Appointed nine months ago as head of the National Center for University and School Work (Cnous), Bénédicte Durand will soon have toured the 26 regional structures, or Crous, responsible for managing, among other things, catering and housing for the country’s 2.7 million students. She still has to fly to the Antilles and Guyana “within a fortnight,” confides the woman who was head of cabinet to Élisabeth Borne in Matignon, responsible for education and higher education issues.
She will have good news in her suitcase: the “Cnous network project”, which has just been signed by the board of directors. A roadmap for the next five years, with new housing, rehabilitation of U cities, catering assistance, and the fight against sexist and sexual violence on campus…
What does this network project consist of?
BENEDICTE DURAND. In student life, there are a thousand different stakeholders — us, the communities, the associations, etc. — but everyone does things in their own way. The idea is to align the actors so that we can best exercise our main role: a social shield for students.
In fact, one of the tense subjects is housing. Almost 3 million students… but the Crous only has 175,000 accommodations.
By 2027, we will build 10,000 (as part of the 35,000 additional rooms desired by the State). There are other avenues: raising existing residences, as has just been done in Bordeaux (Gironde). Obviously, the issues differ depending on the region where you are. Saint-Étienne, Corsica or the Paris region do not have the same needs… The capital region concentrates 15% of scholarship recipients, and therefore applicants.
There is also the question of unsanitary residences…
Within three years, we still need to rehabilitate 7,500 homes. The very urgent concern concerns 1,000 to 2,000 rooms, especially in the Antilles and Guyana. This is what I will explain on site within two weeks.
Another subject: one in two students skips a meal because of inflation. What can we do for them, and for those who cannot go to the U restaurant because of waiting times?
Opening restaurants doesn’t solve everything and it takes four years! As part of the Lévi law adopted two years ago, we will deploy, from the beginning of 2025, a card with a sum – the amount of which is not yet defined – that students will be able to use to eat wherever they want. Moreover, the 30 million euros allocated by the new finance bill (PLF) from the State to the Crous will go primarily to restoration.
Some universities don’t even have a university restaurant nearby…
We are in the process of mapping these white zones, which concern around 150,000 students. These can be small colleges in the countryside or students, such as those in nursing, who are on university internship in a rural hospital. They have nowhere to eat lunch at a student rate! The idea is to sign agreements with structures that have a collective restaurant — the CHU of their internship or a high school, for example — allowing them to benefit from the meal for 1 euro or 3.30 euros. This mapping will be completed in the spring.
Since Covid, the queues in front of food distributions have not weakened. Should we, as the associations are asking, extend to everyone the 1 euro meal hitherto reserved for scholarship recipients and the most precarious?
We are aware of this: last year, we served 17% more meals. However, more than half concerned meals for 1 euro. If the State decided to generalize this, the means would have to follow.
One of your priorities is also to simplify the procedures for obtaining aid. Explain to us.
By March, the date for submitting applications, we will launch a single portal to make the application for grants and those for housing interoperable. No more need to send your information several times, your bank details, your income, your family situation, etc.
Are the aids sufficiently well known?
Today, around 100,000 students do not benefit from the aid to which they would be entitled! We are exploring the idea of a universal social file to fight against this. Some do not identify themselves as eligible for scholarships, and others, because of the ups and downs of life – parents who die – find themselves in need. This system will aim to reduce the time it takes to become a scholarship holder and, above all, to ensure that no one misses out on their rights.
What are you doing to prevent sexual and gender-based violence on campus?
In October, we had four attacks. We will, by next year, install a special unit in each Crous de France. First objective: listening — which can be provided internally or supported by a national system such as the Cnaé (the National Coordination of Support for Students). At the end, there may be referral to the authorities, then sanction for the aggressor student.
Nine months ago, you announced the end of the freeze on student rents, i.e. a monthly increase of 2 to 6 euros. What conclusions do you draw from it?
This was not good news for students, I agree. But we were able to free up 15 million euros allocated to renovations, in particular.