In February 1989, the then governor Orestes Quércia signed Decree No. 29.598, considered a milestone in the financing system for Higher Education in Brazil, by establishing a fixed percentage of 8,4% of ICMS collection (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services) to fund the three universities in São Paulo - USP, Unicamp and Unesp. Thus, a fundamental requirement for the University and for the production of science was consolidated: autonomy. The importance of university autonomy in the context of the pandemic was the topic of a round table held on the 14th, within the program of the Unicamp Freshman 2022, whose motto is "Autonomy in defense of science, science in defense of life". “Autonomy is a concept dear to the university. The 1989 Decree opened up a space for planning, gave us financial and management autonomy”, stated the rector of Unicamp Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles. It allowed, in March 2020, Unicamp to be the first public university in the country to suspend in-person activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The table took place at the Unicamp Convention Center at two times: at 15 pm, with the participation of the dean and professor of the Unicamp Biology Institute, Silvia Gatti, and at 19 pm, when the pro-rector of Research, João Marcos Romano, the coordinator of Unicamp Task Force against Covid-19, Marcelo Mori, and Luciana Utsunomiya, public health doctor at SUS and master's student in Public Health at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM).
Task Force against Covid-19
The rector of Unicamp highlighted the importance of science and the university for the country's economic development, citing examples such as the development of optical fiber, ethanol and soy production. “Thanks to the freedom to make decisions and manage its own budget, Unicamp was able to overcome the financial difficulties arising from the health crisis, continuing its activities and contributing decisively to the fight against Covid-19 on the care and research fronts”, scored.
In 2020, Unicamp created a task force dedicated to standardization, accreditation and increasing testing capacity for Covid-19. “Our actions throughout the pandemic show the importance of the university in the social context. We are an academic institution, but we are also part of society and have a responsibility to face its challenges”, said Marcelo Mori. “Different knowledge, infrastructure and human resources are brought together at the university. The fact that we are a public institution makes us committed to society. I invite new students to engage in it.”
In a partnership with the Butantã Institute, the Unicamp Task Force carried out five thousand tests per day, in more than 200 municipalities in the State. In Sumaré, for example, tests were carried out, information campaigns about the disease and its prevention and distribution of basic food baskets were carried out in an occupation in the city. “It was a remarkable performance in terms of providing quality information and helping the community to organize itself”, said Luciana Utsunomiya. She highlighted the role of SUS and Unicamp in serving the vulnerable population. “We had a significant impact on these people, expanding the meaning of university in their lives.”
The Dean of Research pointed out that Unicamp's public nature imposes a responsibility towards society. “We provide a service to society in a very unique way, with a commitment to a return that is multifaceted, through the training of people, through research and extension activities, and also as a reference, as science is a light for society as a whole”, he pointed out. Returning to the Calourada theme, he recalled that the defense of science is not restricted to academic excellence, metrics and productivity. “Excellence must be understood in the sense of doing the best, of trust in science as a friend of truth. Commitment to science leads us to an ethical commitment to society, which contributes to building an environment that benefits everyone,” he said. “We want everyone to be able to contribute to the social commitment that sustains us”, he concluded.
Other information about programming on Calourada 2022 website.
Read more:
Discoveries and reunions mark the return of students to Unicamp
Check out images of the event that took place at the Convention Center:
