Explaining in a theoretical and practical way the implications of the challenges for the tax reform, was the central objective of the three-state discussion organized by the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Social, Business and Legal Sciences of the University of La Serena.

Academic and non-academic officials and students met in the CETECFI Conference Room in a discussion chaired by the Director of the Department of Economics and Business Sciences of the Faculty of Social, Business and Legal Sciences, Mg. Alberto Hernández Venegas.

In the first instance, the academic carried out a general review and explanation of the tax system that prevails in the country, to then give way to a review of the proposals promoted by this new reform agreement.

The Mg. Alberto Hernández urged that these instances of conversation, discussion and learning be permanent, because they allow significant learning on issues that affect everyone in order to know in practical terms the functioning of the tax order.

Likewise, he highlighted the importance of disseminating this knowledge at all levels, “it is part of our training role, to teach our students who are about to graduate and who are not from the administration area, to inform them a little about what their pension obligations are.

Regarding the current revised tax agreement, he stated that it is quite radical because “in the initial proposal taxes were going to be reduced, although they have always pointed it out as support for SMEs; However, all support for SMEs is in force today. The only thing that changes now is that they concentrated it in a single system,” he explained.

The event allowed for the generation of an enriching learning dialogue through a series of questions and deepening of doubts generated by those present from each level of the state campus.

The initiative to hold tri-state conversations is part of the efforts and commitments of the University of La Serena as the entity responsible for the dissemination of knowledge available to everyone.

Written by Paula Godoy, ULS journalist

An analysis from different professional perspectives on the social outbreak that occurred in Chile was the objective of the discussion organized by students from the University of La Serena and which was attended by professionals from various areas.

On the occasion, topics such as inequality, mental health and equity were discussed. In this regard, professionals from the areas of education, law, psychology and engineering presented their points of view on various questions related to the social outbreak that took place on October 18.

One of the topics that generated the greatest interest was the mental situation that has occurred in the context of this crisis and that affects a large part of the population, with symptoms such as excessive worry, sleeping problems and anguish.

In this regard, psychologist Fernanda Palma analyzed the importance of mental health and containment in the face of the current situation in the country. “What is being worked on today is containment, the call to the entire community, and containment has to do with being willing to listen, to dialogue, to lend an ear. All of us in these moments can contribute from empathy, from awareness and from emotional containment, whether as people or as professionals,” she explained.

Regarding these spaces for conversation, the Director of the School of Journalism, Mg. Cristian Muñoz, along with highlighting the initiative of the student organizers, pointed out that "it is necessary to generate and contribute to the public space and for the conversation to be part of the daily life, to meet again in spaces, look each other in the eyes, stop put the phones aside and talk. Those who presented are young professionals, with a very familiar, very understandable language and that, without a doubt, is a contribution to trying to understand this complexity that affects us today.”

The activity was carried out in the TV Studio of the School of Journalism and had great participation and interest from students from various careers, officials and academics from the ULS.

Written by Consuelo Peña, School of Journalism

Encouraging Journalism students and the university community to reflect on the treatment of gender issues in the media was the objective of the discussion organized by the School of Journalism and its students.

On the occasion, the panel was made up of journalists Nathalie Castillo and Alejandra Toro, members of the Gender Commission of the Coquimbo College of Journalists, and Rocío Lecaros, a student of the degree.

Among the topics that stood out was the context of gender and communication, and violence against female journalists in our country and Latin America. Some media with a gender perspective established in Chile were also known and recommended and, from the point of view of the students, it was seen what their challenges were as future professionals to apply this approach in communications.

Regarding these initiatives and how to apply the gender approach in the media, journalist Nathalie Castillo recognizes that “it is a path that all of us who are committed to the right to communication must begin to actively travel.” , as a fundamental part of the human rights of a more just society, then in that sense we are the ones who are called upon to provide elements of training, debate, and discussion, and we even do it through the Gender Commission of the College of Coquimbo Journalists”.

