In the framework of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Universidad Espiritu Santo (UEES) proclaimed December 9 as the Culture of Legality Day, during the event “The art of being correct.”, The event brought together students from different faculties to reflect on respect for the rules of coexistence and the importance of values in every action within university life.
The program included the presentation of a song on the theme performed by students of Music Production, the exhibition of the actions promoted by UEES within its crusade for the culture of legality -such as the campaign “Fingers crossed” developed by students of Communication-, a discussion on the same topic and a musical show.
During his speech, the rector of the university, Isidro Fierro, highlighted the essential meaning of this commitment: “What does it really mean to be correct in our daily lives as a university community? The culture of legality may seem a complex or distant expression, but in reality it contains a simple and profoundly valuable message for our community. It means voluntarily complying with the rules, being consistent between what we say and what we do, and taking responsibility for each of our actions. In short, it is choosing to be right, even when no one is watching.”.
For his part, the director of the Graduate School of Law, Pablo Alarcón, emphasized that the university has worked constantly and structurally on this objective: “The University currently has a committee led by the rector, a chair, a participatory blog, sensory campaigns and national and international competitions that promote honesty and transparency. In addition, it has incorporated this approach transversally in careers and graduate programs to form a community committed to change from its own environment”.
The student voice was also present. Maria Gracia Jaramillo, a law student, called for reflection on individual responsibility: “We are normalizing the culture of the wise and not the culture of legality. And if we normalize that culture, we are not going to have the Ecuador we want so much. Then we sit down and complain, I can't stand these politicians, that justice in the country is terrible. But we never sit down and say, What am I doing to keep the country like this?”
The event was attended by 150 students and concluded with the reading of a citizen commitment, selected among several documents prepared by students of the Ethics course, which will be shared with the institutional community to reinforce the purpose of living the culture of legality from the university environment.
