The Federation of Students of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (FEPUC) denounced the breach of the agreement between the students and authorities of the institution, signed on May 21, following nine days of mobilization and occupation of the first floor of the Dintilhac building against the new tuition scale that would affect new students.
Last May, PUCP students demonstrated on the university campus against the university’s decision to establish a new tuition scale that would go from nine (G1 to G9) to four scales and four scholarship levels (Mac Gregor and Lucet Scholarships); a modification that would harm future entrants to this institution. At that time, it was agreed to lift the protest action, under a non-punitive approach to the events that had occurred.
Nine students facing disciplinary proceedings
In a press release, FEPUC reported that “the initiation of these disciplinary proceedings is incompatible with the political commitment reached between authorities and students following the occupation of Dintilhac”.
According to the documentation received, the disciplinary proceedings were requested by the PUCP Comprehensive Security Office (OSI), a unit attached to the Directorate of Administration and Finance (DAF) of the Vice-Rectorate for Administration (VRAD) on June 15 of this year, that is, less than a month after the agreement was signed.
Currently, the PUCP Technical Secretariat for Disciplinary Proceedings notified nine students of the opening of disciplinary proceedings against them for their participation in the mobilizations against the approval of the new scale system. Likewise, “these nine proceedings are in addition to the proceedings initiated as a result of the mobilization held on March 30 at the Faculty of Law, during an electoral debate held on campus, in rejection of the presence of the then candidate for Congress of the Republic for Renovación Popular, Frank Krklec”.
Regulations prevent sufficient assessment of the exercise of fundamental rights
The university justifies the opening of these proceedings according to the provisions of the PUCP Unified Regulations for Disciplinary Proceedings (RU) based on grounds such as “public disorder” and the “limitation of academic freedom”.
Meanwhile, students denounce that the application of the regulations has historically used “controversial disciplinary grounds” that prevent a sufficient assessment of the exercise of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, organization and protest.
For FEPUC and the Catholic university’s student body as a whole, it is considered that “dialogue cannot be used as a pause while sanctions are being prepared. From the beginning of the conflict, the student body has demonstrated that it is willing to engage in dialogue.
It is now up to the authorities to demonstrate their willingness to comply with what was agreed, ruling out any solution that involves disciplinary persecution,” they said.
Finally, they called on the entire community to join their campaign against student persecution. “We are not going to normalize the idea that protesting, organizing and politically representing the student body can become grounds for surveillance, profiling or sanction” they added.
