technique commission the one that has worked for two years, divided in subcommissions depending on the affected areas by the LOSU (studies, governance and university community), the one who has worked the reform proposal, assessed by members of the UV govern team and university experts, depending on the tackled topics.

Finally, in plenary session, the Constitutional Committee realised a review of the global text, submitted to public exhibition during 20 calendar days, according to the disposed in the 245 article of the Constitution.

The president of the Constitutional Committee has informed that more than 54% of the presented emendations corresponded to issues of substance, a 15,55% to the improvement on composition, a 22,22% had a terminological character, and a 4,44% had a technical character. The realised emendations were revised by the Constitutional Committee.

Interventions on this item on the agenda

In the turn of interventions of the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law, Javier Guardiola, he has expressed the position of the Dean team of this Faculty, he has thanked the work done by the Constitutional Committee and has expressed his critique about the reform process, explaining that they would not vote in favour of the proposal for two reasons: the Dean election system and the management of centres and the reduction on theb representation of big centres in the collegiate bodies.

The Dr. Ferrando, the president of the Constitutional Committee, has responded that, regarding the election procedure of office of the dean and the management of centres, the Constitutional Committee has opted, consciously, and answering to favourable reports inside the framework of the current composition of the LOSU, for maintaining the current election system in front of an election by universal suffrage pondered of all the people that integrate the centre.

She has also indicated that the incorporation of all deans and directors of centres in the Governing Council effectively reduces the weight of big centres, while the proposal of reduction on the discretion of designation of members per part of the dean considered in the text of Constitutional reform allows to correct that effect.

The professor Marcela Jabazz has intervened thanking the work of the Constitutional Committee and commented that a group of professors had presented 28 emendations centred in the gender perspective, from which 6 have been approved. The Dr. Jabazz has also pointed the importance on the Constitution collecting the change of time we find ourselves in.

In response to this intervention, the president of the Constitutional Committee has signalled the importance on the domestic policy of the UV posterior to the approval of the Constitution.

She has also highlighted that, having beat the uncertainty that the application of the LOSU still generates, that is still being developed, it will be necessary to make a review of the global text of the Constitution.

Having been retired point 4 from the agenda: the renovation of the Senate

Since the Constitutional reform has not been approved, the table of the Senate has retired the fourth point from the agenda, which was the call for elections of the University Senate for its total renovation after the approval of the reform of the Constitution.

The Governing Council will debate the new meeting of the Senate of reform of the Constitution

The general secretary of the University, the Dr. María Elena Olmos, has informed that on a next reunion of the Governing Council the result will be informed and the call for a new Senate session to debate the Constitutional reform will proceed to be tackled, mandatory according to the fourth final disposition of the LOSU, which stablishes a deadline of two years from 2023 for the adaptation of the Constitution of the universities to the new legal framework.