University Of São Paulo Professor Brings In Its History Actions That Encourage Diversity And Inclusion

Nothese times when USP has been practicing and encouraging activities that promote diversity and inclusion, the Faculty of Economics, Administration, Accounting and Actuarial Science (FEA) at USP demonstrates its full willingness to adhere to the social changes in our society. “This is not new and there are many initiatives”, as highlighted by the current director of FEA-USP, professor Maria Dolores Montoya Diaz. “It is not new that our unit is looking for actions that meet diversities.”

She remembers, proudly, that in 1954 the FEA had its first female director. “That was when Professor Alice Canabrava took over as head of our faculty”, highlights Maria Dolores. She reinforces that, “here at FEA, diversity has always been encouraged and practiced”. The professor, who is from the Department of Economics at FEA, brings a history of a good part of her life dedicated to the unit. She after all, since she was 18, as a student, until now, as a director, since the month of June of this 2022.

Maria Dolores is the third director of FEA, which was founded 76 years ago. Before her, professors Maria Alice Piffer Canabrava (1954-1957) and Maria Tereza Leme Fleury (2002-2006) have already held the position. “In this mandate of ours there is a difference: our board is formed exclusively by women. My deputy director is Professor Maria Sylvia Macchione Saes, from the Administration Department”, says Maria Dolores. The mandate will run from 2022 to 2026. “It is the first time in FEA’s history that the unit will be directed by two female professors”, highlights the director.

Maria Dolores’ trajectory at FEA began in 1997, when she joined as a professor linked to the creation project of the Faculty of Economics, Administration and Accounting of Ribeirão Preto, FEA-RP. “I stayed there until 2011, when I returned to FEA in the capital”, says the director.

historical diversity
When highlighting the inclusive role and remembering the first director of FEA, in 1954, Professor Alice Canabrava, Maria Dolores quotes the words of the first director of the unit, which appear in the commemorative book of the 75th anniversary of FEA USP:
“I am very grateful to the Faculty of Economics and Administration (the new name with the reform of 1970), in which I have never encountered the slightest restriction, both myself and other colleagues, whether in teaching or research work, and in administrative functions…”

For Maria Dolores, these words from the first woman to be director of the unit demonstrate FEA’s vocation for diversity and inclusion. “Even before the current management of the Rectory, our unit already supported such measures”, she says. Among other measures, she remembers that she participated in the approval of the Quality of Life Commission (CQV) created shortly after professor Fábio Frezatti took office, in July 2018. The main idea was to create a commission to prevent and combat moral harassment and also in mental health care at FEA. Another activity highlighted by Maria Dolores is the Association of Friends of the FEA (Amefea). “It is a connection with the parents of students who have helped other students since they joined our unit”, describes the director.

opening doors
In order for the diversity and inclusion actions to be very well directed and executed, according to Maria Dolores, it is essential that the students’ needs are recognized. “For this and other reasons, we try to ‘open doors’ to find out about the real difficulties and find the right paths to really get to know the problems. We need to better understand the breadth of actions and policies needed,” she describes.

The professor highlights, for example, the changes that the University itself is going through. “I started at USP when I was 18, at FEA, and here I am until now”, reveals the professor, highlighting, for example, the work of the Associação dos Negros Feanos group. “I see the performance as extremely positive. FEA is changing. An FEA that has always been ‘white’ is opening up to black students and teachers”, celebrates the teacher.

In September of this 2022, FEA-USP received rapper Rincon Sapiência who, together with historian Laíza Oliveira, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) at USP, participated in a debate on Discrimination and black music .

The event was promoted by the FEA Cursinho and brought together a young and diverse audience that attentively followed the chat about racial segregation in the construction of Brazilian music. The purpose of the meeting was to raise funds to cover the costs of enrollment fees at Fuvest for students attending the preparatory course who had their requests for exemption denied.

