Por Redaccion 
The University of Oviedo celebrated its first Claustro of the year this Friday, where the university defender, Isabel Viña, presented the activity report for the past 2024. It reflects that the number of actions by the Defensoría increased by 16.58 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 218 cases attended.
Additionally, it is observed that students are the group that most uses this resource, motivating 182 of the actions carried out last year, which represents over 80 percent. The rest were driven by the Teaching and Research Staff (22), the Technical Staff of Management, Administration, and Services (8), and other profiles external to the university community (6).
The main access route to the University Defender’s Office at the University of Oviedo continues to be email, through which 163 cases were opened last year. Regarding the typology of the actions and as happened in previous exercises, the majority were inquiries, a total of 196, while 22 were complaints.
As explained by Isabel Viña, the actions driven by students – 166 inquiries and 16 complaints – related to assessment and grades (45), enrollment and modifications (24), or external internships and final degree or master’s projects (22). There were also concerns related to the relationship with professors (19), mobility programs and validations (16), or academic organization and schedules (14), among others.
Regarding the Teaching and Research Staff (PDI), the number of inquiries amounted to 18, while 4 complaints were addressed. In terms of topics, 6 cases referred to hiring and labor conditions, 5 were related to interpersonal relationships and conflicts, and another 5 focused on teaching and evaluation issues.
Finally, it is worth noting that all actions driven by the Technical Staff of Management, Administration, and Services (PTGAS) were inquiries on various issues: promotion and job positions (2), labor conditions and remuneration (2), selection processes, retirements, merits, or internal conflicts. Additionally, there were 6 actions driven by individuals external to the university community, with 4 inquiries and 2 complaints about academic and administrative procedures (3), homologations and equivalences (2), and financial management (1).
Furthermore, Isabel Viña has made several suggestions to the rector’s team, highlighting the «monitoring of transportation means that facilitate access to the different campuses.» Additionally, the university defender recommended increasing transparency in the selection contests for administrative and management positions and applying the different regulations «with rigor that is not lacking justice and empathy.»
During her intervention, she encouraged making the publication of interpretative criteria of current regulations more accessible, as well as maintaining «direct and effective communication between teachers and students,» especially during final evaluation periods, to promptly resolve specific issues like delays in grade publication.
In the same vein, the defender recommended improving communication between departments, faculty, and students, optimizing credit recognition coordination, and expanding the number of procedures available on the students’ intranet. Finally, Isabel Viña reviewed the actions of the Coexistence Commission and the institutional activity of the University Defender’s Office, in addition to mentioning the relocation to the Scientific-Technological Services Building at the Gijón Campus (Office 9) and the new contact email changing from ‘defensor@uniovi.es’ to defensoria@uniovi.es.
Additionally, one of the items on the Claustro’s agenda was the report on the Defender’s Regulation, to adapt this figure to the Organic Law 2/2023 of the University System, known as LOSU, and to the new statutes of the University of Oviedo, which will be approved later by the Governing Council.
DEFENSE OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
During the Claustro, the rector of the University of Oviedo, Ignacio Villaverde, read the institutional declaration in defense of public universities, which was unanimously endorsed in the last Governing Council.
«The University of Oviedo, the public university of Asturias, continues to be the most important tool for social cohesion and progress in the region, as it gives everyone the opportunity to access higher education, to form and requalify throughout their lives,» emphasized Ignacio Villaverde.
BUDGET AND CLAUSTRO REGULATION
Furthermore, the rector detailed the finances for this fiscal year, where the academic institution will have nearly 254 million euros (253,819,487 euros), representing a 3.24% increase compared to last year, almost 8 million more. The most significant item is the personnel expenditure, which this year amounts to 171.5 million euros, 67.6% of the total spending.
Another point approved this Friday is the new Regulation of the Claustro of the University of Oviedo, to adapt the regulations to the LOSU and the new statutes, including adjustments aimed at modernizing, flexibilizing, and streamlining its internal operation, approved with the support of all present members of the Claustro.