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Vol.63/No.46      December 27, 1999 
 
 
Teachers and students protest lack of funds at university of Guadalajara  
 
 
BY BECCA ARENSON AND LUIS RIVERA 
GUADALAJARA, Mexico—Students and teachers from the University of Guadalajara held classes outdoors the week of November 29 to December 3 at the Plaza de Armas, a park in downtown Guadalajara, as part of a series of protests against the insufficient funding of the university. A different department was planned to be represented in the plaza each day through December 8 to pressure the government to double the budget for the university.

On November 30 the art departments held their classes in the plaza. Their protest was accompanied by a festive atmosphere of music, dancing, and street theater.

The current university budget proposal calls for an increase of 14 percent from the previous year, which according to students and faculty, will not cover the growing demands of the university, which include the need for up-to-date library materials, the upgrading of laboratories, and the maintenance of facilities. "Out of 32 public universities in Mexico, the budget for the University of Guadalajara ranks the 28th lowest, even though Guadalajara is the second largest city," commented Victor Manuel Silva, a second-year agricultural student.

Another concern is the growing number of applicants being denied entrance to the university due to lack of funding. "This year 30,000 students were turned away," said Salvador Mena Munguíais, director for the College of Biological and Agricultural Sciences. Some students feel that the ultimate goal of the government is to privatize the University of Guadalajara. "This wouldn't be in the interests of most students because we would have to pay more for classes and many of us are not in a position to do that," said Aldo Ulloa Rivera, an 18-year-old high school student.

The week-long protest culminated in a rally and march December 8 that included all the colleges and high schools associated with the university. At that action, the students decided to continue their protests another 10 days.  
 
 
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