VIII Meeting of the Board of Directors - Santiago de Compostela
Board
AEPUM
Organization
Hold in the Hotel Ruta Jacobea
Attendees
Content
The meeting starts at 9.00 hours. Welcome to everyone and presentation of the new representative of the Complutense University: Mirta Nuñez Díaz-Balart
Attendees:
Mr Antonio Rodríguez Martínez, University of Santiago de Compostela
Mr Josep Mª Sabaté Bosch, University of Rovira y Virgili, Tarragona.
Mr Josep Torrellas Vendrell, University of Girona.
Mrs Mª Adoración Holgado Sánchez, Pontifical University of Salamanca.
Mr Manuel Hernández Pedreño, University of Murcia.
Mrs Mirta Nuñez Díaz-Balart, Complutense University of Madrid.
Mrs Concepción Argente del Castillo Ocaña, University of Granada.
Mr Blas Sánchez Dueñas, University of Córdoba.
Mrs Concepción Bru Ronda, University of Alicante.
Agenda:
1. Reading and endorsement, if it is appropriate, of the agenda of previous meetings
Mª Adoración Holgado reads the two previous meeting minutes carried out in Almeria. They are approved unanimously.
2. Report of the President:
2.1. Current situation and actions made.
1- Antonio Rodríguez asks that all the members of the Board answer back the emails that will be sent, confirming the reception and/or sending back suggestions for the sent materials.
2- He briefly summarises the meetings held with the spokespersons of various political groups: “Convergencia”, PSOE and PP.
Concha Bru, clarifies that only “Convergencia i Unió” answered to the letter we sent, the meetings with the other spokespersons have been get with the personal contacts that the President asked the members of the Board of Directors to make, she also states that some political spokesperson expressed that those contacts should have been made before.
The summary of the interviews made is attached (Appendix n 1).
3- An interview with the General Director of Universities is pending. Antonio Rodríguez reminds us that the spokespersons of the National Confederation of Associations and Federations of Students of University Programmes for Older Adults have asked for an interview with the General Director and that they asked that AEPUM accompany them. The interview has not been made yet due to the changes in the date that the General Direction has been making.
The last appointment is for the day 28 of March of 2007 at 13.00 hours. The rest of the Board will be informed when the appointment will be carried out.
Concha Bru suggests asking for an interview with the General Director in parallel from the AEPUM. It is agreed to wait for the meeting with the students and decide afterwards.
2.2. Development of the PROTOCOL signed with the IMSERSO:
Concha Bru informs briefly that by means of handing a dossier of AEPUMA an interview with the General Director of the IMSERSO was requested. Adoración Delgado attended to the meeting.
Concha presented a draft in collaboration with the IMSERSO to organise a Conference in order to present the conclusions of the investigation carried out by all the universities, responsible, teachers and technicians related with the Programmes for Older Adults.
After sending several of those drafts, Concha Bru presents a programme, accepted by the Imserso, of the Scientific Conference to spread the research carried out, pointing out that it will take place the 24th of May of 2007, in Madrid.
Adoración Holgado continues summarising the interview with the Assistant of the General Director, Mr José Mª García Martín, about the Development of the Protocol indicating some proposals that were transmitted to her: Training of Professionals (it has not been accepted by the moment), student interchanges: Seneca Senior and Links with Latin America.
Adoración asks for this proposals to be developed and that others are settled on by the participants:
1. - Student’s Interchanges: Seneca Senior
* Design of an academic proposal between the universities: Adoración Holgado
* Development of a subject of the programme condensate in days and Schedule: Concha Bru
* Development of an online theme between more than one university: Concha Argente y Blas Sánchez.
2. - Summer courses in two universities: Antonio Rodríguez.
3. - Links with Latin America
* Adoración Holgado: Brazil, related to research
* Concha Argente: Studies about emigration with Argentina
* Concha Bru: technical counsel to Latin America
It is agreed that the initiatives presented are send more developed to the Secretary Office and then to all the members so they can make suggestions or modifications. These suggestions should be sent to the person who presented the initiative in the first place. The final proposal will be finally send to the Secretary Office.
