Statement
Public
The Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), in light of the serious acts of force that have occurred on some university campuses throughout the country, which have even led to the intimidation of authorities, academics, officials and students, and have caused damage and theft of property from the institutions, paralysis of teaching and research, severely disrupting university life, hereby expresses its strongest condemnation of such acts.
The Council of Rectors respects and promotes the fundamental rights of expression and association. Therefore, it recognizes and values the participation of students in legitimate and responsible organizations.
However, university rectors and communities have witnessed and been affected in recent weeks by unprecedented acts of violence on some campuses, a situation that has been particularly serious at the University of La Frontera and the Catholic University of Temuco. The Council of Rectors, in addition to emphatically rejecting these acts, declares that such behavior is completely contrary to the university spirit, as universities are spaces for dialogue, rational argumentation, democratic culture, and civic education. The occupation of campuses, in particular, does not constitute democratic acts; it damages and disrupts undergraduate and graduate education, research, and community engagement activities.
The Board of Rectors is fully aware that these actions are carried out by minority groups that do not represent the sentiments of the university community. Therefore, it states that dialogue is impossible when denigration and acts of force prevail, involving coercion of individuals and damage to the university community's property. These actions, in addition to failing to legitimize student demands, undermine the nature, mission, and social function of the University.
Spanish 
English