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ARCHIVED - New education law bans initiation activities at Spanish universities
The controversial law hopes to eradicate initiation ceremonies for first year students
A crackdown is beginning on hazing ceremonies for students at Spanish universities as the new school year starts. This Tuesday September 7, the Ministers’ Council approved the new University Coexistence Law designed by the Minister of Universities, which establishes a mediation procedure for conflicts and a new disciplinary scale.
The main controversy surrounding the new law is that it means that students caught participating in the famous ‘novatadas’ (initiation acts) can receive harsher punishments, including being suspended for up to three years.
Novatadas are a series of activities for first year students, normally organised by older students, and are similar to some of the activities which take place in British Universities during Freshers’ week.
Normally, first year students are supposed to enjoy the novatadas, but some universities have been known to take the practical jokes too far, causing the academic community to classify the tradition as ‘physically or psychologically degrading conduct or actions that seriously undermine personal dignity’ and moving the act up on the disciplinary scale to a ‘very serious’ offence.
This new classification places participating in the novatadas on the same level as bullying, sexual abuse and violence, and students found guilty of taking part in the initiation ceremonies and activities can be suspended from their university for anywhere between two months and three years, as well as losing their right to sign-up to classes for a full school year.
Also in the same category is discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, age, social class, disability, health status, religion or beliefs, as well as some kinds of academic fraud (such as plagiarism in end of degree and end of masters’ degree dissertations).
On the level below ‘very serious’ offences, the new law includes boycotting university acts and ceremonies, which is considered a ‘serious’ offence and is punishable by up to a month-long suspension from university.
Although the law doesn’t explicitly allude to Covid-19 restrictions, it does mention that non-conformity with ‘security and safety measures established by the university’ is classified as a serious offence, along with premeditated academic fraud attempts (such as cheating in an exam).
The second part of the law mentions a mediation process, which means that universities will have to create a ‘Coexistance Committee’ made up of teachers, students and administrative staff to mediate any conflicts that may arise in the academic community.
This mediation procedure will be the first step in solving conflicts, with disciplinary action only being taken when a party refuses to participate in the mediation, when an agreement cannot be reached or in more extreme cases.
All of the modifications and elements included in the new law will only be applicable in public universities, as private universities in Spain are allowed to establish their own disciplinary proceedings.
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