Which digital for which society ?

This document contains a number of proposals from the 1st and 2nd editions of the Students Citizen Assembly, on the respective themes of food and digital technology. The main aim of these proposals, which have either been implemented or are currently underway, is to transform the university in an environmentally-friendly way, by creating eco-delegates and a dedicated vice-presidency, and to improve students' daily lives, notably by distributing organic meal baskets, setting up solidarity grocery stores on the various UPEC campuses, and creating a digital and solidarity cluster. Other objectives focus on raising students' awareness of environmental issues, through the creation of a "rentrée climat" (back-to-school climate event), a "pôle fresques du climat et du numérique" (in charge of climate and digital frescoes workshops) and the recycling of biowaste at the university. Lastly, other proposals put forward by the Students Citizen Assembly will be mentioned in this document, such as the creation of a shared garden, the installation of sorting garbage cans and a solidarity fridge on the IEP campus, the production of balanced/local/batchcooking recipe tutorials in the form of videos, and the production and presentation of theatre-forum shows that use theatrical play to encourage discussion and reflection on a chosen theme. 

We'll come back to each proposal, point by point.

Change in university governance (accomplished) 

At the 1st edition of the Students Citizen Assembly, on food, students put forward the idea of changing the university's governance by creating a vice-presidency position dedicated to sustainable development. At the start of the 2022 academic year, an RSU vice-presidency was created.  

In addition, a SD&SR (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility) unit was created at UPEC. The priority actions of the vice-presidency in charge of RSU will be defined according to the different axes of the SD&SR label, and will aim to support the change in practices that will enable UPEC to move towards more sustainable ways of living and working. As such, the VP RSU will be responsible for :

• Reinforcing the implementation of responsible policies limiting the negative impact of our uses on the environment (in terms of buying, energy consumption, waste management); 
• Making RSU and sustainable development priorities for the ERASME project; 
• Ensuring that training courses incorporate sustainable development and RSU issues; 
• Strengthen the link between science and society, and integrate the strategy of social responsibility into calls for research projects; 
• Maintaining objectives in terms of equality, diversity and the fight against discrimination; 
• Supporting students and staff in their commitment to this structuring approach.

Evolution of the budget for the Student and Campus Life Contribution (CVEC) commission (completed) 

The purpose of this contribution is to strengthen the social, health, cultural and sporting welcome and support offered to students, as well as to bolster the preventive and health education actions carried out for students throughout the year. 

With the CVEC, every student contributes to improving campus life. You are the primary beneficiaries of the CVEC. 

Thanks to your contribution, many projects have been set up at UPEC: 

• Health and prevention initiatives; 
• Sports activities ; 
• Cultural and artistic activities; 
• Student association initiatives and projects; 
• Campus activities and events; 
• Student space and campus planning; 
• Social support and international mobility.

A line dedicated to environmental issues was recently voted as part of the CVEC commission's budget. This is a major step forward. Similarly, the creation of eco-delegate positions (which we define below) was discussed by the CVEC commission.

Setting up university eco-delegates (partially completed) 

The creation of such a position ensures that the various measures and recommendations validated by the Students Citizen Assembly (SCA) are implemented and monitored, as well as future projects initiated by students (through calls for projects and calls for expressions of interest) or proposed by the region. Eco-delegates, who are both co-pilots and ambassadors, form the link between students and the administration, in order to perpetuate the commitments made around ecological issues. This role, already an obligation in middle and high schools since the start of the 2021 school year, makes students true key partners in the sustainable development of their institution. During the Students Citizen Assembly's deliberations, it became clear that the University needed to work with students to give them opportunities to take effective action on environmental issues.

At the Political Studies Insitute of Fontainebleau, a small team of committed eco-delegates has begun work on a number of proposals arising from the SCA, such as revegetation of plots of land and creating recipe videos. A student job has been created to communicate this new role throughout the university and coordinate the team. 

The CVEC commission's terms of reference now include a provision for an eco-delegate to join the commission.

Distribution of organic baskets to students (completed) 

As part of the proposals put forward at the Students Citizen Assembly on the theme of food, the Soligreen UPEC association is offering Bellifontaine students the opportunity to benefit from low-cost meal baskets. This initiative is made possible by a partnership with the Ferme des Moënes in Ury, a family-run organic farm. Every week, the association offers those who wish to do so the opportunity to benefit from baskets of varied, local and seasonal fruit and vegetables at reduced prices. The aim of this project is to give students access to a more sustainable and supportive food supply.  