For his part, the Director of the School of Journalism, Mg. Cristian Muñoz pointed out that "at the moment these activities help us get ideas and include them in concrete activities that we can carry out before a new renewal of the curriculum and then when we are faced with the new renewal that will be in 3 or 4 more years, When the 5 years of implementation are completed, we can include the topic as a subject perhaps or as a more specific unit. But for now we will continue holding talks, conversations, seminars, as we have been doing.”

The activity took place in the TV Studio of the School of Journalism and had great interest from students from various majors and the general public.

Written by Consuelo Peña, School of Journalism

The executive vice president of CRUCH, Aldo Valle, explained that the study houses are working internally to reschedule the closing of the second semester of the 2019 academic year.

Regarding the admission process, Rector Valle confirmed that the PSUs will take the exam on January 6 and 7, 2020 and reiterated that the change in date seeks to “give the greatest guarantee so that the applicants can take this test in a climate of greater certainty and confidence.”

“All of our universities are in a situation of rescheduling academic calendars,” explained the executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), Aldo Valle, regarding the current situation of the 29 institutions that make up the group.

This topic was addressed in session No. 609 of the Council of Rectors, which was held at the Vitacura Campus of the Federico Santa María Technical University, in Santiago. On the occasion, Rector Valle explained that “most universities do not have undergraduate teaching,” so the universities are rescheduling the closing of the second semester of the 2019 academic year.

“To the extent that the enrollment programs for first year will be carried out in the first half of March, it will allow the enrollment of former students to also be deferred. Consequently, there is a margin in March to close the teaching or evaluation processes of the second semester,” said Valle.

Along the same lines, the CRUCH authority indicated that “what is in operation in the case of training in the area of ​​Health, which is carried out on clinical campuses, because there are obligations regarding health services. Also postgraduate programs, which are sometimes partially altered by unforeseen situations such as transportation or the conditions to access university campuses.”

Admission Process Calendar 2020

In the November session, the Council ratified the new dates for the University Selection Tests (PSU), which will occur on January 6 and 7, 2020, as announced on November 14.

In this regard, Rector Valle reiterated the criteria considered by the CRUCH, the Ministry of Education and the Department of Evaluation, Measurement and Educational Registration (DEMRE) of the University of Chile to postpone the taking of the tests.

“We have always expressed that we want to give the greatest guarantee so that applicants can take their PSUs in a climate of greater certainty and confidence,” said the executive vice president of CRUCH. Valle explained that “the entire logistics operation has already been accomplished, consolidated, so there will be no change regarding the PSU surrender days, which has coverage of more than 650 surrender locations and there are thousands of students. "They are going to take the test, because they are already registered and are preparing."

The rector of the University of Valparaíso added that the CRUCH, through the Single Admission System (SUA), together with MINEDUC and DEMRE, are evaluating the date of delivery of the PSU scores and the application stage to the 41 institutions participating in the SUA. “We are talking about adjusting the delivery of results with institutional processes, to meet the needs that universities have with their academic calendars, to reconcile their functioning and the security and confidence with which we must deliver the results.”

In this scenario, the authority of the Council of Rectors maintained that the registration process for the 2020 academic year will take place during the first half of March.

Position on the use of pellets

In another area, Rector Valle was consulted about the use of pellets by Carabineros during public demonstrations. In this context, he stated that the Council of Rectors has publicly demanded that the authorities cease the use of these elements and that several university authorities have filed protection appeals in the country's appeals courts, with the same objective.

The executive vice president of CRUCH stated that “what corresponds, in our opinion, is for the competent authority to adopt measures to ensure compliance, in a legal and reliable manner, with police protocols; but that prohibitions are also established regarding the use of these pellets in particular, because they have not been effective in controlling public order and because with respect to peaceful protest, the role of the police is to contain and deter and in no case to attack or punish those who dissent or protest, also making use of a right recognized in the Constitution.”

The November session of the Council of Rectors had the participation of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Hernán Larraín, who spoke before the plenary session about the +R Project: Greater Reintegration, Greater Security, through which it seeks to encourage social reintegration of people who have been deprived of liberty. In this sense, CRUCH and this portfolio will develop an agreement to carry out initiatives in this area, linked to higher education.