After the formal presentations, relaxation still prevailed, but eyes were already more attentive and observant. Soon that “formal” silence was broken by Rincon Sapiência: “I am happy to be here with you”. From that moment on, everyone listened carefully to the rapper’s responses to questions posed by three students from the event’s organizing committee, and Laíza’s comments.

With the aim of representing all students and defending their interests, inside and outside the University, the Visconde de Cairu Academic Center was created three months after the founding of FEA, 76 years ago. In addition to academic and political debates, the CAVC also supports study groups, publishes articles and organizes events to encourage student integration. “It is where we seek new political forms of permanence, for a more inclusive FEA, with spaces for student autonomy”, says Giulia Castro, student of Actuarial Sciences at FEA and president of CAVC.

The Academic Center is linked to a series of initiatives at FEA, such as “aulões”, with students and professors from the faculty to help other students in general and specific subjects. The group is also responsible for CAVC Idiomas, teaching several languages ​​with quality and affordable prices.

CAVC organizes FEA parties, with the utmost care for the integration of students, with social lots for the entire University. “It is very important that everyone feels included and can participate”, says Giulia. In addition, the Academic Center manages the FEA experience. “It was a great achievement for us, because it is a space where students can have autonomy, rest, play, talk… in short, it elevates our university experience”, she adds.

The Academic Center of FEA is also responsible for Visconde , a magazine produced by the students of the faculty, with subjects ranging from the world scenario to the context of USP. “It’s where students can express themselves artistically, with a physical copy to keep for future generations”, says Giulia.

Not long ago, USP could be called traditional and conservative. However, GENERAS , the Research and Extension Center on Gender, Race and Sexuality at the School of Economics, Administration, Accounting and Actuarial Science (FEA) at USP shows that the University no longer fits these adjectives. “The nucleus was born with the idea of ​​bringing gender, race and sexuality guidelines, coming from a business environment, into the faculty because, until then, this was not set in FEA”, explains Silvia Casa Nova, co-founder of GENERAS and Professor of Accounting at USP.

The group was created by undergraduate and graduate students, along with FEA professors, with the aim of encouraging discussions and reflections on diversity, through research, teaching and extension projects for the social and economic empowerment of society. “It’s so that people who are now at the University can feel a little more comfortable, talking about themselves and being themselves”, says Ana Rodrigues, coordinator of GENERAS.


Within GENERAS, there is the Poder de Escolha project, which brings together FEA students, scholarship holders and volunteers, to entrepreneurs on the outskirts of São Paulo. FEA students go through a complementary process to their academic training on issues of gender and race, peripheral entrepreneurship, non-violent communication and solidary economy, becoming trainers. Then, they transmit their knowledge to the entrepreneurs, who develop their businesses with the consultancy provided.


Another group working to bring diversity to FEA is EconomistAs . Coordinated by professors Fabiana Rocha and Paula Pereda, both from the Department of Economics, the group’s objective is to act by developing research on the participation of women in academic careers in Economics. Being the course with the lowest percentage of female students and professors on the faculty, participants act to see that it is possible to pursue an academic career, although the fact of being a woman requires more efforts to prove this ability.

There are many factors that lead to gender not being interested in teaching. As teacher Fabiana says, “it could be a matter of preference, or a masculine and hostile environment, in which they do not identify with their colleagues or teachers, and the private job market itself, which is not friendly.” Therefore, the need for women like Professor Maria Dolores, current director of FEA, so that she can inspire these students. She also works in the group, as does teacher Solange Gonçalves.

“Having a woman at the head of the faculty shows us that there are competent women in our area and, for the younger ones, that an academic career is possible as a possibility of professional achievement. They see that they are not alone” , says Fabiana Rocha.

Restricted to undergraduate and graduate students in Economics, the group reinforces how Economics is an applied social science and, therefore, needs debate in order to develop. Also being responsible for the FEA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Paula emphasizes how much the group works on several fronts, such as a mentoring program, a series of podcasts, in order to “make our students’ lives better than ours was. academic.”

