Taking Over the Chancellors Office

by Slobodanka Ast

The scene at the Belgrade university (BU) rectorate building was unrealistic: Professor Dragutin Velickovic, the rector who thousands of students turned their backs on 100 days ago, whose resignation has been demanded in writing by 3,400 BU teachers, 28 of the 30 university colleges and all eight institutes, and who was finally dismissed by the BU assembly, finally spoke out to demand the dismissal of his deputy, the protector, 13 deans and the directors of all eight institutes.

All that at a moment when everyone expected him to finally resign, end the longest student rebellion (and greatest crisis) in BU history, help prevent 60,000 BU students from failing their school year and prevent thousands of high school graduates from losing their place at the university for a year.

His explanation for the purge of deans and directors is highly cynical: "they are responsible for destabilizing the university... they were the incitors," "they allowed political organizing and activities at the university" and "they took part in creating illegal organizations."

In response to a reporter’s question Velickovic said that "although I am not convinced of my personal guilt, I will resign as rector once the students are back in class." He said everyone is to blame for the situation at the university. Asked about the criteria that caused him to demand the dismissal of half the BU deans and all institute directors he said "it was his own judgment" and added that he is well informed about everything that is happening at the university, colleges and at the protest. He also explained why he didn’t react when the police broke into the school of philosophy: "I was informed of that three days later!"

Student representatives at that press conference walked out with cries of "shame on you rector". It is just one in a series of public attacks against the university the authorities launched over the past few days, after ignoring dramatic events for weeks. First, the education ministry issued a statement attacking a session of the BU teaching council which ousted Velickovic on February 27 and appointed professor Dragutin Kuburovic as acting rector. Then the new education minister, Jovan Todorovic, spoke up to announce radical reforms at the university.

That same day, the SPS and JUL executive boards spoke out to say that they will insist on the functioning of all institutions of society and the state from kindergartens and schools to universities, theaters, hospitals, retirement homes. They said that will be the measure of the efforts and dignity of the state and its bodies. Officials who can’t achieve that will be dismissed.

The teaching council session that was held at the same time as Velickovic’s press conference discussed a return to classes. "The current authorities don’t want to see students complete the school year. It’s indicative that whenever we found a solution which would normalize classes, the authorities took steps which made the student protest more radical," School of Philosophy Dean Marija Bogdanovic said. School of Mathematics Dean Zoran Kadelburg also believes the authorities undermined any agreement and solutions. School of Chemistry Dean Ivan Juranic called students to return to classes under the new BU administration to give the teaching council legitimacy. Electrotechnical Engineering School Dean Borivoje Lazic appealed to student representatives not to loose precious time over Velickovic: "He no longer exists as rector! You’ve won! If we loose another 10 days, you’ll turn your victory into a defeat!"

Marija Bogdanovic said this was not pressure but added that the students have to say whether they stand by the BU Council decision of January 15 (supporting the student protest and all their demands including the rector’s dismissal) or whether they’ll lend their support to the teaching council and deans who stood by them for over three months by returning to class.

The deans and professors didn’t waste time on Velickovic’s dismissal list; they said he can’t dismiss anyone because that is up to the teaching council and the colleges won’t allow a man who the academic community dismissed to implement someone else’s orders.

In the finals of the fierce battle for the universities, the education authorities brought in their constitutional law experts to justify the purges. If classes don’t begin on Monday, March 10, the school year is lost and some students will have to go back and pay for the year themselves. Colleges which do not adhere to that schedule won’t get any money until the end of September.

In the meantime, pressure, threats, twisting of facts and political disqualification of the student protest and deans continue. Velickovic alone is protected by the institutional and non-institutional state leaders. "As for the rector, if he doesn’t resign, he’s rector. Under the law, the university Council appoints and dismisses the rector," the education minister said.