Irapuato, Gto., April 4, 2017.- Authorities from educational institutions and the city of Irapuato signed the Agreement for the Integral Development of the University City Copal, which seeks to set the foundations of a coordinated work in matter safety, transport, infrastructure and culture, which allows to address the problems that present in each zone.

The agreement was subscribed by directors of the University of Guanajuato (UG), the Instituto Superior Tecnológico de Irapuato (ITESI), the Colegio de Estudios Científicos y Tecnológicos del Estado de Guanajuato (CECyTE) Irapuato II and the University Incarnate Word Campus Bajío; as well as authorities of the city of Irapuato.

At the event, UG's General Rector, Dr. Luis Felipe Guerrero Agripino, sustained that safety is a permanent topic, which implies a co-responsibility and where prevention is a fundamental factor. Hence, implies actions in short, medium and long term, since it requires the construction a culture of the legality and peace; as well as the generation of alternatives to distribute the free time of the students in culture and sports.

He reminded that in September 2016, the institution presented an Integral Safety Program and then signed an Agreement for the Safety and Prevention in the University Surroundings with authorities of the three powers and the three government levels. He mentioned that in these lies the idea that educational institutions are not strangers to the problem of insecurity, and must act consequently.

However, we must recognize –said the General Rector—that the educational institutions lack elements, infrastructure, formation and attributions to face this problem, hence the importance of the interinstitutional collaboration. Hence, he celebrated the signing of this agreement, at the same time he trusts it will become in the detonator to detect new areas of collaboration.

At the ceremony, the Municipal President of Irapuato, Arq. José Ricardo Ortíz Gutiérrez, made the protest to the Committee for the Integral Development of the University City Copal, presided by Ing. Raúl Morales Aguilar, Chief of the Department of Security of UG, and composed by Oscar Torres Torres, as representatives of ITESI; M. Alejandrina Araíz Acosta, of CECyTE; and Lic. Juan Carlos Lorenzini Spezia, of the University Incarnate Word; and from the city, Lic. Tomás Mendoza Soria.

In his message, Arq. Ortiz Gutierrez, highlighted the joint commitment to work not only for safety, but also in other topics such as mobility, where he suggested to include it to UG students, who could present a project to solve the problem related with transport.

Likewise, he reminded that this collaboration was importantly encouraged by the society of students of UG, and applauded their enthusiastic participation to address the topics that affect them.

In his intervention, the Rector of Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, Dr. Armando Gallegos Muñoz, made a brief flashback of the previous work prior to the agreement's signing, and reminded that in 2010, the educational institutions in the zone had the first approach in cooperation, and today, with the support from the city of Irapuato, "they set the basis for the comprehensive development of the University City".

Derived from the agreement, UG committed to destine in the present year, one million pesos to acquire cameras and communication equipment for the venue Irapuato.

ITESI will make an investment to purchase and install video surveillance systems and pedestrian controlled access.

CECyTE Irapuato II has already implemented measures for the controlled access to its facilities and is negotiating in their system an additional fund.

It is important to remember that prior to the agreement's signing there has been actions to address the security in the zone, among where stand out the mobile police stations next to the pedestrian bridge, patrolling and the installation of three alarms in the buildings of the Division of Life Sciences from UG.