Every five years, a new dean’s office team, composed of associate deans and program coordinators, is appointed by the dean to represent the dean in carrying out specific tasks. Each year, a student Vice Dean is appointed by 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 has now taken 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 might not know you, could you please 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 transition went smoothly; that said, the start of my 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’d like to thank for their help. The mobilization brought together 400 students, which is a historic turnout for Montpellier-Nîmes. This was followed by the release of our VSS and student mental health surveys, which mark the starting point of a paradigm shift that we are beginning to see.

 

 What made you want to take on this role?

I’ve been a member of ADEMMOOS since my sophomore year, first as VP of Communications, then as treasurer, and finally as president/VDE. I’ve 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 obligations as a student?

Let’s face it, this is relatively complex, but I knew that when I accepted 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’d like to thank the association’s board and, in particular, the vice president general, 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” project initiated 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 School of Medicine who wish to get together for a Christmas meal.
Furthermore, I am a strong believer in collaboration among student organizations; they bring our campus to life and play a structural role at both of our faculty’s campuses. On a personal level, my priority is combating sexual and psychological violence and empowering victims to speak out.

 

What initiatives would you like to implement for the 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-19 pandemic, 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. To that end, 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 (VSS). What I hope for is greater freedom of speech, in order to break the code of silence that
prevents victims from speaking out.
Thanks to our surveys and the responses from the faculties, people are starting to speak up; it’s up to us not to betray the courage that victims have shown in speaking out.

“The shame must shift to the other side.”