This Friday (31), the postgraduate student representatives elected to be members of the Unicamp University Council (Consu) took office. Unlike last year, the four main representations and four substitutes were filled, completing the post positions in the University's highest deliberation body. The inauguration ceremony took place in the Consu room, and was presided over by the rector of Unicamp, Marcelo Knobel.
The rector congratulated those elected, thanking them for their willingness to participate in the meetings, and highlighted some of the challenges linked to education and postgraduate studies, such as the change in criteria for granting scholarships at the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), not yet detailed by the federal government. “We will certainly have a busy year to say the least. It will be a year, from an external point of view, with great uncertainty regarding what will happen at the CNQq. The news is not promising at Capes either. We will have to act in a very strong way,” said Knobel.
Master's student in Music Patrícia Kawaguchi, elected for the second consecutive time to the postgraduate chair at Consu, highlights the importance of having complete student representation. “Postgraduate studies do not have a great history of political mobilization due to the volume of research activity, projects, congresses. Last year there was no full bench and since then we have been telling our colleagues about the importance of filling these seats”.
Elected for the first time, Robson Sampaio, master's student in Education, also points out that the mobilization of postgraduate students has been strengthened in recent years, enabling greater discussion of demands and the university. “Being qualified in the debate and contributing to a better development of the university so that it reaches the population that finances it is our role”, he states.
Challenges
Both students emphasize that the issue of student retention is one of the main concerns in postgraduate studies. “There is no point in having the resources to keep the laboratory running without keeping the researcher in the field, doing the research”, says Robson. For Patrícia, the unstable scenario can also affect the mental health of researchers, as announcements of scholarship cuts and reviews, for example, are recurrently put on the agenda by the government.
Defense of public, free and socially referenced universities; defense of student permanence; more investments and expansion of quotas in postgraduate units are points that both students point out as horizons and challenges for action for postgraduate representatives at Consu.
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Full members:
- Matheus Alves Albino (Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences);
- Patrícia Kawaguchi Cesar (Institute of Arts);
- Robson Bomfim Sampaio (Faculty of Education).
- João Paulo Ferreira Bertacchi (Institute of Chemistry);
Alternate members:
- Helen Bovo Tormina Zanao (Institute of Arts);
- Luan Ramos da Silva (Faculty of Food Engineering);
- José Ballardo Villegas Salabarria (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering);
- Marcos Henrique by Paula Dias da Silva (Institute of Physics).