Also present was the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Juan Eduardo Vargas, who referred to the application process for MINEDUC Student Benefits and agreements reached in the 2020 Budget bill related to higher education. At the meeting, the president of the Council of Deans of the Faculties of Education of the National Council of Rectors (CONFAUCE), the dean of Education of the Catholic University of Chile, Lorena Medina, also spoke, who analyzed aspects related to training in Pedagogy.

Source: CRUCH

The president of the Consortium of State Universities and Rector of the University of Chile, Ennio Vivaldi Véjar, stated that “it was a blunder, for which today we are paying too dearly, that it was sought on purpose, as a desired objective, to discriminate against the most vulnerable and separate them from those who could pay a little more. “An irreplaceable instance of encounter and social cohesion was lost.”

The president of the Consortium of Universities of the State of Chile and Rector of the University of Chile, Ennio Vivaldi Véjar, stated that “great damage has been done to social cohesion” by ignoring the role of public education.

Educational segmentation and its consequences on the inequality that our country experiences is one of the main issues that authorities must reflect on, said Rector Vivaldi. “It was a blunder, for which we are paying too dearly today, that it was purposely sought, as a desired objective, to discriminate against the most vulnerable and separate them from those who could pay a little more. An irreplaceable instance of encounter and social cohesion was lost,” he added.

The Rector of the University of Chile added that the State universities have always been willing to seek solutions to strengthen education at all levels.

At the monthly meeting of the Consortium of State Universities of Chile - in which the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, was present - the role that institutions have played in the social outbreak was addressed.

In this regard, the president of CUECH, Ennio Vivaldi, He appreciated that universities are being a center of cohesion, articulation, and pluralism for a call from their communities to society as a whole.

In this regard, Vivaldi called for university communities, that is, academics, students and officials, to remain firmly united, to be protagonists of the changes demanded by society as a whole.

Budget

We celebrate that Congress has approved the use of the surpluses of the Solidarity Fund to address the deficit generated by gratuity and we hope that the application of this measure is not unnecessarily postponed.

Technical Table

We also celebrate the agreement in Congress to form a Technical Working Group that addresses the problems generated by the CAE and the Solidarity Fund, a Board that, in the opinion of the president of CUECH, must offer real and acceptable solutions for citizens as a whole.

Source: CUECH

During the activity, information on the FIULS 2030 Project and the Graduate Monitoring Office was provided.

Around 35 graduates from the Mining Execution Engineering and Civil Mining Engineering careers participated in this meeting, in addition to academics and directors of said undergraduate programs.

In this regard, one of the graduates, Esteban Escobar, commented that “it is super good that graduates get together to network because in the end one works in different places and there is not that union and that relationship between different professionals in the area. “This meeting is good because everyone is contributing their experience.”

For her part, the graduate Gabriela Castillo highlighted: “the meeting was very good because the main objective is to strengthen ties, and that is what we did with several colleagues, with several graduates who are already in the industry and can share experiences that They will be able to serve when we start working, or those who are starting their work period, so I found it super interesting.”

The activity, along with generating ties and allowing the sharing of experiences, aimed to publicize information about the Graduate Monitoring Office and the FIULS 2030 Project.

In this regard, Rodrigo Davanzo, in charge of the Graduate Monitoring Office, indicated that “the OSE is a university entity that links with the media responsible for providing information regarding employability and career progression of graduates of the University of La Serena, which which transforms it into a bridge between the job placement needs of graduates and the requirements of the labor market. Within our areas of action, we find the generation of complementary actions to the work of the academic units for the permanent strengthening of skills of students with a graduation profile, such as, for example, individual Coaching Sessions, teamwork workshops and comprehensive preparation, in order to promote job insertion and access to employability for graduates.”

On the other hand, FIULS 2030 is the project of a new Engineering for 2030, led by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena. It seeks to transform the Faculty into a national and international reference in R&D&I&E, with emphasis on mining, energy and sustainability, involving different actors and sectors of society, to contribute to the formation of world-class human capital. It is established as an educational, innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem that uses technology as a vehicle to produce an impact in the national and international market.

Written by Jenifer Araya, DIVEULS.