Dear UAG Leadership,

We, the medical students of Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG), respectfully request for reasonable and reliable access to university facilities, study spaces, transportation, and campus resources that support the academic demands of our medical education. 

Medical school requires extensive preparation beyond scheduled classroom hours. As international students who have relocated to Mexico and made a significant financial and personal investment to attend UAG, access to safe, dependable study spaces and campus resources is essential to our academic experience.

We want to work collaboratively with UAG to implement practical solutions, many of which could make better use of resources and spaces that already exist on campus.

Our Primary Concerns

1. Limited Individual and Collaborative Study Space

Currently, more than 200 medical students have access to approximately seven reservable library study rooms. During examination periods in particular, demand may far exceed the number of rooms available.

Although the library's quiet study area provides space for independent study, it does not fully address the need for collaborative learning. Medical students frequently study in teams to review clinical cases, quiz one another, work through difficult concepts, and prepare for examinations. The rooms with whiteboards and TVs that facilitate this type of learning are primarily available within the reservable study rooms. 

At times the library may also be unavailable due to exams with accommodations taken in the quiet area. 

When these rooms are unavailable, students who prefer or need collaborative study environments leave campus to find suitable alternatives. Finding alternative study locations takes time away from studying and can create additional transportation costs and safety concerns.

Rather than requiring significant new infrastructure, we believe UAG could expand study capacity by making greater use of existing campus spaces.

Proposed solution: Designated meeting rooms near the administrative offices

Meeting rooms located near the administrative offices could provide additional space for small-group study when they are not being used for official university business.

We are not requesting unrestricted access to administrative areas or priority over administrative activities. Instead, we ask UAG allow students to reserve designated meeting rooms only when administrative operations have concluded for the day. These rooms are often unoccupied after 3:00 pm when students still need collaborative study spaces.

This would create additional opportunities for team-based learning while preserving administrative priority over these spaces.

Proposed solution: Unused lecture rooms and classrooms

Lecture rooms and classrooms may also be unoccupied during portions of the day while students are unable to find suitable study space.

UAG could designate selected classrooms or lecture rooms for student study when they are not scheduled for classes, examinations, meetings, or university events. These lecture rooms are often unused after 3:00 pm as well.

Many students have attempted to use unoccupied rooms for collaboratively study when library rooms are full, but are frequently asked by security to leave.

A simple availability or reservation system could allow UAG to maintain control over these facilities while substantially increasing the amount of study space available to students.

2. Limited Weekend Library Access

Medical students do not have consistent access to the library on weekends despite the significant amount of studying required outside regular school hours.

This is especially frustrating when the weekends are typically the only completely uninterrupted days students have to study. 

We respectfully request that UAG provide reduced library hours on weekends. Even limited weekend access would provide students with a dependable place to study while allowing UAG to account for staffing, security, and operational requirements.

Weekend access would also reduce the need for students to travel off campus to find suitable study locations, helping students conserve valuable study time while reducing additional transportation costs and safety concerns.

3. Shuttle Capacity, Reliability, and Limited Operating Hours

The capacity, reliability, and operating hours of the university shuttle present another challenge for many students.

International Program students share shuttle transportation with students from UAG's national programs. During high-demand periods, shuttles may reach capacity before all waiting students can board.

Even when students arrive as soon as shuttle service becomes available, there may not be enough capacity on the first trip. Students may then have to wait for a second round of pickups.

For students traveling to academic activities, including 7:00 am classes,  this can contribute to tardiness despite arriving on time for transportation. The alternative is often to independently arrange and pay for private transportation to ensure timely arrival.

At the other end of the academic day, shuttle service currently stops at approximately 3:00 pm, limiting students' ability to remain on campus for afternoon or evening study.

Together, these issues create a transportation gap: students may have difficulty reaching campus reliably because of shuttle capacity, while those who remain on campus to study may have limited university transportation available to return home later.

The result is increased reliance on private transportation, creating additional financial costs and safety concerns.

We respectfully ask UAG to consider:

• Additional shuttle capacity to better accommodate student demand
• Adjusted shuttle schedules that provide sufficient time for students to arrive before required classes and academic activities
• Later shuttle service to allow students to remain on campus to study.

4. Student Safety Should Be Part of the Solution

While the primary purpose of this petition is to improve study-space access and transportation, student safety is an important additional consideration.

Many International Program students have relocated to Mexico without personal vehicles and rely heavily on university transportation. When study spaces are unavailable or shuttle service cannot accommodate students' academic schedules, students become more dependent on privately arranged transportation and may need to travel to unfamiliar locations to find alternative study spaces.

Some students have shared uncomfortable or concerning experiences while relying on private transportation. While UAG cannot eliminate every risk students may encounter off campus, reducing the circumstances that require students to seek alternative transportation or unfamiliar off-campus study locations is a practical way the university can support student safety.

Recent tragedies involving university students in Mexico further reinforce why these concerns should not be dismissed. Karla Margarita Pérez Jiménez, a medical student, was recently found deceased here in Zapopan after using app-based transportation and being reported missing . Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera, an international exchange student, was also recently found deceased in Morelos. These incidents are not the basis of this petition, nor do we suggest that the measures requested here would necessarily have prevented them. They are, however, reminders that personal safety is a legitimate concern for students in general and especially when living and studying away from home.

For that reason, we respectfully ask that student safety be one consideration alongside academic access, transportation capacity, staffing, security, and operational feasibility when UAG evaluates the solutions proposed in this petition.

What We Are Asking of UAG

We respectfully request UAG Administration and School of Medicine support students through the following:

• Reduced weekend library hours
• Greater collaborative study capacity, including spaces where students can work together and use whiteboards. Potential Solutions below:
  • Access to designated meeting rooms near the administrative offices after daily administrative duties are completed.
  • Access to designated lecture rooms and classrooms when they are not scheduled for instruction, examinations, meetings, or events.
  • A clear room-availability or reservation system identifying spaces students are permitted to use for studying.
• Additional shuttle capacity to accommodate the need.
• Shuttle scheduling that allows students relying on university transportation sufficient time to arrive for required academic activities before 7:00 am.
• Later shuttle transportation so students can remain on campus to study without being entirely dependent on private transportation.
• Consideration of student safety when evaluating campus access and transportation policies that may increase students’ reliance on privately arranged transportation.
  
  

These concerns are interconnected and are not simply matters of convenience.

We recognize that university facilities and transportation must accommodate multiple programs and that staffing, security, administrative responsibilities, classes, examinations, and other operational requirements must be considered.

We respectfully request that UAG Administration and School of Medicine leadership meet to discuss these concerns and develop a practical plan for improving study-space access and transportation.

By signing this petition, we respectfully ask UAG leadership to work with its medical students toward practical, sustainable improvements in study-space access, transportation, and student safety.