Calouras e Calouros UFSC

Congratulations on becoming a UFSC student!

We are thrilled to welcome you to our university community.

In the coming days, you will meet your classmates, professors, and the dedicated professionals working on campus. This is a big moment in your life, and we want your journey at UFSC to be a positive and meaningful experience as you work toward your personal and academic goals.

To support you along the way, UFSC is built on values that promote respect, inclusion, and excellence. As an inclusive university, we do not tolerate any form of violence –  whether physical or virtual  –  on our campuses.

If you ever witness or experience any form of violence, UFSC provides channels for reporting incidents and offering support to victims.

Learn more on this page!

UFSC FOR INCLUSION AND AGAINST VIOLENCE

UFSC is dedicated to democratizing access to free, high-quality public higher education while fully embracing its academic diversity. The university fosters an environment that promotes ideological pluralism and, above all, respect for all forms of personal, academic, ethnic, cultural, and intercultural diversity. Additionally, UFSC prioritizes openness to dialogue and encourages full participation, placing high value on commitment and responsibility in building and upholding democratic and civic practices.

These democratic and civic practices are cultivated through respect and acceptance of sexual and ethnic-racial diversity, the inclusion of people with disabilities, and awareness of socioeconomic inequalities.

As such, UFSC strongly condemns any actions that contradict these democratic principles, including:

Ableism:  a form of prejudice or discrimination against people with disabilities, based on the assumption that a person’s worth or ability to function depends on conforming to an ideal standard of physical beauty or functional ability.

Psychophobia: refers to the discrimination against individuals with mental illnesses, psychosocial disorders, and/or disabilities. The term is not used in a clinical sense, simply describing a harmful form of prejudice directed at these individuals.

Ethnocentrism: an attitude of contempt, disrespect, or devaluation toward the cultural expressions of others, arising from the belief that one’s own culture is superior and using it as a standard to judge others.

LGBTphobia:  discriminatory behavior targeting at person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This includes several specific forms of discrimination:

• Homophobia: refers to attitudes and behaviors of contempt, discrimination, and hatred toward non-heterosexual people, particularly gays.
• Biphobia: a form of discrimination directed specifically at bisexual people.
• Lesbophobia: a form of dual discrimination that combines intolerance due to sexual orientation with gender subordination, targeting lesbians.
• Transphobia: attitudes and behaviors of contempt, discrimination, and hatred toward transgender individuals, including transvestites and transsexuals. In 2010, UFSC approved the use of a social name (the chosen name/sex of a transsexual or transvestite, different from their legal name) for transgender students in academic documents.

Racism: discriminatory behavior that creates a hierarchy based on skin color or ethnicity. Those protected against racism, which is also a crime, include Black people and individuals from indigenous communities.

Misogyny: discriminatory behavior that ranks individuals based on their gender, enforcing different expectations for men and women and placing the feminine in a subordinate position to the masculine.

Xenophobia: a prejudiced attitude that ranks people based on their ethnic group and/or nationality.

Moral Harassment: occurs when someone repeatedly and systematically attacks another person’s dignity, subjecting them to humiliation and harming their mental health, image, or honor. It can also be understood as a series of frequent, abusive actions that disrespect a person or group of people, affecting their physical and/or psychological integrity.

Sexual Harassment: Any behavior of a sexual nature that is unwanted by the victim. It includes any sexual conduct imposed against someone’s will in various forms—verbal, non-verbal, or physical—expressed through words, gestures, or contact, whether in person or virtually. Sexual harassment violates personal dignity and can create an intimidating, hostile, humiliating, or degrading environment.

UFSC AGAINST HAZING: HAZING IS NOT WELCOME!

Joining our University marks a time for learning, exchange, friendship, and fun. At UFSC, we are committed to ensuring that all new students are welcomed in a positive and respectful environment. Hazing, in any form, is strictly prohibited according to UFSC Resolution No. 017/CUN/97, which regulates undergraduate programs:

Art. 128 – Hazing, in any form, is prohibited for students at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.

Furthermore, in the State of Santa Catarina, hazing is recognized as a crime under State Law No. 15,431 of 2010.

Under this law, hazing is defined as any conduct or practice that offends the physical, moral, or psychological integrity of new students, subjects them to humiliation or embarrassment, or coerces them into asking for donations of goods or money”.

Any behavior deemed to be hazing, whether occurring in person or online, will be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible will face consequences in accordance with the law.

INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING AND SUPPORT CHANNELS

If you experience any situation described here, or any other form of violence, you have the right to file a complaint and seek support.

The following are institutional reporting channels:

• Office of the Inspector General: this office is responsible for handling disciplinary issues within the university, investigating infractions, and applying penalties to public servants and other individuals subject to administrative discipline;
• Ombuds Office: responsible for receiving complaints and forwarding them to the appropriate authorities for further action;
• Chairperson of the Undergraduate Program Council: as outlined in article 122 of Resolution 017/CUn/97, the chairperson is tasked with investigating infractions committed by students.
• Student Associations within the Programs: representing the student body, these associations are committed to defending and supporting students.

The following are institutional channels for support:

• Psychological Care Service (SAPSI)
• Institutional Program for Student Academic Support (PIAPE/PROGRAD): provides academic and educational guidance and support.
• Prorectorate for Affirmative Action and Equity (PROAFE): this prorectorate oversees the following offices:
• Educational Accessibility Coordination Office
• Race and Ethnic Relations Coordination Office
• Sexual Diversity and Combating Gender-Based Violence Coordination Office

It is important to note that the behaviors described here as violence may also constitute criminal offenses and/or result in moral damages. In addition to administrative investigations conducted by UFSC through internal procedures, acts of violence such as racism, LGBTphobia, sexual harassment, and moral harassment may lead to legal action, including criminal penalties and compensation for material and moral damages.

With the support of:

UFSC Communication Agency (AGECOM)
Institutional Program for Student Academic Support (PIAPE/PROGRAD)
Institute for Gender Studies (IEG)
Center for Research on Rights, Subjectivities and Politics (Dispolítica)
Center for Research on Ways of Life, Family and Gender Relations (MARGENS)
Disability Studies Center (NED)