Every five years, a new dean’s office team, composed of associate deans and special advisors, is appointed by the dean to represent him or her in carrying out specific tasks. Each year, a student Vice-Dean is appointed by their peers elected to the Management Council to represent them on the Dean’s Office team. Following in the footsteps of Florian Mary and Théo Lacoste, Paul-Arthur Valet is now taking on the role of student Vice-Dean and president of Ademmoos.  Read his interview here: learn about his background and the projects he hopes to implement as part of his role!

Hello Paul-Arthur, for those who don't know you, could you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Paul-Arthur VALET. I’m 21 years old and a fourth-year medical student in Nîmes. This is the first time the vice dean has come from the Nîmes campus. In addition, I am a student representative on the management council and president of ADEMMOOS (the association of student representatives from all programs). Although my future specialty changes from one clinical rotation to the next, I plan to become a surgeon.

 

You were selected from among ADEMMOOS members to serve as Student Vice Dean, succeeding Théo Lacoste. How did the transition go?

The handover went smoothly, though the start of the term was a bit unusual, particularly given the situation at the national level. We had to organize a protest in collaboration with the SILR, the ACM, and the CCC, whom I would like to thank for their help. The mobilization brought together 400 students, which is a historic milestone for Montpellier-Nîmes. This was followed by the release of our VSS and student mental health surveys, which marks the starting point of a paradigm shift that we are beginning to see.

 

 What made you want to take on this role?

I have been a member of ADEMMOOS since my sophomore year, first as VP of Communications, then as treasurer, and finally as president/VDE. I have always had a strong interest in student representation—in connecting directly with students and being able to help them. Furthermore, working with the dean’s office is very rewarding, especially as part of a supportive and attentive team.

How will you balance your duties as associate dean with your responsibilities as a student?

Let's face it, this is relatively complex, but I knew that when I took on these responsibilities. So you have to be particularly organized, but these positions (president and
VDE) are so exciting. To successfully balance everything, you have to know how to delegate, so I would like to thank the association’s board and, in particular, the general vice president, Soukaina MOUH MOUH, who was elected to the educational council and does work behind the scenes that is all the more essential.

 

What are your goals and priorities for this term? Do you plan to continue the "Student Well-Being" initiative launched by your predecessor?

Regarding the “Well-Being” project, we have two vice-presidents on the executive board, Emma PETON and Florent BENOIST, whom I have every confidence will fulfill the mission entrusted to them
. They have already organized booths for No Smoking Month and the “Solidarity Christmas” event, which aims to connect students from the Montpellier-Nîmes Medical Faculty who wish to gather for a Christmas meal.
Furthermore, I strongly believe in inter-association collaboration; student associations bring life to our campus and play a structural role at both of our faculty’s campuses. On a personal level, my priority is combating sexual and sexual violence and empowering victims to speak out.

 

What initiatives would you like to implement for students?

In addition to continuing existing projects such as publishing the back-to-school guides and the Internal Future Forum… I’d like to revive certain projects that had to be put on hold due to the Covid-
, such as the “reprez’ cafés,” which were opportunities to connect with ANEMF administrators and your local elected representatives. Overall, I believe that national representation is just as fundamental as local representation; for this reason, we have assigned two members to this task: for Montpellier, Zoé DOLADILLE (ADEMMOOS) and Rémi BOURGAUX (ACM), and for Nîmes, Manon VALETTE (ADEMMOOS) and Elise DE LOTH (CCC).

 

Any final thoughts?

The issue that is particularly close to my heart is gender-based and sexual violence (GBV). What I hope for is greater openness in speaking out, in order to break the code of silence that
prevents victims from speaking up.
Thanks to our surveys and the responses from the faculty, people are starting to speak up; it is up to us not to betray the courage that victims have shown in speaking out.

“The tables must turn.”