Students and security guards at the Rio de Janeiro State University (Uerj) clashed on Thursday (15). The university suspended activities on campus. Since July 26, a group of students has occupied the rectory in protest against changes to the rules for granting scholarships and student assistance grants to undergraduate students.
Tempers flared when, on Wednesday (14), students extended the occupation to the João Lyra Filho Pavilion, the main building on the Maracanã campus. With benches and chairs, students set up barricades to prevent access to the building.
The conflict occurred during the evacuation of this pavilion. According to reports from students, there was violence on the part of the staff and security guards who were trying to evacuate the building. The university claims that the process was peaceful.
In a statement released last night, the dean’s office reported that it considered the students’ actions “unacceptable” and ordered the opening of an investigation to immediately determine the facts and identify those involved. Hours later, he issued a new statement, suspending classes at the university this Thursday.
Barricades
Today, staff and security guards removed the barricades from the newly occupied building. Videos released by students show a lot of confusion and shouting, while, on one side, students try to maintain the barricades, and, on the other side, security guards and staff try to advance to retake the space.
“Security was brutal in removing the students who were occupying the campus, who are mostly people in vulnerable social situations, women, black people, people with disabilities and people from the LGBTQIA+ community. The university cafeteria was closed to ensure that no student who was inside the occupation could eat. The campus gates were locked and employees, staff and students who tried to enter were attacked by security guards,” students reported on the profile @ocupareitoriauerj. on social media.
In a statement released on Thursday, Uerj said that approximately 40 students are still occupying only the area of the Uerj Rectorate, on the Maracanã campus. The university also reported that, “peacefully, outsourced security guards and staff removed the barriers at the entrances and freed the building.”
The university’s activities remain suspended today. “The definitions for the next few days are still being debated,” the institution says. “With divergent groups leading the occupation and without a leadership formed based on student representative bodies, the rectorate continues to seek dialogue,” the university adds.
Student demands
According to Social Sciences student Mariola Araújo, negotiation meetings were held, but since the beginning of the month, there has been no attempt at dialogue. They did not present us with any proposals, they tried to convince us to leave and did not present any proposals for us to leave,” she says.
Students are calling for the revocation of Executive Administrative Decision Act (Aeda) 038/2024. It establishes, among other measures, that the Food Aid will only be paid to students whose courses are held on campuses that do not yet have a university restaurant. The value of the Food Aid will be R$300, paid in monthly installments, according to budget availability.
Furthermore, the UERJ act establishes as a limit for receiving aid and the Social Vulnerability Support Grant the following: having a gross family income per person equal to or less than half the minimum wage in effect at the time the grant is granted. Currently, this amount is equivalent to up to R$706. To receive aid, income must be proven through the Socioeconomic Assessment System (ASE).
The new rulesaccording to Uerj, exclude 1,200 students, who no longer meet the requirements for receiving scholarships.
Mariola herself is one of the students who will no longer receive food assistance. She says that the resource will be sorely missed and that it could even impact the rent she has to pay. “Our main demand is the repeal of this Aeda, but we understand that the university needs to restore its budget. So, these are the main issues,” she explained.
In a statement at the end of July, Uerj said that the vulnerability grants were created under the exceptional regime of the pandemic and that their payment was conditioned on the existence of resources. In addition, it says that, under the current rules, the aid continues to be offered to 9.5 thousand students out of a universe of 28 thousand students at Uerj. “All young people in socioeconomic vulnerability continue to be served, considering that the program prioritizes quota students and students with income per capita family member of half the minimum wage”.
