On Friday, August 5, the academic vice-rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), Fernando Purcell, sent the following email to the board of directors of the UC Student Federation (FEUC):
“Any demonstration or act that advertises any of the options (of the constitutional referendum) within our campuses is not authorized.”
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The letter provoked the anger of the students of the university and the Federation, who pointed out that “it seems extremely complex to us for the exercise of freedom of expression and an act that inhibits the public role of our University in the debate at the national level.” .
On Monday and as a result of the situation, a FEUC Council was held with students from both the right and the left, where they unanimously agreed to demand that the rector of the Catholic University, Ignacio Sánchez, rescind the measure that prohibits political campaigns. of Approval and Rejection within university campuses.
“The expression of preferences is a fundamental and inseparable element of any democracy and the public debate of ideas. Likewise, it is the possibility of convincing one or another option. This becomes even more relevant in the university context, which, By definition, it must be a space where the different ideas about the world, the country and contingent politics must be able to confront each other in an environment of respect, fundamental for the healthy exchange of opinions,” they pointed out.
Along the same lines, they point out that “understanding this inseparability between the action and expression in favor of one or another option and the public debate of ideas, the Rector’s mandate to prohibit ‘any demonstration or act that propagandizes any of options’, as the definition is vague enough to allow University authorities to arbitrarily restrict any type of activity”.
“In addition, we consider that the appeal to the Electoral Law by the University, alluding to it as a reason to prohibit electoral propaganda within our campuses, is inappropriate, since the same law indicates that its authorization rests with the University, revealing that it is a political decision of the Rectory”, they added.
“Because of the points mentioned, as the FEUC Council and student representatives, we demand that the measure adopted by the Rector’s Office be annulled, since we believe that the aforementioned means serious limitations on freedom of expression, inhibits our role as citizens and calls into question the public role of our University in the most important democratic process of the last 30 years”, they concluded.