Deadline of final presentation: 1st of June 2007. It is attached appendix 2.
3. Study of the draft of the Internal Legal Regulation so that it can be approved in the next Assembly.
Antonio Rodríguez informs that Juan Antonio Lorenzo has asked that each one of the participants send him the points of specific information about articles of the Statute that should be developed in the Internal Legal Regulation.
4. Applications of new partners: University of la Rioja
It is informed that the University of La Rioja has presented the documentation required to be partner of the AEPUM. It is accepted and will be ratified in the next Assembly of the Association.
The University of La Rioja will be informed.
5. Seminar and X National Meeting: University, dates, theme
5.1. Seminar: Concha Argente informs that the Imserso is very interested in collaborating in the Seminar. She suggests the days 31st of May and 1st of June. It is discussed that the dates are very close to the Scientific Conference and this has already been agreed with the IMSERSO.
It is agreed that Concha Argente will study with her University and the IMSERSO the chance of changing the date of the seminar to September.
The draft of the programme that Concha Argente presents is attached. (Appendix number 3)
5.2. X National Meeting: Antonio informs that only the University of Burgos has requested to organise the X National Meeting for Older Adults in 2008.
The proposal is accepted and the University of Burgos will be informed so that they can propose dates and theme of the Meeting.
6. AEPUM Assembly, coinciding with the Seminar.
Antonio Rodríguez indicates to the University of Granada that it is advisable to know the date as soon as possible in order to summon the Customary Assembly of the AEPUM
7- Update Treasury and Fees 2007
Manuel Hernández, treasurer of the AEPUM, informs that there are 5 universities outstanding of fee payment of the Association of 2006.
It is established that a reminding letter will be send to the universities involved and that 2007’s fee will be send out to all the universities through the representatives’ emails.
He also informs that there are more than 7.000 € in the AEPUM bank account.
Josep Sabaté indicates that he thinks that there is a rule that indicates the money that an association should have by the end of the year.
Adoración Holgado asks that the own Sabaté takes care of confirming that rule and informs the Board of Directors.
8. Questions
* Concha Bru asks to be updated the web addresses of each Programme, as well as other relevant information, and that they will be send to the University of Alicante so that they can appear in the AEPUM web page.
* VI Conferences of Associanism. At the request of the President of the State Confederation, these Conferences will be hold in the Pontifical University of Salamanca the days 20th and 21st of May. The Programme will be send to the Universities.
The sitting is suspended at 10.45 hours.
---------- APPENDIX:
Appendix 1: Interviews with politicians (1: “Esquerra”, 2: PSOE, 3: PP)
Appendix 2: Interviews with the Assistant of the General Director of the IMSERSO
Appendix 3: Draft of the Seminar of Granada 2007
Appendix 4: Tasks Directive Board
Appendix 1: Interviews with politicians
1-ª Interview with Mr Carles Bonet, “Esquerra Republicana”
Day: 29th of January 2007, at 17.00 in the Senate
Attendees:
Mrs Mirta Núñez Díaz-Balart, Complutense University of Madrid,
Mr Josep Mª Sabaté i Bosch, Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona and Mr Antonio Rodríguez Martínez, University of Santiago.
Summary:
Dear friends,
We wanted to inform you about the meeting we hold up yesterday Mirta Núñez (U.C.M.), Josep María Sabaté (U.R.V.) and I with the Senator Carles Bonet for the introduction of amendments to the reform of the LOU, so that the university programmes for older adults are recognized in an explicit manner.
