In February, the National University of Comahue (UNCo) confirmed the execution of works for more than 540 million pesos in eight sectors of the headquarters, rectory and in some faculties. Almost all the jobs are in “la Barda”, Neuquén campus. There was little news and funds for the academic units of Río Negro, which are still waiting.
The Most of this disbursement of the Nation (83%) goes to a work in demand for years, the Faculty of Environmental and Health Sciences (Facias) de Neuquén with the construction of its new building. The investment for Facias is 450 million pesos.
The rest of the works in progress have to do with maintenance tasks and multiple spare parts in administrative dependencies and academic units and for which the government and the Legislature of the province of Neuquén and also the municipality of the capital have contributed.
It is the case of student residences in the city of Neuquén, work of 46 million pesos that includes the construction of a multipurpose room. Another 20 million pesos are invested in access works to the Neuquén Campus with works that will end this month. In addition, 18.5 million were allocated to the repair of the floor of the sports gymnasium at the UNCo headquarters, a venture that includes the arrangement of access gates.
Three million pesos go for the repair and maintenance in accounting offices, in the historic UNCo building, a sector that was affected by successive inclement weather. It is also planned to install two biometric doors in the data center of the university by 1.8 million pesos. Another 400,000 pesos are used in painting works and replacement of lighting in administrative offices of the central headquarters such as the rectory, General Secretariat, the Superior Council and the Training and Contests area.
What works are there in Río Negro
In the neighboring province of Río Negro, for now, the investment is much lower and would reach two academic units according to official information issued in February: the Faculty of Food Sciences and Technology of Regina and the el Centro Universitario Regional Zona Atlántica (Curza) from Viedma.
In the Faculty of Food, work is done on maintenance of the historic building for one million pesos and in Viedma, maintenance and modernization of facilities although the amount of the investment was not disclosed.
The Building Emergency in Roca
Last year the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (Fadecs) of Roca declared a state of building alert, under the name “Building and Technological Emergency” issued by the Board of Directors eight months ago.
the background was obsolete communication equipment, little technology and poor and scant infrastructure for the number of students who transit an old building shared between two faculties.
To date, this situation remains similar and there have been no significant advances except for some spare parts and equipment commitments. “During the past semester and February of this year, only spare parts were made at Fadecs. specifically in the auditorium, to condition it for collation acts and other academic events, And in the residences where the water supply system is being changed”assured Dean Juan Carlos Fernandez in RIO NEGRO.
These spare parts, for 3.5 million pesos that the rectory authorized, were reported to this medium by the authorities of the faculty days ago. Besides, there were some advances regarding the acquisition of technological equipment for the Social Communication career, according to the word of the dean.
“Considering the budget that was generated in the middle of the second semester of last year, which amounted to thirty million pesos, it was agreed with the rectory to establish blocks of priorities for the acquisition of this equipment”
Juan Carlos Fernandez, dean of the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (Fadecs) Roca
For the first block, for a value of 9 million, began the process of obtaining funds and acquisition in 2022, and according to what was communicated by the Ministry of Finance to the faculty, in April they could be entering the funds to acquire the first equipment. For the following sections, he commented that last month they submitted the purchase request with an updated budget to the university.
Another historical debt in Roca
Another own building, promised more than a decade ago, is still on standby in Río Negro. It is the Faculty of Languages, of Roca, which shares the building with the educational community of Law and Social, in the midst of that emergency.
“The commitment with the Nation to start the work has not yet been signed,” Dean Silvana Rodriguez commented in dialogue with RIO NEGRO. Supposedly her faculty continued after the work of Facias but there are still no details. “Until the Nation signs the budget for us to start executing our work, we are still waiting. In theory we are in priority”, launched the dean.
“For different reasons we were left like this as relegated. We have the commitment of the rector before assuming and after assuming, we are a priority within what is the UNCo”.
Silvana Rodriguez, dean of the Faculty of Languages (UNCo) Roca
It is up to the university to present the work project and go to Buenos Aires “To knock on all the doors that have to be knocked for this to prosper,” Rodriguez said. who assured that he has the predisposition of the new central management.
With 181 entrants and an enrollment that exceeds 600 students, he said that his faculty grows and expands, advances in research and projects and for this reason, “We believe we deserve our dream building”he said and he did not forget to talk about the shortcomings that today are a result of this situation: there are no offices or common spaces and limited time slots due to the lack of classrooms.
Not only Nation, other contributions
For the dean of Languages, behind the progress in works is not only the will of the National Government but also the contributions from different regional actors such as provincial and municipal governments.
“The Neuquén Legislature and government make contributions to the university and Many things can be done on the fence with the contributions of the Neuquén government. Now, for example, the municipality of Cipolletti donated a property for residences in the faculties of that city”, he commented.
“This also depends on each negotiation that each university management has been making with the government of Río Negro on the one hand and with that of Neuquén on the other”
Silvana Rodriguez, dean of the Faculty of Languages (UNCo) Roca
Asked about the link with the government of Río Negro, she opined that “at the moment this management (Carreras) is trying to get a little closer. Historically, the government of Río Negro has been a little further away from what the University of Comahue is”Cerró Rodriguez.
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