You can sign up on the instagram account: soligreenupec.

Recycling our biowaste at the University (accomplished) 

Like sorting waste, recycling biowaste is a simple but very important act. The aim of this proposal is to set up a means of recovering bio-waste, i.e. students' food scraps. A number of initiatives have already been launched by French universities: since 2019, Dauphine University has been partnering with the Love your Waste association, delegating the management of bio-waste to it. In 2016, the University of Nanterre installed composting areas consisting of 6 boxes to process campus bio-waste on site. The Universities of Rennes 2, Nantes and Troyes have also embarked on such an approach as part of their waste management plans. 

The proposal will soon be implemented on an experimental basis at the Political Studies Institute of Fontainebleau. SMITCOM is offering to install composting bins free of charge on the future Fontainebleau campus. The quantities required and the method for managing composting on campus have yet to be determined.

The climate oriented Back to school (accomplished) 

To raise student awareness of climate change at university level, a back to school event was held last September. This climate event was an opportunity for ESPG and TSE Master 2nd year students to be trained in the animation of climate and digital frescoes workshops, and to animate them to Political Studies Intitute's Bachelor first-year and Master first-year students. The exercise was an outstanding success.

Creation of a Climate and Digital Frescoes Unit (completed) 

Climate and digital frescoes have been, and will continue to be, set up to raise students' awareness of the challenges posed by climate change and the impacts of our digital habits. The aim is in particular to train students to animate these frescoes (especially eco-delegates) in order to raise awareness both for and by students, in a commitment to a more horizontal approach.

On the occasion of the "Journées Scientifiques de l'Environnement" organized jointly by the Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de l'UPEC (OSU-EFLUVE) and the Val-de-Marne Departmental Council, frescoes were displayed by ESPG and TSE Master 2 students to an audience including climate experts. 

Frescoes will be deployed among university staff, starting with the UPEC presidency and the DSI (IT services department) in June 2023.  

A student job has been created to coordinate the fresco unit.

Creation of balanced/local/batchcooking recipe video tutorials (completed) 

The Fontainebleau Political Studies Institute's eco-delegates are working on the creation of video tutorials on easy, quick and balanced recipes to highlight local and seasonal produce. Videos will also be dedicated to batchcooking. The eco-delegates have also put forward the idea of producing videos focusing on "grandmotherly" recipes. Lastly, the intention is also to involve producers so that they can present their products and inform consumers about the nature and methods of production. An initial recipe video has already been filmed using products from the Fontainebleau farmers' market. These videos will then be available on the Fontainebleau Eco-delegates Instagram page in the near future. A first video is currently being prepared and will be available shortly. 

This proposal has provided inspiration for the creation of a large UPEC community media, which is currently under discussion.

Installation of sorting garbage cans on the Fontainebleau campus (completed) Installation of sorting garbage cans on the Fontainebleau campus (completed) 

The aim of this proposal was to install sorting garbage cans on the Fontainebleau campus. The new campus, which opened its doors in January 2023, is equipped with sorting garbage cans.

The installation of these garbage cans is part of a drive to promote recycling and recovery of our waste, and thus reduce the CO2 impact of our University.  

A number of possible actions have been identified: installing sorting garbage cans (for cardboard/paper/packaging, mask garbage cans, plastic, etc.), accompanied by nudged signage to make sorting points more visible and limit illegal dumping; organizing an awareness-raising campaign around sorting (posters, website, courses, newsletter, organizing visits to sorting sites, etc.); or monitoring (monthly/annually) the fate of sorted waste and communicating the results to students.

Forum theater to prevent cyber-bullying (completed) 

The theatre-forum group, under the direction of director Yves Lechermeier, also performed very well, with strong student participation in the creation of the 5 playlets. 

Forum theater is an interactive theater method created by Augusto Boal in the 1970s in the favelas of Brazil. The idea is to start with a collective problem and play out a scene on the subject. The audience can intervene to add a character or a situation, and make the space and the play their own. They are no longer just passive spectators. 

Scenes depicting complex phenomena such as online virality, digital inclusion issues, screen addiction and psychological obsolescence were written during the 2nd Students Citizen Assembly (on digital issues). These forum-theater scenes are regularly performed by students from Fontainebleau Political Studies Institute. During the UPEC Cultural Festival on April 5th and 6th, these scenes have been presented to a variety of audiences.