We explained and justified to him why we wanted the explicit recognition of our programmes in the law, as well as the differences that exist among some programmes, concretely between those of the Catalonian universities and those of the rest of the state. we spoke to him about the various activities we have been carrying out, about the social (mostly of the students but also from the teachers implicated in the courses) and also institutional recognition we have (of the universities and in some cases of the autonomic institutions themselves, even though more from social services rather than educational) and that the only thing we have left was a legal recognition. I think we answered all the questions and issues he set out in the hour that the meeting lasted.
The three of us came out happy, we had the feeling that the senator was quite receptive, although personally I have the impression that he liked better an additional one, but he understands that introducing it now can be more complicated than modifying the text. He asked us for more information that I just send back to him this morning. What I sent him was the additional proposal we elaborated, an example of programme (the USC one which is the one I had handier), if he may get it we will send him also the one of the Complutense. I also attached the web page of the Association, indicating him that through it he can have an idea of the number of universities that have a programme and which ones are affiliated with the Association, with web pages of their own.
Now we can only wait and try to speak to the extent of our ability with other groups, taking into account that the deadline of these amendments ends the day 8.
A warm hug to all of you. Antonio Rodríguez Martínez
2nd INTERVIEW PSOE
Day: Wednesday 7th of February 2007 Place: Senate, at 12.00 hours.
Senators: Manuel Pezzi Cerezo, Senator of Granada; Antonio García Miralles, Senator of Alicante; Joan Lerma Blasco, Senator of the Valencian Community.
Contact: Concha Bru
Attendees: Antonio Rodríguez Martínez, Concha Bru Ronda and Mª Adoración Holgado Sánchez
Summary (of Concha Bru)
Dear Friends,
Dori will send to you on Monday/Tuesday and after the new meeting to which we have been convened last minute with the Senator of Valladolid, Mr Abejón (PP) a summary of everything.
I will tell you now the information I have and my personal impressions, in which I think we coincide.
On getting the complaints/reproaches for various sides of the JD, to the reference Senators and to the ones we have hold meetings they have answer at the beginning with surprise on behalf of our interest and our conscientious documentation and objectives.
In particular the representatives of PSOE, (Senator of Granada and Socialist Spokesperson of the Education Committee, and Antonio García Miralles on behalf of Alicante) were surprised that we had not set out those topics in the Congress and in the amendment process opened for the reform of the law in the parliamentarian procedure and that we had not hold any meeting with members of the Parliament.
Faced with that, we answered that we had made our specific proposals through Salvador Ordóñez and in fact the reform proposal (possible amendment) was picked up in one of the 1st drafts but later it disappeared from the following texts. There in that interval is where they complained that we should have moved more, since once out of the Parliament it is not very possible that anything will be revised.
In September, chosen the new president of AEPUM, and when Antonio Rodríguez activated again the contacts it was too late because the law was already in the Senate.
Get to this point the senators of PSOE read up on the topic (they had read up a lot for the meeting and they had called General Direction and the Ministry to find out what had happened with the first amendment we introduced in 2005 through the Secretary of the State and that had disappear later on.
Apparently the MEC, understands it is reflected in:
- Article 1. Functions of the University d) The spread of knowledge and culture through the university extension and education throughout life.
- Article 2. University autonomy. D) The elaboration and passing of study and research plans and of specific teachings of training throughout life.
- Article 42. Access to the University. Point 4 – In order to facilitate the updating of the training and the professional readjustment and the full and effective participation in the cultural, economic and social life, the Government, through the report of the Council of University Coordination, will standardise the procedure to access to the University of those that, proving a certain labour or professional experience, do not have the academic qualification legally required to do so in a general character. To this access system that will allow the entry in any University, centre and teaching, those who do not have the experience but are over a certain age will also have recourse to this.
Texts approved in Parliament, and that pick up our aspirations already. Because they make clear in the Law that the universities have as a duty the learning throughout life and that that is where the PUPMs are. And they justify themselves in that the framework of the autonomies is already able of developing those programmes, and that explaining more the issue can hold them up/force them financially.
