On the morning of 5th February, the Temple of Monastery of Los Jerónimos filled up with students from all degrees who wanted to meet and show their support for the new members of the Students Council of Universidad Católica de Murcia, who will be representing them during the next two academic years. The ceremony was held in the II Student Representation Meeting organised by our institution. This meeting was attended by Andrés Garcia, Director of the Psychology Department at Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, where he is also Director of Student Services and University Ombudsman. He spoke about mental health in university students.

The highest UCAM student representation body is formed by students from all faculties and one spokesperson for international students, one for the Cartagena Campus, and one for those studying online. The body’s aim is to defend the students’ interests, to dialogue with the governing bodies of the University and to promote activities encouraging the student participation.

María Dolores García Mascarell, UCAM President, lead the meeting with Josefina García, UCAM Rector; Manuel Carlos Ruiz, Vice-Rector of Quality and Academic Planning; and Adrián Martínez Andújar, the new President of the Student Council in  place of Adrian Massoti Peinado, who also took part in the meeting.

UCAM President appreciated Massoti’s work and his involvement during these years leading the first Student Council in the University history, and she emphasized the important role of students ‘in this institution, in which you are the centre of everything’. Additionally, she underlined the availability and leading capacity of all Council representatives.

Meanwhile, Adrián Martínez, new president of this body, showed his gratitude to his peers for the responsibility that he has been given to ‘represent all 25 000 students that are currently studying at UCAM, helping to convey their needs, dissatisfactions or questions to our President and Rector.’

Moreover, during the meeting, a student representatives honour book was shown ‘in which all members that have participated in these councils will be. Those who created it, those who are members now and those who will be in the future,’ said Manuel Carlos Ruiz.

Schools

The rest of the UCAM Student Council members are: Alejandro Cerezo Clemente (UCAM Polytechnic School), José Antonio Fajardo Montoya (Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication), Ruth del Burgo Aguinaga (Faculty of Sport), Carmen Inés Chávez Delgado (Faculty of Law), José Enrique Vidal Sánchez (Faculty of Economics and Business), María Pompilia Gabín Serna (Faculty of Education), Ada Vadillo (Faculty of Nursing), Ana María Urrutia Etayo (Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition), Emil Severi (Faculty of Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Occupational Therapy), Daniel Cuhureanu (Faculty of Medicine), René Lucas Pardo (Cartagena Campus Representative), Alejandra Miñano (Online Students Representative) y Elías Ayoub (International Students Representative).

Mental health in university students

Andrés García talked about mental health in university students, pointing out the importance of this field, especially after COVID, ‘with very objective references about the emotional deterioration, specially from the age of 16 and during university life.’ In this respect he stressed the ‘urgent need’ to return to essential values, ‘to the very foundations of effort, work and discipline; the values that have always been present and which our elders have managed so well, to an exemplary degree, in my opinion’.