Why Can’t We Listen to What Students Value?
To what extent should national governments be involved in higher education? While governments have subsidized education, such as Pell Grants in the United States, subsidies for low-income students to go to college, or federal student loans, as well as public universities around the world, governments should not dictate how students learn and live at universities.
Recently, it was reported in the Buenos Aires Times that students in the Argentina House at the Cité Universitaire in Paris have come out with allegations against how the current director, Santiago Muzio, has run the residence. Muzio, a lawyer appointed by Milei as director in 2024, has claimed that he wants to rid the “woke ideology” from the student residence. As a result, he has refused to sign the university’s “charter of values” due to differences in how Argentina and Cité U perceive gender. In addition, changes have occurred within the building: Common areas have been restricted, posters defending LGBTQIA+ rights and a plaque paying homage to disappeared people and state terrorism (1974-1983) were removed.
When a foreign country decides to impose its current government’s values in an education system that makes students feel like they’re living in a “mini-dictatorship”, the benefit of higher education with these influences comes into question.
Far-right ideologies in the national government, like this example, can be dangerous for students and younger generations. If students describe the feeling of living in a dictatorship, they are feeling unsafe, so much so that one student claimed “‘[t]he house used to be a space for community, culture, and art. Today it’s a space of fear, control, surveillance, cameras’”. University is a time for young adults to explore the world, encounter new people from different backgrounds, and Cité Universitaire is no different. It was founded to “promote peace by creating a place where the youth of the world could learn to live together”, and restricting a student’s social environment can prevent productive learning and educational achievement.
At the Cité Universitaire, there are many student residences run by foreign nations, just like Argentina’s, all run by directors from the home country. Due to this, it can be argued that since the foreign country operates the residences (in this case, Argentina’s ministry of Human Capital), it shouldn’t matter whether they go against the charter of values of the university.
However, university ideals and government ideals do not go hand in hand. Pushback happens between the two, whether through the institutions themselves or by student groups. There should be a separation in social values between what the current government believes and what a private university upholds. A university is a place where a person can get a well-rounded education and have educated opinions; preventing students from receiving the education they deserve could be damaging to their learning. For example, 10 students at the Argentina house were relocated to other houses, with one citing it as "political persecution”. They were removed for speaking out against the decisions Muzio made; removing them is an attempt to silence their accusations and concerns. Students are there to learn, not to be dictated how to live.
In addition, consider a more personal aspect for the students who study abroad. Students can go abroad for education to escape their social and legal boundaries in their current residence and subsequently find somewhere where they fit in. Additionally, studying abroad can help mental health. Turning the residence into a quasi-dictatorship does not allow the student to flourish and achieve their goals. While living with others from your country can bring comfort while studying abroad, it doesn't necessarily mean you want to live with what your government values. It’s important to have spaces for students to learn and feel safe, and equally important to protect them.
Another aspect of this controversy is the existence of the far-right meetings Muzio allowed to take place at the residence, specifically “Two think tanks linked to the far-right in Poland and Hungary in November were in Argentina House to present a plan to dismantle much of the European Union”. This has also inspired backlash, I believe rightfully so, as these meetings occurred in a student residence, on a university campus, in a country in the European Union. Not only is it offensive towards the students, but also the students’ consent for these meetings was taken away, imposed upon them in a place where they live.
Since students have brought attention to this, city officials in Paris have responded by asking the foreign ministry to investigate. As of September 13, Muzio has resigned as the director after coming under fire. Muzio had been excusing the actions he had taken regarding the charter of values and the plaque (for construction work), so it was uncertain what would result in response to the allegations. It is interesting that the protests on the campus and the threats of investigation succeeded in the resignation. The new director, Alfredo Mario Soto, the current vice-rector of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, will succeed him, and all eyes will be on him to see if he continues Muzio’s legacy of ridding the residence of “woke ideology”, or if he will become a catalyst for change and listen to the voices of the students.
University spaces bring change, and younger generations help realize it. National governments may attempt to impose upon university standards, willing or not, in a way that takes away from choice, from democracy. When an educational space is feeling unsafe, speak up and hold people accountable; protect your education.