The group was born from the Coletivo Carolina Maria de Jesus, which emerged in 2015, when black students at FEA saw the need to unite in a coordinated action to bring to light the various racial conflicts that permeate their professional and personal lives. Around 2020, the collective became Anfea and began to work even harder to support its members, so that they achieve successful trajectories through networking, development programs and discussion platforms.

“The impact of Anfea has been fundamental in my professional life, and in my life outside FEA, for my networking relationship and for understanding market possibilities, so much so that one of the vacancies I applied for and work for today was publicized within the our group. On a personal level, I also made friends with people I admire a lot and I keep in close contact with them until today. So Anfea is very important in my trajectory”, says Renan Silva, graduated in Administration in 2020 and current president of the association.

In 2021, the organization celebrated the first edition of the Anfea Career Acceleration Program (PAAC), which ended in November, which benefited 25 FEA students and alumni, all of African descent. There were eight months of online activities, divided between personalized mentoring, workshops and meetings, and English classes. The program’s main goals and values ​​are the career development of future black leaders and the promotion of equity in the labor market, as well as responsibility and integrity.

Created in 2018, the Quality of Life Commission (CQV) emerged with the aim of preventing and combating moral harassment, in addition to promoting mental health care practices at FEA. Wilson Costa, a professor at the Department of Administration, says that initially it was identified that harassment at the faculty existed and is still present in a diffuse way, especially among leadership positions. “We did four introductory information lectures with department heads and undergraduate coordinators. The focus was more on people from the administrative area and student representatives”, says Costa.

Therefore, the need to hold meetings to discuss these issues and promote a healthy environment for students, faculty and staff. One of the Commission’s ways of acting is listening. Those responsible for the nucleus listen to the complaints and needs of the feana community, forwarding them to the responsible sector. Administrative, academic and student organizations are also involved in the program.

Under the coordination of professors Sérgio Almeida and Pedro Forquesato, both from the Department of Economics at FEA, the FEA Nudge program has been operating in the academic reception of undergraduate students, support in the management of university life and planning their careers.

While the program is intended for all FEA students, it has been important for students from public schools and economically disadvantaged families. FEA Nudge seeks to ensure that these freshmen students have the necessary support to overcome their educational deficiencies.

Since 2018, when USP adopted a system of social quotas, the profile of newcomers to FEA courses has changed. Today, about 50% of students are public school graduates and members of demographic groups (blacks, browns and Indians) with historical socioeconomic disadvantage. Thus, the challenge arose for FEA to ensure that these students had support to absorb the contents of the curriculum.

It all started in 2019, when professors Ana Carolina Rodrigues and Kavita Hanza submitted a project through FEA-USP to a Social Entrepreneurship Notice. Entitled Potencializa: Program to empower young multipliers in peripheral contexts , the project with an emphasis on new social businesses in the peripheries was approved and inspires the creation and submission of Periferia Livr@: strengthening the production, discussion and consumption of literature on the edges of SP .

Since then, the project has sought to strengthen the production and consumption of independent literature in the peripheries through: training actions on management topics; advice to publishers on management topics; development of a virtual publishing house and application to expand the production and consumption formats of independent literature. Periferia Livr@, in the same year, also acted to encourage literary production using alternative media.

“Our group today is a consortium of professors from other USP units, authors and editors who work outside the University. We have a strong interdisciplinary characteristic”, describes the coordinator of the initiative, professor Ana Carolina Rodrigues. The team recruited to integrate the project has scholarship holders from undergraduate and graduate programs, volunteers and a group of professors, all belonging to USP, in several research and teaching units – among them FEA, FFLCH, ECA, FE, IP, ICMC, Poly, IME. Due to the performance and dedication of its team, Periferia Livr@ raised funds through approval in public notices, such as the Pro-Rectory of Culture and Extension (PRCEU) and the Pro-Rectory of Graduation (PRG), both from USP. “We also got partnerships and sponsors. Thus, it is possible to continue the project”, says Ana Carolina.

