If you are a member of the UPF university community and your language rights are affected by an internal action or omission, you can communicate this through these channels:

  • Cases affecting teaching: contact the dean or the director of the centre or study through a CAU (Student Academic Support / Incidents and complaints about the languages of teaching).

                                                   Mailbox for linguistic complaints in the teaching area 

  • Other cases of a general scope: contact the rector or the vice-rector or commissioner in charge of language policy matters through the Transparency Portal.

                                                    Mailbox for general language complaints  

 

Possible reasons for complaints or incidents:

  • Change of language in the subject-group due to change of teacher.
  • Change of language in the subject-group requested by mobility students.
  • Change of language in the subject-group requested by students with ordinary registration.
  • The language is not specified in the teaching planning of the subject-group at the time of enrolment.

 

Regulatory framework

The principle of linguistic security was defined in the UPF's Plan of Action for Multilingualism and has been in force in the classrooms at Pompeu Fabra University since the beginning of the application of this plan. Recently, in addition, the application of this principle has been ratified by the Interuniversity Council of Catalonia in the Pla d’Enfortiment de la Llengua Catalana en el Sistema Universitari i de Recerca de Catalunya [Plan to Strengthen the Catalan Language in the University and Research System of Catalonia].

Acording to the regulatory framework, respecting the language or languages of instruction as advertised is a guarantee for both students and lecturers. This is guaranteed by Article 6 of the Regulation and promotion of the use of Catalan at Pompeu Fabra University. 

(Video with subtitles in English, Catalan and Spanish)

Responsibilities of the agents implied

Ensuring that the language or languages of instruction advertised in course plans are adhered to is the responsibility of everyone. Responsibilities are specified as follows:

Deans and directors (undergraduate courses) and department heads (master’s degrees)

  • Ensure that the language of instruction is established for all subjects and groups prior to the start of classes.
  • Inform lecturers of the language or languages of instruction for the groups they teach.
  • Resolve any incidents/complaints regarding languages of instruction as established in the course plans.
  • Notify the Academic Management Service at the end of each term of all incidents/complaints that have arisen with regard to the language of instruction.

Lecturers

  • Know which is the language or languages of instruction established for the subjects they teach.
  • Teach subjects in the established language or languages of instruction.
  • Inform the dean or director of any incidents/complaints concerning language of instruction incurred with the groups they teach.

Students

  • Prior to the start of classes, know which is the language or languages of instruction of the subjects they take.
  • Notify the dean (for undergraduate subjects) or the department director (for master's degree subjects) in writing of any change of language of instruction vis-à-vis the language or languages advertised for the teaching group.

 

 

Circuit and monitoring of linguistic complaints or incidents in the teaching field

The circuit established to file a complaint or incident related to teaching when members of the university community consider their linguistic rights affected by an internal action or omission is as follows:

  1. The interested party submits the incident or complaint through a CAU (Academic attention to the student section > Incidents and complaints about the languages of teaching) addressed to the dean or director of the centre or study.
  2. The requests received through the CAU are received by the PIE and transferred to the corresponding Management and Administration Unit (UGA), with a copy in the mailbox of the vice-rector in charge in matters of language policy or, if there is none, to another position with general functions including this matter.
  3. The UGA sends the information to the management of the studies in order to resolve the incident or complaint.
  4. The UGA implements the actions deriving from the resolution taken by the director of studies, which will affect the professor responsible for the subject and the students involved, and informs the vice-rector in charge of matters of language policy or, if it does not exist, another position with general functions  including this matter, through their mailbox.
  5. The UGA incorporates the information into the report on the collection of incidents and complaints due to a change in the language of teaching in official undergraduate and master's degree subjects (according to the agreement of the Inter-University Council of Catalonia).
  6. The vice management of the Teaching Area is responsible for collecting this data and sending them to the Department of Research and Universities.

The annual report on language policy includes the quarterly monitoring of incidents or complaints detected in relation to the languages of teaching. Periodically, the vice-rectorate responsible for language policy evaluates the incidents or complaints detected and makes proposals for improvement in the centres.