DIJON: Inauguration of the Student Solidarity Center of the University of Burgundy
This Thursday, December 1, the office of the Student Solidarity Center was implemented on the Dijon campus. This place gives visibility to the actions granted since 2021.
The Student Solidarity Center of the University of Burgundy (CSE) now takes place within the Student House of the university campus in Dijon.
The organization welcomes and helps students with the social difficulties they may encounter. The president of the university Vincent Thomas completed the new office, this Thursday, December 1, 2022, in the presence of Françoise Tenenbaum (PS), regional councilor of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in charge of health and Antoine Hoareau (PS), assistant to the mayor of Dijon in charge of solidarity, as well as Marie-Thérèse Pugliese, territorial delegate Harmonie Mutuelle.
More and more requests for solidarity
The Solidarity Center of the University of Burgundy welcomes requests in increasing numbers: “we went from 110 students followed in 2021 by the social commission to 185 in 2022 while the year is not over”, indicates Vanessa Vaizant , responsible for the commission of the said.
The number of accommodation grants also increased from 51 to 75, and solutions were found for twelve students who were homeless in September.
Vincent Thomas recalls the social context: “the Covid crisis has accentuated student precariousness, those who were already precarious have become more precarious, and those who were on the edge of precariousness have become precarious and there are always more students who request the intervention of the CSE”.
A team of volunteers
The actions, carried out by volunteers, an employee and a civic service, were selected by the various stakeholders. Vincent Thomas cites the CSE as “the little hands that devote themselves to student solidarity”.
As Vanessa Vaizant says, “some volunteers, some of whom are teachers, sometimes give more than 20 hours a week to help students.”
Strong coordination and partnership
The president of the University of Burgundy welcomes the work carried out in connection with the City of Dijon and specifies that an accommodation agreement which will take effect at the beginning of 2023 is being drafted with the social landlords to solve the problems of student accommodation. .
Vincent Thomas points out that the location of the CSE is managed “coordination with the two student grocery stores: FEBIA and Epi Campus” which leads actions within the student house with the help of local teams from the French Red Cross. . “400 students benefit from hygiene aids and food aid thanks to these collaborations”.
Among the CSE’s partnerships were notably Leroy Merlin, Harmonie Mutuelle, the Order of Chartered Accountants and the SEB Group.
An actor in the precariousness of students decried by his absence
For his part, Antoine Hoarau has chosen to implicitly target the Regional Center for University and School Works of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: “we have regular meetings with this institutional actor who does not do the work he should be doing in the sector student to ensure that he improves, you have taken over in the face of the increase in precariousness”.
And Françoise Tenenbaum added during her speech: “I deplore the absence of this institution which should nevertheless be there, whose role it is, and of which we do not understand that it can be absent. It is also the interlocutor of the Region, and I regret it, I hope that this association can help you in the future, it is not because it does not manage to do everything that it cannot not help you, and there are margins, we know, especially on housing to help those who are on the street and whom you are going to rescue and help so well”.
Various student aid actions
The CSE helps students in 5 areas: housing, food aid and hygiene, administrative and financial aid, leisure and culture aid, tuition monitoring, digital aid and clothing. and everyday objects, health assistance, assistance in finding a student job.
Food aid takes place thanks to solidarity grocery stores with the CSE works. It should also be noted that 29 distributors of feminine hygiene protection have been set up.
Vanessa Vaizant also met before the actions implemented with Secours Populaire. A group of students had the opportunity to go to Paris and attend a football match at the Stade de France, another had the right to a mountain bike outing followed by a first flight, without them didn’t have to spend any money.
One of the CSE’s projects, still developed with the Secours populaire, is to offer a “culture and leisure” ticket office within a “Solidaribus” which will be offered in front of the CSE (read our article).
See you on December 16, the CSE organizes a Christmas party for students, with a distribution of winter clothes and gifts as well as the sharing of a meal.
Texts and photographs
Sabrina Dolidze