The institutional program called Pesc FEA – institutional program of the FEA board – aims to integrate college students with other units of the University. Pesc was created in September 2001 by Professor Rosa Maria Fischer and was aimed at undergraduate students.

The main objective is to create opportunities to apply the knowledge acquired at USP with third sector organizations, social interest organizations and non-profit organizations.

More than 800 students have passed through Pesc, who were able to support, in total, almost 150 non-profit organizations through projects aimed at training the organization so that it can carry out its activities in a sustainable manner.

The edition of the program lasts one year and is formed by groups of up to six students, who seek out an institution and analyze possible problems or improvements in their activities. At Pesc FEA, participants develop skills in management areas, such as a strategic and entrepreneurial vision for social action. Experiencing new realities, they will be able to learn from diversities — of gender, race, social class — as they enhance their curriculum, earn curriculum credits and bonuses to do an exchange program at the end of the project.

FEA Social was born from Pesc, around 2014, with the aim of bringing the faculty closer to the social sector and professionally developing the members of the entity. The group, coordinated by FEA students, focuses on consulting and events, but also helps in the development of impact businesses (NIS) with social entrepreneurs.

The entity operates in the areas of Consultancy for NGOs and NIS, Incubator (division that emerged to help projects of social entrepreneurs) and organization of events that enhance social causes and sector organizations. A standout event that took place this year was the Social Tank . Inspired by an American television program, the event brought together different proposals for social entrepreneurship, which were presented to a group of investors.

Recently, FEA Social released on its Instagram an initiative called Empreende Sim! , which aims to offer opportunities for public school students with innovative initiatives to undertake. The project was encouraged by FEA Social, and is currently consolidated in a faculty discipline called Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in Practice.

The Associação dos Amigos da FEA is one of the diversity fronts that operates in different areas. Created more than ten years ago, the group relies on the voluntary work of parents, students, teachers and employees so that they can collaborate by supporting and welcoming students in socioeconomic vulnerability.

The association operates on two fronts. Whether offering scholarships to students enrolled in undergraduate courses at FEA, or offering psychological support. The value of the grant is BRL 1,000 per month for 12 months, but it can be renewed for another year. The granting of the scholarship is accompanied by a commitment to return the amount received after completing the course, so that it can benefit other students. The return of the scholarship occurs after ten years of completion of the course.

In partnership with CAVC Idiomas, the college’s language course, Amefea scholarship holders can also receive grants of up to 100% to study English, Spanish, German or Italian. Psychosocial support, on the other hand, has biweekly activities and has psychologists offering a care network, providing welcome in academic experiences.

Although diversity initiatives are currently numerous at FEA and created in different periods, the College’s Diversity and Inclusion Commission emerged this year after the structuring of the Pro-Rectory of Inclusion and Belonging (PRIP) at USP. At FEA, the commission works as an arm of the body within the unit, gathering information about the needs of the FEA community and proposing internal actions based on diversity, equity and intersectionality.

Coordinated by professor Paula Pereda, from the Department of Economics, the nucleus has in its scope policies that include integral health, with special attention to mental health, socioeconomic, ethnic-racial, cultural and gender issues, as well as accessibility for people with disabilities, ensuring the consolidation of belonging, respecting their singularities. According to her, “it is not enough just to have the Quota Law — which widened the diversity at the University —, it is also necessary to welcome students so that they feel they belong to the spaces they occupy”.

The teacher also highlights how it is not enough to talk about diversity and inclusion, but to promote actions that establish this in a practical, concrete way. These policies should “translate into programs and actions capable of simultaneously enabling collective participation, the plurality of knowledge, such as the production of themes and pieces of knowledge, guaranteeing effective exchanges and permeability with society”.

Currently, the commission has been surveying the needs of students at Crusp, the University’s student housing, and talking to students about actions that the institutional core can promote in relation to improving mental health and access to scholarships and aid.