They weigh dialogue and experience; Heading to the UNAM Rectorate

Patricia Dávila Aranda

Patricia Dávila, at 68 years old, the oldest of the candidates to direct the UNAM, is clear that due to her age she could only be rector for a period, which, she said, is an additional motivation to give her best and work with more effort in strengthening the University.

Through TV UNAM, which this week opened a space for the 10 candidates for the Rectorate to present their work plan, Dávila committed to defending the University, its autonomy and the entire community.

In addition, to ensure ethical values, justice, respect, gender equality, equity and inclusion; to always listen to the points of view of various sectors, encourage critical thinking, consider all opinions and reconcile to reach agreements.

In return, he asked the university community for its willingness to participate to build a better UNAM.

“We live in a time in which we must be prudent, but also brave when making decisions, no matter how difficult they may be. “I have proven that the best way to serve is by working as a team, listening to the community with respect and sensitivity, and I strive to do so, but I ask for the same in reciprocity,” he explained.

Dávila highlighted that very different people come together at UNAM, so diversity must be supported and conditions of zero discrimination must be created, in order to prevent, accompany and, if applicable, immediately address or punish any type of discrimination, harassment. or violence.

“Another pending task is the inclusion of people with disabilities (...) A struggle that we must assume as shared is the inclusion of sexually diverse people; “I would seek to guarantee non-discrimination and freedom of expression,” she stated.

For Dávila, it is also important to gain greater visibility and recognition at the national and international level by generating and consolidating knowledge and research networks and looking for alternative ways to obtain resources that are allocated to student mobility and academic exchange in the midst of a budget scenario that is expected to be limited.

Luis Alvarez Icaza

To improve, the National University should not actually make such radical changes, but rather copy the good practices that exist within the institution, stated Luis Álvarez Icaza, through university radio.

In the framework of the interviews that Radio UNAM began with the candidates to succeed Enrique Graue, Álvarez Icaza explained that it is necessary to ensure that in all the entities and dependencies of the highest house of studies, things are done well both in terms of educational and administrative processes.

“Review what we do at the University, how we do it, where we have to make adjustments,” he said.

In this context, he said that there are some important aspects to improve in terms, for example, of planning the University's activities that would allow it to be more efficient.

“Things that have to do, for example, in administration with how we achieve more equitable budgets, how we evaluate all the members of our community because it is important to evaluate, to be able to know what works and what does not work,” he highlighted.

“It is also important to improve our management of collective contracts, mainly the management of the collective contract with administrative workers, we have very old collective contracts that will require some review, our catalogs of positions and functions for administrative workers are already completely outdated” , he pointed.

For Álvarez Icaza, a fundamental part is dealing with all the problems of social uncertainty that surround students and the community in general.

“We live in a country that is unfortunately still immersed in a climate of violence, we also generally have insufficient job creation, there is uncertainty regarding their future employment, they live every day with the news of climate change, so young people live a somewhat fragile psychosocial balance and we have to prepare to be able to deal with that situation, we must have teachers and officials prepared to deal with these problems,” he said.

In terms of budget, he insisted that the sources of financing for the University must be diversified to maintain quality research that improves the social impact of the highest house of studies.

German Fajardo

Germán Fajardo assured that his profession as a doctor is a handicapbut in favor, to reach the UNAM Rectorate.

“The doctor is a professional who not only values ​​society, but contact with people from pregnancy to death, individually and collectively, gives a comprehensive and broad vision, which includes a scientific, humanistic vision. And social.

“During the periods of medical rectors, we have also had stability, progress, growth and national and international recognition; In any case, I invite you not to look back 24 years, let's look forward 24 years and imagine the University that we all want, that Mexicans deserve,” he expressed in his message on TV UNAM.

Fajardo said that he aspires to be rector because his professional career inside and outside the University gives him an inclusive, panoramic, comprehensive and complete vision of the challenges facing society.

“Thanks to my life at UNAM, in public service and my experience in federal responsibilities related to health, education and research, I am clear that the key to success is in the daily effort, in the study, in the search of knowledge, ethics, teamwork and multidisciplinary planning in the medium and long term,” he defined.

He warned that whoever becomes the leader of UNAM must have the tools and capabilities to keep it out of political movements.

"The University, consequently, requires the leadership of a person committed to society and with a proven capacity for dialogue with the sectors and levels of government, a rector who is capable of generating agreements, who knows how to always seek consensus for the benefit of the community and with a view to guaranteeing political, academic and labor stability within the University,” he explained.

On the other hand, he explained that we should not only talk about the effect that the political life of Mexico can have within the University, but also about the contribution that the highest house of studies can generate to positively influence the democratic life of the University. country.

The otorhinolaryngologist agreed to respect and accept the process and its results.

Fajardo stated that it is impossible to think about the modern history of Mexico without the presence and contributions of university students.

“UNAM is the most important social project of the Mexican State, it is the place where dreams come true, the pride of everyone, a space where effort, collective intelligence, imagination, creativity, freedom and reason triumph. . UNAM has been fundamental in the development of the country,” he highlighted.

“In order for me to continue doing so, I plan to work tirelessly to guarantee the academic and social conditions required by the desire for personal and professional growth,” he added.

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