The University of La Serena hosted the second annual meeting of the State University Network for Initial Pedagogical Training (RUEFIP), which took place on November 7 and 8.

Established as a space for inter-university analysis, discussion and reflection on problems related to the initial training of teachers, the state universities that are members of the RUEFIP network meet every semester to address these issues and thus be able to contribute to the training quality of the teachers. teachers in the country.

On this occasion, there were eight participating universities from the north and south of Chile, including the U. of La Serena, the U. of Los Lagos, the U. of Bío Bío, the U. of Playa Ancha, the U. of O'Higgins, the University of Magallanes, the University of Santiago de Chile and the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences.

“We have the opportunity to share significant experiences and initiatives, and mainly to establish dialogues regarding the role that the Network plays and the challenges that are to come in relation to pedagogical training,” said the Academic Vice-Rector, Dr. Alejandra Torrejón.

The conference was held in two days, in which five work groups were formed, who reflected on the objectives of the Network in relation to Access to Universities, Quality Assurance, Diagnostic Evaluations, Student Mobility and the investigation.

For the rest, the instance was attended by Mg. Rosa Miranda, Coordinator of Initial Training of the Center for Pedagogical Improvement, Experimentation and Research (CPEIP) of the Ministry of Education, the body in charge of implementing Law 20.903, which is responsible for defining the bases of public policy focused on guiding and regulating the development of teachers and educators.

The professional shared with those present the challenges they face as a Center and how the organization faces in the implementation of policies aimed at pedagogical careers. “The CPEIP has 52 years of history, and the Center's task is not directed only toward practicing teachers, since the Law opens a window from the attraction of pedagogy careers to the recognition of teachers who are in the school system. “explained the coordinator.

Among the challenges of the CPEIP mentioned by Mg. Miranda, there is the work carried out with the standards, the diagnostic evaluations, and the work carried out with the National Accreditation Commission (CNA) in the criteria to develop improvement plans.

Finally, each representative of the working groups presented the results proposed by areas and discussed the organization of the next National and International Congress of Initial Pedagogical Training, projected for May 2020.

“The RUEFIP Conference was developed very appropriately, according to the established program. The projections of the various objectives for the next year were made and the guidelines were designed for the execution of a National Teacher Training Congress to be held at the University of Santiago (USACH) in May 2020. It is also important to note that as RUEFIP A public statement was prepared related to the social and political events that are occurring in our country in recent weeks,” said Dr. Fabián Araya, Alternate Executive Director of the Integrated Management Unit of Pedagogies (UGIP).

Written by Daniela Ledezma, UGIP.

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION N°8 OF THE RECTORY

La Serena, Monday, November 11, 2019.

Dear ULS Community:

The heartfelt demand of Chilean society for greater equity and social justice is, after 24 days of citizen mobilizations, an unavoidable call that as the University of La Serena we must and wish to heed.

During my presidency, we have established job stability, investments in quality and a balanced budget as an institutional policy. In practice, this has meant, mainly, a prioritization of the item of remuneration and investments for the improvement of equipment and infrastructure for the teaching and research service.

This is how, for almost a decade, the amount of the remuneration readjustment has been carried out based on the readjustment of the public sector - which has not been a constant in all the universities of the State -, even in a complex financing scenario, entailing important adjustments for adequate budget balance.

We have achieved this thanks to the valuable support of the Internal Triestamental Commission of the Academic Council – made up of representatives of both academic and non-academic civil servant associations, together with the Student Federation – who, in light of all the information on income and probable expenditures, propose an approximation of the institutional budget to the Academic Council, a fact that constitutes a unique modality of work in the university system.

The current scenario in our country invites us to strengthen the ways in which we can contribute to equity. Hence, with special emphasis in recent days, together with the management team and in my capacity as Rector, we have analyzed the salary structure of our university, requesting from the technical teams, background information that would allow me to hold a well-founded opinion regarding the possibility of making an extra institutional effort to contribute to equity and, especially, improve the salary conditions of those who are not at an ethical minimum salary level.

Given the background – and taking into account both the need to contribute to equity and social justice as well as the capacities derived from our financial and economic structure – I have decided to enter into discussion before the collegiate bodies, the proposal for salary improvement for civil servants. and officials who are below the line of $500.000 gross per month, establishing this new amount as the minimum and ethical remuneration at the University of La Serena, as of January 01, 2020.

