“Is the University Still Open?”: What the Surrounding Community Says About the Federal University of Pampa

Abstract

The present article is a field research produced in the city of Jaguarão/RS on the views of the community in relation to the Federal University of Pampa – Campus Jaguarão. Thus, a case study was developed during 2018 in the peripheral neighbourhoods surrounding the university. Through a questionnaire, sixty-six people were interviewed. With these interviews, a data analysis was produced that suggests the type of relationship that this community has with the university. The data indicate that despite the positive impact of the institution, considered one more element for access to higher education for this population, there are still challenges that hinder access to university for now, such as the border reality of low training rates, connected to a imaginary that separates part of these people from the academic environment created with the main objective of reaching these populations.