Welcome, guidance and delivery of equipment to new indigenous students at Unicamp are part of the reception actions for entrants to the 2021 Indigenous Entrance Exam. freshman, students receive presentations from the University and guidance. Through the Digital Inclusion Program for Unicamp Newcomers (PIDIU), students receive tablets and chips for internet access, in order to provide minimum conditions for remote study. In the city with the largest number of entrants, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in the state of Amazonas, the delivery of equipment and guidance on enrollment were carried out in person.
The 2021 Indigenous Entrance Exam offered 88 places for entry in the second half of the year. It was the third edition of this admission modality aimed at indigenous populations, an inclusion policy that was approved at Unicamp in 2017. With the new students, Unicamp has more than 200 indigenous students, from 40 ethnicities. The reception, orientation and delivery of equipment actions aim to provide students with the necessary conditions for academic activities, which continue in a remote format due to the pandemic.
At the Freshman's welcome table, the rector of Unicamp, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, highlighted the University's willingness to assist and be a partner with indigenous students during their academic journey. “Place our institution as an institution that is capable of helping them as much as possible and achieving the success of this policy, which begins with the Indigenous Entrance Exam”, he stated. The dean also highlighted that the admission of indigenous students to Unicamp brings mutual learning. “It’s a journey we will share together.”
Also present at the table, professor Alik Wunder, president of the Advisory Committee on Academic Inclusion and Participation of Indigenous Peoples (CAIAPI), a body linked to the Executive Directorate of Human Rights (DEDH) at Unicamp, highlighted that the admission of indigenous students makes the University a more collective, diverse and participatory institution, expanding dialogues with the knowledge of the more than 300 people that make up the country. “It’s a reason to celebrate and it’s a joy to be part of the construction of a Unicamp committed to human rights, to indigenous peoples, and that honors and recognizes the country’s ancestries.”
Professor Sávio Cavalcante, coordinator of the student reception committee, also participated in the welcome; the director of DEDH, Silvia Santiago; the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Ivan Toro; professor Luis Geraldo Beloni, representing the vice-rector of Extension and Culture; the deputy coordinator of Comvest, Ana Maria Fonseca de Almeida; the SAE coordinator, Mariana Nery and the student Arlindo Baré, representing indigenous students at Unicamp. The reception was organized by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies; Student Support Service (SAE); Comvest and CAIAPI. There will be more activities, which can be found on the Calourada website: calourada.prg.unicamp.br/indigenas. There are also guidelines and information for students on the website.
Digital inclusion
Through PIDIU, a program that serves undergraduate and postgraduate students with difficulties accessing equipment necessary for remote teaching, Unicamp also organizes the loan of tablets and chips for internet access to students. One of the actions that took place within the scope of the program was the in-person delivery in São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM), where most of the new indigenous students are from. The Research Coordinator of the Permanent Commission for Unicamp Entrance Exams, Professor Rafael Maia, was responsible for going to the city and distributing the tablets and chips to 52 students.
“The delivery of equipment and an internet chip is also extremely important so that they have the minimum conditions to attend classes and carry out activities. Even though we have been in the pandemic for a year and a half, we have new entrants who are starting the semester in remote learning, so it is very important that there is a program that provides conditions for them to study. Both for indigenous students and for socially more vulnerable students, who often do not have a computer at home”, says the teacher.
In addition to receiving the equipment, new entrants from the region were also able to receive face-to-face guidance regarding registration. Three indigenous students from Unicamp were responsible for this action. Entrants from other parts of the country also have access to online support to resolve their queries. Regarding the delivery of equipment, CAIAPI continues to work with the Unicamp Volunteer Center to locate students and send them to those who wish.
PIDIU is a program created by professors Dora Grassi and Lizandra Coimbra, created at the beginning of this year to give priority to students served by Unicamp's social programs (SAE scholarship holders and those entering the Higher Interdisciplinary Training Program). The University also has the Solidarity Equipment campaign. All equipment is owned by Unicamp, through the General Administration Directorate, and loaned to students, subject to a liability agreement.
PIDIU, assesses professor Josianne Cerasoli, coordinator of the Human Rights Observatory at Unicamp, the body to which Volunteering is linked, is created to strengthen and institutionalize the digital inclusion policy. "Volunteering was established immediately when the University adopted remote activities, in March 2020. In the beginning, it was based on donations and then it gained a more robust and institutional structure", she points out. The choice of equipment acquired by the program follows guidance from the Educational Technologies and Computing Center Management Group (CCUEC).
The donation campaign also continues. The channel, both to request the loan of equipment and to make donations, is the website: inclusaodigital.ic.unicamp.br
In addition to PIDIU, the CompSocial campaign was also created, which collects equipment and directs it to students. Access the website to make donations.