This proposal to improve remuneration is without prejudice to the bonuses that the university has specifically established as a complement to remuneration, and which are summarized as follows:

- For non-academic officials, in 2019: In January, $104.970; in March, $69.986; in September, $69.986; and in December, $69.648 special bonus for gross income less than $1.500.000.

- For academics with more than 12 hours of classes and income less than $1.500.000, special one-time bonus of $69.648.

- In the case of hourly academics with contract appointments in the previous two semesters and who do not have a full-time appointment (JC): they receive, in January and February, a bonus per month equivalent to 100% of gross remuneration monthly average obtained in the previous year, in a semester of normal duration.

This measure of the minimum ethical salary will be proposed before the Academic Council in its next session, and then continue the processing before the Board of Directors, if so determined. Although its eventual approval and implementation will impact the financial flows of the institution, it is a sign of equity that, I maintain, we cannot continue to postpone.

I hope that this proposal to improve the income of those who are at the lowest remuneration levels is a first measure of others that, eventually, as long as resources allow, could be adopted in order to achieve a remuneration structure that fairly articulates the need to reduce salary gaps and maintain the financial health of the institution.

By the way, like you, I am convinced that in these matters there is still much to do; However, I must also be extremely responsible with institutional sustainability and financial balance, since, as is known, income depends largely on undergraduate fees, gratuity and years of institutional and career accreditation.

Finally, as a university we call on our community to participate in all democratic bodies and fulfill the associated duties, promoting dialogue with all actors, in order to chart a path towards development centered on people and their well-being. In this sense, we call on the government and parliamentarians to listen to the proposals that seek to build a more just and equitable society.

Greetings to you cordially,

Dr. Nibaldo Aviles Pizarro

Rector

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE RECTORY N°7

La Serena, Friday, November 08, 2019.

Dear ULS Community:

As a way to continue our state of mobilization and with the objective of keeping our students, academic officials and non-academic officials informed, regarding the decisions that allow us to effectively address the contingency that as a country is affecting us, and considering the agreed in Extraordinary Session No. 8 of the Academic Council, regarding gradually opening university spaces; today, Friday, at a meeting of the Expanded Rector's Committee, held with the participation of Vice-Rectors, Deans, Higher Authorities and Presidents of the Association of AF Officials, Association of AF Academics and the Interim President of the Student Federation of the University of La Serena ( FEULS), the following was agreed:

1. Considering the state of mobilization in which the University of La Serena finds itself, associated with achieving an equitable Chile, it was agreed to urge all academic and administrative units to continue generating spaces for reflection on the current moment that our country is experiencing, as well as, provide the necessary facilities for all members of the community to participate in the corporate activities that are organized, which will be directed to the internal community.

2. Therefore, the University will open its spaces to carry out reflection activities, administrative activities and non-teaching academic activities, on all campuses and annex buildings. The above will be carried out during the week from November 11 to 15, both dates inclusive, in a partial work day that will extend between 08:00 and 12:30 hours. In this sense, for all cases, due understanding is requested from the headquarters so that they consider time flexibility depending on the location and prevailing conditions.

3. Due to the state of mobilization of the University, the suspension of classes will be maintained to facilitate participation in reflection activities, respecting the agreement made by the Student Body

4.To protect the integrity of the university community, preventive access measures will be available on all Campuses and/or institutional facilities.

Finally, once again it is reiterated that these actions will be evaluated periodically according to the evolution of events, and that all the measures adopted have as priority the protection of the safety of people, the property of the institution and the generation of spaces of reflection.

Everyone is invited to contribute as members of an institution of the State of Chile, to the collaborative process of putting forward proposals that allow us to build a more just Chile.

Dr. Nibaldo Aviles Pizarro

Rector

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE RECTORY N°6

La Serena, November 04, 2019.

Dear ULS Community:

Continuing with the policy of keeping our entire community informed, I would like to inform you that today, Monday, November 04, Extraordinary Session No. 8 of the Academic Council was held.

The central theme of the meeting was to analyze in depth the contingency and its implications at the institutional level, with the objective of defining courses of action related to the use of our facilities and administrative and teaching tasks.

In this regard, to address decision-making, the day began with the report of the administrator, in charge of institutional security, who provided a detailed account of a series of events that involved the facilities of the University of La Serena from the day October 18.