Creation of community grocery stores on UPEC campuses (incomplete)  

The creation of solidarity grocery stores on the University's campuses would meet three objectives: to combat student precariousness and social and economic exclusion, to contribute to the academic success of every student, and to promote responsible lifestyles based on solidarity. The grocery store must also serve as a living space where events are organized to raise awareness of food, ecology and the ecological transition. Several student grocery stores have already been set up in France, most of them under the AGORAé label. Since 2011, some 30 such grocery stores have been set up in several French universities. UPEC would like to go one step further, enabling students in need to obtain foodstuffs free of charge or at very low cost, with no preconditions. Student grocery stores would be run by student associations or by a group of student volunteers.  

At the start of 2022, the project evolved. An initial meeting with the University's President presented the proposal. President Jean-Luc Dubois-Randé voiced his support, and expressed his wish to make basic necessities available to students in need. A solidarity grocery store will soon be set up on UPEC's central campus, to provide a convivial place managed by volunteer students and associations to combat student poverty. 

As for the solidarity fridge and the solidarity grocery store on the Fontainebleau campus, their implementation depends on the construction of the student space, scheduled for the end of 2023.

Creation of a shared garden at the university (partially completed) 

The creation of a shared garden on the University's various campuses would introduce students to the idea of food self-sufficiency, raise their awareness of local consumption of seasonal fruit and vegetables, while making the study environment more pleasant and fostering solidarity between students. The first shared garden is currently being set up on the Fontainebleau campus. This plot is managed by UPEC students and staff who wish to do so. CVEC funding has been requested for the equipment needed for the vegetable garden. All produce from this plot will be destined for students and staff, particularly those in precarious situations. 

At the start of 2022, a meeting with the Fontainebleau town authorities outlined the proposal to create a shared garden. The municipality affirmed its support for the project, and expressed the idea of creating an intergenerational and therapeutic shared garden, in conjunction with the EHPAD and the Fontainebleau Hospital. A meeting was held with the management of the Institute of Political Studies to present the proposal, which met with a positive response. It was therefore decided that a shared garden could be created on the new campus.  

In early 2023, the Soligreen association declared that the shared garden project would soon be coming to life. They have found an available plot of land on the campus and are currently awaiting notification of the funding allocation they have sent to the university (which is expected to be positive). They hope to get their hands in the soil in April.

Creation of a digital mediation and solidarity center (under discussion) 

The creation of this digital and solidarity pole stems from various proposals from the 2nd Students Citizen Assembly aiming to combat student precariousness, digital exclusion, and to reduce the environmental impact of our digital equipment. This pole requires the creation of a student association to help students in difficulty. Indeed, many students need administrative and academic help, as digital platforms can sometimes prove non-inclusive. The activities of this center will be varied. In addition to helping students with their digital procedures, prevention and training campaigns will be launched, and some members of the association will be trained to repair computer equipment. Thus, through personalized requests, students will be able to ask the association to (teach them how to) repair their computer or cell phone, in order to delay the purchase of a new device as long as possible. 

Discussions on the creation of this center are progressing rapidly. Indeed, ESPG and TSE 2nd year Master students had the opportunity to present the project to representatives of Fontainebleau town council and UPEC's digital vice-president.

More recently, members of the Students Citizen Assembly governance committee met with the 8Connect student association. For a significant proportion of students, the lockdown period has revealed the difficulty of accessing their institution's distance learning services and courses. In 2020, 400,000 students declared that they had problems with digital technology, sometimes jeopardizing their studies. Although emergency solutions were found, they sometimes proved insufficient. They did not always provide long-term support for students. Moreover, the trend towards hybrid training requires universities and schools to support their students in this digital transition. It was against this backdrop that the 8Connect association was set up at Paris 8 University. They offer students free computer repair services and self-repair training.  

Members of the committee met with Kamilia Aouaa, a doctoral student at UPEC, whose thesis project is very much in line with the objectives behind the creation of this cluster ("Information technologies have become key elements in our societies. It is in this context that the digitization of public services is taking place in France, with the country gradually becoming a platform state. This prospect poses risks for those who are not digitally literate. Through this thesis, we propose to study the service experience of this population when using online public services"). The exchange proved fruitful. Kamilia Aouaa undertook to put the committee members in touch with Emmaüs Connect (Créteil branch) and to help set up the project.

Written by Victor Pires Henriques

Updated by Dylan Breviere