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n recent days, Various university sectors have raised their voices in the face of a series of events that have shaken the UNAM community. Beyond the specific events, what is being experienced is an expression of a structural crisis that has been brewing for decades and that is increasingly manifesting itself with greater crudeness.
One of the objectives of recent public interventions has been to counteract the disqualification and demonization of students and teachers who have criticized the university administration or who have demanded concrete actions against issues such as violence on campus, institutional abandonment or the genocide in Palestine. Among these public expressions, the letter from more than 700 university students stands out: Deep reflection and will for change to face the crisis at UNAM (see text of the letter and signatures in https://www.reflexionycambiounam.org). The signatories of this text seek to overcome polarization, propose the opening of spaces for serious analysis of UNAM’s problems and promote substantive changes that strengthen the university.
The current crisis shows that the violence and insecurity experienced at UNAM are not isolated or exclusive phenomena of the university, but they do reveal deficient institutional care. Cases such as the murder of Jesús Israel in CCH Sur, or the recurrent violence in CCH Naucalpan, show late, superficial and bureaucratic responses. Control measures are used – metal detectors, pinwheels or biometric access – or necessary actions such as the expansion of mental health programs. Some of these initiatives are positive, but they are limited in scope and still fail to address the root causes of the problems. Security cannot be addressed solely from the logic of physical control; requires a comprehensive understanding of the social, cultural and political conditions that cross the university community.
Among these, it is important to note that, for decades, students have ceased to be the center of the concerns of university authorities. This responds to at least two factors. On the one hand, to policies of control and silencing, which seek to keep student communities disorganized, under surveillance and without the ability to influence. On the other hand, to an institutional imbalance, which privileges research as a priority activity, relegating teaching, student life and social ties.
The university has been conceived by many as a great research center, which has displaced its educational function and its role as a space for democratic construction. This vision has contributed to a disconnection with the realities experienced by students, workers and teachers on the different campuses. Institutional fragmentation and the lack of effective participation mechanisms have weakened the university fabric.
The university authorities, in their different expressions, have shown a passive and evasive attitude towards the problems. The lack of clear positions, forceful responses and willingness to dialogue with the communities has deepened the unrest. Instead of facing complexity, simplification and silence are chosen. The omission in the face of conflicts is not neutral: it reproduces the conditions that give rise to them and aggravates them.
Current student movements are different from those of the past. There is less organizational experience, less politicization, and the demands are usually ambiguous or fragmented. However, they express the legitimate feelings of communities that face abandonment, precariousness and violence. In the midst of this complexity, it is necessary to dialogue, understand and seek solutions. Easy disqualification only polarizes and blocks any possibility of transformation. The university must be able to listen especially when voices are dissonant or confrontational.
UNAM needs a profound review of its institutional model. It is not just about addressing individual cases, but about recognizing that there is a structural crisis that affects all sectors. The public university must recover its formative, critical and democratic vocation. And to do this, it is essential to listen, understand and act with responsibility, sensitivity and vision of the future.