On the other side there is a problem hidden and that is that they still do not know that many/a lot of the programmes, are programmes with strict academic contents, and a formal structure, teachers of the fields of knowledge and university departments, assessment, management designated by deans, etc.
And they also consider AEPUM (a strange being), since they did not know that we represent and defend our universities and that we speak for our deans.
These issues and the long trajectory of fight and work of harmony/research in favour of the improvement of the programmes and its convergences in basic academic and institutional criteria, were explained to them in detail and they started to look at us and understand us in other way. (They were even some moments of tension)
In any case, they had also talked to Salvador Ordóñez and he had insisted and clarified our objectives and who we are.
Finally and being pragmatics the senators of PSOE proposed to us to include some transactional one:
1- By preamble
2- To introduce some clarification in the articulated text and in concrete in the Article 42.4 that it is the one where it had disappeared from in which a new writing that picks up the proposal made on its day as 42.5 (and which is the one we defended tooth and nail in the meeting).
LOU. ART. 42.4. To facilitate the training and professional readjustment and the full and effective participation in cultural, economic and social lives, the Government, after a report of the Council of University Coordination, will regulate the procedures for accessing to the University of those who, proving a certain working or professional experience, do not have the academic qualification legally require to this effect with general nature.
To this access system, that will include the university teachings for older adults pointed out in the article 34.5, and that it will allow the admission to any University, centre and teaching, those who do not have the experience but are over a certain age will also have recourse.
The proposal was to resurrect again the hanger in which we could hang ourselves and in which university studies for older adults will appear under their name and surname, well distinguish from the university extension and from learning throughout life (understood in Europe and EEES as a continuous training of recycling).
The predisposal was positive and furthermore it looked like the MEC agreed with this offer (they had an email with this letter they showed to us).
That is to say if the amendment goes out of the Senate with the support of other groups they almost assure to us that it will be admitted/approved when it will come back to the Congress.
This is all I can highlight.
In any case we are clear about that whether it is introduced in the LOU or not, we have to meet again with the General Direction of Universities to clarify again what we do, who we are, and all the documentation (AEPUMA research) that supports our objectives and the social and cultural effects of the programmes and the need of the MEC to recognise them in the university teachings.
We insisted also in the reflection that Arnay made to me in the past days:
The role of the Universities and the PUPMs is essentially educational, cultural and conciliatory but also and in these moments in the socialist term the entry into force of the Law of Promotion of the Personal Autonomy and Attention to Dependent Persons that has two key points which affect to this defence of the university training: 1) Promotion of the Personal Autonomy which means precaution (that is part of our objective in encouraging active citizenry and life quality) 2) and take care of almost 7.000.000 of persons older than 65 years that are not dependent yet, but that require a policy of precaution (educational policy of learning throughout life) or they will end up being more dependent. Having reached this point in the reflection we think that there is not National System of Dependency that can sustain by itself and without the support of other policies as the educational one we contribute with, the expenses of the country that more ages in Europe.
I hope that for all these reasons the Senate (the Socialist group, “Esquerra” and related groups will support the amendment and they will include explicit references to the PUPMs. If also PP will adhere itself it will be fantastic, the important thing is that they do not do a new war between biased interests and faced with the danger of opening a new debate to the law text in the Senate/Congress and a new delay of its approbation we will get mixed up and end up losing.
Greetings to everyone,
Concha Bru, Permanent University, University of Alicante
Summary of Antonio Rodríguez.
Dear friends,
Yesterday we held a meeting with the Senators of PSOE, as Concha Bru informed you, the meeting was to inform us of a proposal that the Ministry makes to us that will consist in that it will appear in the preamble an express mention to the programmes for older adults and some mention, they did not know how, in the article 42 of access to the university.
Antonio, University of Santiago.
3rd Interview with Senator of PP
Day: Monday 12th of February 2007
Place: Valladolid, PP building in Street María de Molina.
