Students have been protesting for a month against the Pécresse law on university autonomy (LRU). Valérie Pécresse, the Minister Delegate for Higher Education and Research, provided assurances on Tuesday that could potentially calm the student movement. Bruno Julliard, president of the UNEF, stated that “significant advancements had been made.” After consulting with its members, a decision on whether to continue the movement will be made on Thursday. That was in Paris. In Nice (and elsewhere), students are not quite on the same page as the UNEF president.
On Monday, during the General Assembly at the Faculty of Letters, the surprise visit of Albert Marouani, president of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (UNSA), enlivened the debate on the role of university presidents following the implementation of the Pécresse Law. On Tuesday, they protested. A few hundred marched between Place Masséna and the Saint-Jean d’Angély University Pole. A low turnout compared to the 25,000 students demonstrating across France.
On Wednesday, a General Assembly was held on the campus of the Saint-Jean d’Angély University Pole. 500 students took their seats in the amphitheater. They were to vote for or against the continuation of the strike and the citizen occupation that started last Thursday. After a few speeches and a review of the different committees created, the students voted to extend the strike until the next General Assembly on Monday, and with 302 votes out of 422 voters, decided to maintain the citizen occupation of the faculty.
The years pass, and the General Assemblies continue to be fertile grounds for protest and original ideas. This time, a highlight is the auctioning of the University of Nice on the Internet, as well as an accredited diploma from a major company that each student present completed. These fictitious diplomas will be sent to the Ministry of Education. The next General Assembly will take place on Thursday at the Carlone Faculty of Letters.
