The case at UPC

Pre-doctoral researchers at UPC started reacting somewhat before the alarm over this blog's topic was general. They contacted the vice-chancellor for Scientific Policies, Xavier Gil Mur and the assistant vice-chancellor for Research, Ana Isabel Pérez Neira expressing their unrest over the rise of the thesis supervision fee up to 400€.

Next there is a translation of the answer letter they got:

Dear Jordi,

In reference to your letter about the increase in the thesis supervision fee, we agree in that the increase of the fee has been high. In front of this fact, I must tell you that the Social Council of the UPC approved for the academic year 2010-2011 a fee of 400 euros in concept of thesis supervision, defense and evaluation altogether. At other universities the interpetation was to apply 400 euros for each one of these concepts, so anyone registering only for thesis defense and evaluation will be charged another 400 euros. This is not true for UPC.

We thank you for your letter. Xavier Gil will complain to Generalitat both about the increase in the fee and the fact that FPU or FPI fellows have to pay while UPC, FI or contracted by UPC don't.

Kind regards,

Ana Pérez Neira
Vre. Adj. investigación

Xavier Gil
Vre. Política Científica

One has to be thankful for the UPC vice-chancellors agreeing in objective facts, as that the increase in the tax has been high. It can be trusted that they will also agree in other obvious facts in which it is impossible to disagree without falling in an evident mistake.

Besides, it is sold as something good that UPC has not pushed into the domains of the dubious in the application of the decree that lifts the fees, making some pay double of what already seems a senseless amount. It is said that other universities have done so. It seems logical to wonder which are those universities that don't show even the scarce solidarity with predoctoral researchers that the social council of UPC has displayed. If any reader of this blog knows which are they, communicating it in the comments will be welcome.

The vice-chancellor for Scientific Policies at UPC will carry the complaint of the predoctoral researchers to the Generalitat. There's no doubt that the eyes of the world will be put on that complaint and its consequences. This blog will inform on any news about this matter.