In this sense, the person in charge of security explained that in his opinion the measure of having kept the institutional units closed was the most correct, given that keeping the Campuses without access has made it possible to minimize the possibilities of exposure to attacks on both people as well as dependencies.

In this same context, to analyze the event, the Academic Vice-Rector delivered a report on the Higher Education institutions belonging to the Council of Rectors that were mobilized as of November 02. The information was collected from the Student Affairs Directorates of the Universities of each institution.

In this regard, the registry determined that of the total of 28 universities consulted (CRUCH), 61% of them are in total stoppage of their activities. Of this same total, that is, of the 28 universities consulted, 24 of them do not have a defined date to resume their teaching activities. Of the universities, 90% of them expressed that they would resume their administrative activities starting today, Monday, November 04. Of the latter, today, several of them are functioning only administratively, with limited hours and spaces for meetings and reflection activities.

In the main, after the intervention of the representatives of the Association of AF Academics, Association of AF Officials, the Student Federation and the four Deans; The Academic Council decided to define what the state of mobilization of the University of La Serena will be for the coming days. At the meeting, the need to be able to have meeting and reflection spaces, preferably their own, was coincident; however, it was suggested that the safety of people and the infrastructure of the campuses should be prioritized and that the spaces should gradually be opened.

After an extensive dialogue, agreements were:

1. The University of La Serena will maintain its state of mobilization without teaching activities, until this Friday, November 08, with the participation of the student, academic and civil servant groups, adhering to the days of reflection that have begun throughout the year. country. The situation will be periodically evaluated; However, critical administrative tasks and institutional commitments that cannot be postponed, including contracting proposals, processing of service commissions, tenders, payments to suppliers and responses to controlling bodies, must be executed in a timely manner according to needs. All this requires –and it is necessary to request it– of a greater management and effort in the procedures by the interested parties, due to the current situation, different from usual.

These tasks must be coordinated between Heads of Units and the respective Vice-Chancellors.

2. The spaces of the Exhibition Hall of the Ignacio Domeyko Campus, the Parking Lot of the Isabel Bongard Campus and the Mistral House of the Companies will be enabled to generate meeting spaces and instances that allow for work proposals to address the current crisis that is being experienced. our country. These spaces will be operating between 08:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. from Tuesday, November 05 to Friday, November 08. The use of the spaces must be channeled to the person in charge of Protocol, Ms. Karina Damke, through the representatives of the academic and non-academic associations or the Student Federation, as well as by the Deans of Faculties.

3. According to the results of the scenario evaluations, it is expected to gradually open the university facilities, starting on Monday, November 11. Always based on the protection of the entire community and the university facilities.

4. It is agreed to modify general terms and transient way, the Academic Calendar for the second semester of 2019, corresponding on the one hand to the weeks between October 21 and November 04, to regularize the two weeks of suspension of activities for security reasons that have already passed, and on the other hand the corresponding suspension with activities indicated in Points 1 and 2, from November 5 to 8.

Once the agreements were made, the lawyer Ms. Elizabeth Escobar later reported on the work to support the care of students who have been detained in the context of the mobilizations, a commission led by Ms. Elizabeth Escobar, the Social Worker Ms. Patricia Astroza and academics of the Law career.

At the request of the interim President of the FEULS, as of this week, Ms. Marcela Segall from the Office of Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination joins this team, who will contribute with the work that is necessary to coordinate or refer psychological support of those who have been affected.

Finally, it is worth reiterating that all the measures taken by the Academic Council had as a priority the protection of the safety of people and the property of the institution. And that it is everyone's duty to contribute as an institution of the State of Chile to the collaborative process of generating proposals that allow us to build a more just and equitable Chile.

Dr. Nibaldo Aviles Pizarro

Rector

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION N°5 OF THE RECTORY

La Serena, November 01, 2019.

Dear ULS Community:

Two weeks have passed since the social outbreak in the country due to demands for fairer and more inclusive living conditions for everyone. A cry from Chilean society for social justice that has not been silenced either by repression or by the political responses formulated until today.

We have witnessed massive and peaceful demonstrations for a better Chile; citizen outcry that has shown that the vast majority want a structural change to the model that led us to form a fragmented and divided society.

As an academic and Rector, I have remained attentive to the course of events by listening to the different voices and interests of the ULS community. Students, non-academic officials and academics have discussed and declared positions regarding the movement and the actions of the political authorities, with a common denominator being the repudiation of violence in any of its forms, most especially, that which affects the violation of fundamental rights of citizens and, by the way, of the members of our university community, as happened with some of our students.