Interview with the Senator: Adolfo Abejón Ortega, spokesperson of Education of the Popular Group in the Senate
Attendees: Mª Adoración Holgado Sánchez and Alfredo Jiménez Eguizábal, guest.
Summary.
To complete the reports they have send to us
1-Antonio Rodríguez of the meeting with Mr Carles Bonet of “Esquerra Republicana” the day 29th of January 2007.
2- Concha Bru after the meeting with the Senators of the Socialist group: Pezzi and García Miralles the day 7th of February 2007.
3- I send you the summary of the discussion with the Senator of Popular group Adolfo Abejón on 12th in Valladolid. (The day 8th in which it had been given an extension to the deadline for the presentation of amendments)
Given the time urgency and the difficulties of the journey to Valladolid, we decided (the President and the Secretary of AEPUM) to ask Alfredo Jiménez, Vice-chancellor of the University of Burgos and collaborator in writing the proposals of AEPUM for the regulation of university education of older adults, to assist to this meeting with Adoración Holgado.
Mr Abejón paid attention to us and he informed us of the amendments he was going to defend about the topic we were setting up.
In the Article 34.1.
Add (after a new paragraph)
They will also be able of developing teachings that will contribute to the learning throughout life, as well as the teachings for older adults.
In the Additional Disposal 25
Only article 86
Add
The Government, following a report of the Council of University Coordination, will regulate the basic conditions for the access to the University of persons older than 25 years that do not accomplish the expected requirements in section 2.1., as well as the modalities of admission to the universities of persons older than 45 years.
We insisted to him that our pretention was that the university teachings for older adults will appear in an explicit form somewhere in the Law, and that it should be assure that the amendments will go through the Senate and subsequently through the Congress.
He informed us that the debate in the Senate will surely be the day 21st of March inviting us to assist to it.
Mª Adoración Holgado Sánchez. UPSA
Appendix 2: Interview with the Assistant of the General Director of the IMSERSO
Day: 15th of January of 2007, at 12.45 hours
Interview with Mr José Mª García Martín, Assistant to the General Director
Attendees: Concha Bru Ronda and Mª Adoración Holgado Sánchez.
After the greeting and welcome of Mr José Mª García Martín it is explained to him that the Committee that the Protocol points out has not been created due to changes in the Directors Board.
The Assistant Director answers that the real important thing is the presentation of proposals for the development of the Protocol.
Proposals presented:
1ª. - Conferences of Presentation of the AEPUMA Project:
Imserso cedes premises and café. Concha Bru is in charge of developing the proposal for the Conferences.
Possible dates: April – May 2007.
2ª. - Publication of the results Project AEPUMA:
Faced with the petition for the IMSERSO to publish the results of the research Mr José Mª García Martín proposes to make a joint publication with a University (IMSERSO would buy copies without exceeding 12.000 € so that it does not have to go out to public tender).
Concha Bru indicates that surely the University of Alicante is interested in its publication.
She is informed that the results of the research are published online in the webpage that has been developed in relation to it.
3ª. - Training of professionals for the Dependency Law: The IMSERSO has ordered a study to make profiles of the professionals that will take care of the persons with dependency. It advises to wait for the results of this study.
4ª. - Relationships with Latin America:
Concha Bru and Adoración Holgado describe superficially different relationships established with Latin American universities as researches with the Pontifical University, relationships with the University of Alicante with Panamá and Chile, …… ……
Mr José Mª García proposes that we centre ourselves in Technical Assistantships.
We will have to present proposals.
5ª. - Mobility of Older Adults:
Adoración Holgado explains briefly the interchanges that the Pontifical University has been carrying out since 1996 with some universities.
Mr José Mª García exposes that he finds this activity very interesting and asks that a proposal of these interchanges is presented to him: Seneca Senior.
The sitting is suspended at 13.30 hours.
Appendix 3: Draft of Granada Seminar 2007 (in an attached file).
Appendix 4: Chart of tasks to be made by members of the Board of Directors (in an attached file).
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