The Secretary of the National Association of Universities and Institutes of Higher Education (Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior –ANUIES), Rafael López Castañares, expressed that at least six university communities face “disturbing” conditions due to the insecurity brought about by organized crime . He affirmed that “the most difficult situations” are present in Chihuahua, Tamaulipas , Sinaloa, Nuevo León, Morelos and Michoacán. As part of the actions taken to stop violent events in the university system next July the 154 universities making up ANUIES will be able to count on a security and diagnostics manual concerning the risks faced by all universities in Mexico.
In an interview, after his participation in the second International Meeting of University Rectors (Encuentro Internacional de Rectores Universia), he stressed that with the increase in cases of extortion, kidnappings, and even homicides of students and academics, the institutions for higher education “have taken corresponding measures, such as the installation of cameras and security perimeters in the facilities.” The situation, he added, demands more resources, “which led us to the Secretariat of Public Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública) to solicit a small fund with which support will be given to the universities in this type of strategy.” According to Excelsior there was an emphasis on federal help towards improving security at public schools due to the lower budgets they face.
In a separate interview, José Morales Orozco, Rector of the Universidad Iberoamericana , said that without more justice and more equitable development opportunities for young people “we will have a breeding ground for continued crime and violence.” In a similar statement the Rector of Tecnológico de Monterrey, Rafael Rangel Sostmann, noted that it is necessary “to teach the citizens to take care of themselves more and adopt measures of protection,” since authorities are overwhelmed with security issues.
Sources:
Hernández, Lilian. “Universidades piden recursos anticrimen.” Excelsior. 1 Mayo, 2010.