Institutionally, as I indicated in previous communications, I have arranged the operation of a professional complaints support team of members of the ULS community who have been victims of violations of their fundamental rights. This team – formed from the first situations of excessive violence, is made up of the Legal Advisor, the Chief Social Assistant and the Director of the Law Course, together with directors and coordinators – continues alert and ready to attend to any new situation.

The ULS community has also expressed its concern about the return to university work, demanding security conditions for people and spaces, goods and infrastructure. This has led to students (Student Federation) and non-academic officials (Association of AF Officials) will communicate their status as stoppage of activities; while the academics (Association of AF Academics) resolved to declare themselves in mobilization status to carry out discussions and construction of proposals.

In this context, and observing the course of events in our country and the Coquimbo Region, it will be convened for this Monday, November 04, a extraordinary session of the Academic Council so that, within itself and in coordination with the Triestamental Internal Commission, it resolves the courses of action for the immediate future, listening to and respecting the feeling of the university community about staying in a state of reflection, adhesion to the movement and a proactive attitude, in conditions of prevention and protection of the integrity of people, which should mean that in no case, in the immediate future, will there be a return to normality of classes or academic and administrative tasks. In this way, the session of the Academic Council should shed light on the framework of action in which as a community we can, in a cohesive and active manner, participate in the search for country solutions, either in terms of reflection activities, conversations and/or or town councils, formulation of proposals and security measures for the community, facilities and infrastructure, among others.

In this way, the suspension of activities is extended until Monday, November 04 inclusive, awaiting for what resolves the Academic Council starting Tuesday the 5th of the present.

Rector

Dr. Nibaldo Aviles Pizarro

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION N°4 OF THE RECTORY

La Serena, October 25, 2019.

Dear ULS Community:

Within the framework of the state of exception that our country is experiencing and considering that as the University of La Serena we have the duty to reject any situation that affects the violation of fundamental rights of our Community, we inform that since Tuesday, October 22, a team of professionals from our house of higher education, led by Ms. Elizabeth Escobar Toro, Legal Advice Lawyer and Ms. Patricia Astroza Morgan, Social Assistant of the General Directorate of Student Affairs (DGAE), together with the lawyer Carlos Magna, Director of the Law School, they have been working on the task of supporting students who have been detained in recent days, in the context of demonstrations or curfew.

The corresponding School Directors or Career Coordinators have joined them.

In this area, we have had the advice of the Regional Prosecutor Mr. Adrián Vega Cortés, the Regional Defender Mrs. Inés Rojas Varas and the Public Criminal Defender Mr. Carlos Esperguen Sepúlveda.

Likewise, guidance has been requested from the team of the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), an institution that has supported our management as a University, in order to go to verify the status of the students while they have been detained.

In this sense, coordinated by the University, all the aforementioned entities have supported the task of advising students' complaints, either through the Human Rights Institute or through the Public Ministry directly.

It should be noted that we have contacted each of the affected students and their families, with the idea of ​​providing them with guidance on the measures to be adopted.

Along these same lines, the lawyer Mr. Efraín Villalobos, Director of the Care Center for Victims of Violent Crimes of the Judicial Assistance Corporation (CAVI), has been contacted, with whom we have managed psychological containment with professionals specializing in the subject.

It is worth noting that the Work Commission identified above will have the respective safe-conduct passes, in case its work must be carried out during travel restriction hours due to curfew status.

In conclusion, I would like to confirm that as a State University we have not been oblivious to the social problems that we as a country are going through, where the social inequality that we have faced in recent years has been strongly expressed, with the aim of obtaining better living conditions for all. the Chileans.

Emphatically point out that we reject violence in any of its forms, and that today more than ever our corporate values ​​of social responsibility, pluralism and participation are gaining strength; and as a state university, it is a duty to put them into practice for the benefit of the community under a climate of respect, tolerance and democratic dialogue.

For this reason, we will be vigilant against any action that violates fundamental rights of members of the university community and report it to the pertinent authority.

Finally, it should be noted that due to the latest events and considering that there is still a climate of social insecurity that puts people's integrity at risk, it has been established to extend the suspension of all academic and administrative activities until Wednesday, October 30 inclusive.

Dr. Nibaldo Aviles Pizarro

Rector