Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting Student Society: "No cameras at the University!"
"We will not accept to attend our classes and take exams under constant surveillance through security units, monitored like criminals."
At a time when families are struggling with poverty, when thousands of members of the student community are faced with the lack of accommodation and high rents, when funding has been completely degraded, the Ionian University Rectorate announced a tender and is choosing to give 200 thousand euros for cameras inside the universities.
This tender is directly related to the provisions of Government Gazette 4957/22, which provides for the guarding of each institution by security and protection units. These units will report to the Rector and will be responsible for "guarding the infrastructure and facilities of the university", "preventing obstruction of the operation of the institution" and "implementing the controlled access system". They will also "staff and operate the control and surveillance centres (cameras)".
They give money from their budget for control centres while:
- There is no necessary building infrastructure and lighting in the student halls of residents (main halls of residence and hotels)
- Contracts are not renewed and guards and other staff are not recruited
- There are not enough classrooms, forcing students to crowd together and take classes in other buildings
- There is a lack of basic laboratory equipment, forcing students to spend huge amounts of money in order to complete their studies
- There is no provision for the construction of a new student halls of residence, which has been on paper for years, for free meals for all students, and for a student pass for travel expenses
But these units have nothing to do with the existing security services of the facilities!
A safe university for students is one that has teachers and staff who can provide comprehensive knowledge. The government and the Rectorate have not taken care for any of these. In fact, the challenge becomes even greater, as according to Government Gazette 4957/22, the security units are funded from the institution's budget. That is, from money that can be used to meet the needs of students.
We will not accept to attend our classes and take exams, under constant surveillance through security units, monitored like criminals, with "big brother" type cameras!
We are strengthening our fight to keep this shameful tender only on paper!
The Rectorate and the government must understand that control and surveillance centres will not enter our University!
Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting Student Society, Board of the Departments of Audio and Visual Arts, IT, History, Archaeology, Library and Museology."
Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting
