To the Unicamp Community
Humanity is experiencing a moment of great apprehension. This is not the first time that a pandemic has threatened the lives of millions of people. However, the speed with which governments and scientists are reacting to events is unprecedented. In an incredibly short period of time, it was discovered who the enemy was, containment measures were planned and the development of defenses began, in the form of medicines and vaccines.
At this unique moment, in which the proliferation of information from the most varied sources contributes in a deleterious way to the spread of panic, universities and the scientific community emerge as sources of reliable data and highly qualified personnel to face the pandemic and its terrible consequences – economic, political, public health.
Universities, especially public ones, have a duty to continue their activities, despite the restrictions that the situation imposes on society as a whole. Searches, for example, cannot be interrupted. They represent an enormous social investment, which cannot be ignored or minimized.
In the same way, universities cannot interrupt their main task – training people – without proposing alternatives to in-person classes. They are committed to students and their respective families, and to the society that finances them. Nor can they stop publishing scientifically correct content and participating in public awareness campaigns. That's what all the good universities in the world have been doing.
It takes a great institutional effort to keep a university of Unicamp's size operating in such exceptional circumstances. We are using information technologies to continue undergraduate and postgraduate classes, the defense of theses and dissertations and extension courses, as well as a large part of the administrative work carried out in different sectors of the University. In some areas, however, it is impossible to make such adaptations. This is the case of the health sector, which provides assistance exclusively through the SUS to a population of more than 6,5 million people and comprises, among other units, the only highly complex hospital in the Campinas region and one of the few that are a reference in the State to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Health activities cannot be interrupted or restricted in any way. On the contrary, they need to be expanded and intensified to meet the needs of this critical moment, which, according to projections, tends to worsen in the coming weeks. To achieve this, we need support from all spheres of government, from the organization of the health system to more financial resources.
Internally, the maintenance of health activities depends on the functioning of other bodies of the University, especially administrative ones and those that provide support services. Here, an effort must be made to see Unicamp as a living organism, whose parts depend on each other and cannot, therefore, be totally suppressed or paralyzed.
The university restaurant, for example, needs to continue operating to serve employees in the health sector and the sectors that support it, as well as needy students who depend on it for their meals. Transport, surveillance and cleaning services need to be maintained, as well as work in the purchasing department and payroll processing, among many others that, almost imperceptibly, take care of issues relevant to the entire community.
Our biggest challenge is to keep such a complex system running without exposing its members to unnecessary risks. In this sense, we started an awareness campaign about procedures that help contain the spread of the disease and took measures to avoid crowds on campus, encouraging remote work.
Due to the nature of the situation, we need to count, more than ever, on the understanding, collaboration and dedication of all professionals in the health sector and support sectors. After all, the emergence of COVID-19 did not make other diseases disappear, babies continue to be born and accidents still happen daily.
In this context, Unicamp's health area, already so overloaded, plays an even more relevant social role. It is important that the academic community and society in general recognize the effort and commitment of all the people who, in one way or another, make this mechanism work. Each person is fundamental in this process, and it is moments like this, of gravity never seen in the history of Unicamp, that make society value and understand our existence.
No matter how harsh the forecasts are for the coming weeks and even the coming months, I know that Unicamp will be up to the challenges that lie ahead. On behalf of the University, I am grateful for the contribution of each member of the academic community to facing this crisis of unprecedented proportions – whether on the front line, working to assist the population, or behind the scenes, ensuring the functioning of the health sector and taking precautions that help contain the spread of the disease.
I am also grateful for the countless expressions of support and availability of help that I have received, which motivated us to create, together with students, staff, teachers and entities, a solidarity and volunteering network that is already active. Together, we will once again reaffirm to society, which supports us, the fundamental importance of public universities for the well-being of the population and the country's progress.
Marcelo Knobel
Dean
