Notices of Dismissal and Resignations

by Branka Kaljevic

Gradual alterations of the profile of our University, based on the conception of local 'owners' of everything - including the higher education - has already changed the University. Many people have left it, whereas those who have remained seem to be lacking strength even for a basic professional reaction

Dr. Gaso Knezevic, an associate professor at the School of Law of Belgrade University, announced his resignation last week (Wednesday, January 26th) by addressing a letter to the Dean, Dr. Oliver Antic and to his colleagues, in which he informed them of his intention to leave that School. Without showing signs of curiosity why would an eminent professor of International Law leave the University, Dean Antic approved of his decision last Monday: professor Knezevic was delivered a notice of termination of employment.
POLITICAL DECISION: 'I do not want and I cannot allow myself to work at the same school with Dr. Vojislav Seselj', says Prof. Knezevic for VREME. That was my personal revolt against the employment of Seselj at this School, and it had to result with my resignation. In my opinion, people of diverse profiles like ours, cannot exist in the same institution. Therefore, I am even ready to sacrifice my own existence and career. When I say this, I do not wish to question his political occupation, but his academic and pedagogic characteristics. That man has never been a member of any committee, nor has he ever taken part in assessing MA's or PhD's. He simply does not participate in any academic association and he has no teaching experience. As such, he does not fulfill the conditions to be employed at this School.'

Prof. Knezevic comments Seselj's possible enthronement at the post of full professor of Political System as an entirely political decision of the School Committee, which nominally placed the decision before Dean Antic, who in turn has the final word along with the Minister of Education.

The current Vice-president of the Serbian Government and leader of the Radical Party (this was confirmed at the last party congress) has begun his academic ascend at Belgrade University with the adoption of the University Law, when he was elected member of the Administrative Board of the School of Law. Before that, Dr. Seselj worked as a professor at the University of Pristina where, as the students report, he did not merge politics with lectures.

When it became evident that nothing, apart form the Dean's negative response or that of the Minister of Education, can thwart his intention to acquire an academic post, Seselj appeared at the School of Law on the Day of Saint Sava in presence of some officials of the Republic Government and the Yugoslav Left (Dragoljub Jankovic, Aleksandar Vucic and Ratko Krsmanovic) on the occasion of handing diplomas to some graduate and post-graduate students of that School. The appearance of the state delegation in the lecture theatre, with the future professor as their leader, was welcomed by whistling of the students expressing their dissatisfaction. According to an amateurish video recording by a student who came there to commemorate his girlfriend at the moment of receiving the diploma, and which was emitted by TV Studio B, the situation must have been pretty annoying for everyone.

For somebody who pretends to a post of professor, the whistles can be a sign of quite a negative reception and the beginning of a not very nice co-operation between that professor and the students. As we found out later, Dean Antic did not censure those whistles of dissatisfaction when Seselj and his delegation appeared in the lecture theatre. He only claimed that, apart from the whistles, there had also been an ovation when they left. He concluded by attributing the affectionate behaviour to members of the opposition.

INVITATIONS: Another campaign of Dr. Vojislav Seselj regarding the reform of Belgrade University, has called attention of the academic public. Fifteen days ago Seselj visited the School of Philosophy on the occasion, as some eye-witnesses claim, of participating at the assessment of PhD of one of his friend's or party colleague's from the Department of History.

The visit of Dr. Seselj to the School was announced by Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian Minister of Information and member of the Administrative Board of the School of Philosophy. The VREME sources claim that everything developed according to the plan and without excesses: the Dean received Dr. Seselj, the PhD was defended and, as it was expected, they all went to celebrate the whole event in a restaurant. The key question which still remains unsolved is: who actually went to that restaurant with Seselj?
The epilogue of Vice-president's visit to the most 'iniquitous' School of Belgrade University was as follows: the professors of the School of Philosophy have all received invitations to a post-congress reception of the Radicals in the 'Intercontinental'. So far, it is not known who has responded positively to this invitation.

In any case, the School of Philosophy has not undergone such serious blows, after the adoption of the Law on University, as a the School of Law or School of Electrical Engineering: 'We are all still regularly employed, there was no pressure and none of the professors who have not signed the famous agreement was given notice of dismissal', says one of the professors of that School for VREME, adding as a joke that the negative response to the invitation might cause serious problems.
With the adoption of the University Law and owing to the merits of the appointed professor, Dr. Oliver Antic, as Dean of the School of Law, nine people were practically fired from their jobs: Vojin Dimitrijevic, Vladimir Vodinelic, Vesna Rakic-Vodinelic, Dragoljub Popovic, Dragor Hiber, Mirjana Stefanovski, Goran Svilanovic, Milica Delevic and Vlada Djeric. Coincidentally, the majority of them had, in their own way, taken part in the Protest of 1996/7.

Now the already former professor of the School of Law, Dr. Gaso Knezevic turned to the public in order to express his personal displeasure and defined his act as - repayment to the School. As far as the students are concerned, Knezevic thinks that he will help them in a political struggle against the regime.

Many students of the School of Law, just like those of technical schools, are leaving their native Universities in great numbers. The best ones are attending post-graduate studies abroad. Since the elimination of Belgrade University from the European Rector Conference, due to the rigorous University Law, threatens to annul the acknowledgement of local diplomas, many students are now attempting to complete their studies elsewhere. Those who cannot go abroad - go to Banjaluka, for example.
All this is a consequence of a single act - the Law on University, which had turned the entire University into a state service, having thus approached President Milosevic's claim that the University is the same thing as a cooperative farm. "However, what is happening right now, was announced to me by Dr. Seselj in person, during one of our recent TV duels, when he said: 'I shall soon come to establish order at the University'", says Prof. Knezevic for VREME, having been compelled to leave the School of Law after twenty years.

A NEW LOCK: This year's continual cleansing of the University, which assumes the dismissal of the unwanted and the 'rejuvenation' of the teaching staff, has, in the last week of January, struck two more Belgrade Schools.

Assistant Professor, Dr. Zeljko Djurovic is no longer an employee of the School of Electrical Engineering. On January 26th, his five-year appointment as assistant professor at the Department of Automatics has expired, and since Dean Vlada Teodosic has not announced a competition for the post of associate professor, in which Djurovic was supposed to take part, the latter was compelled to resign.

The same Dean demanded that Dr. Djurovic should withdraw his signature from the petition regarding the dismissal of Prof. Srbijanka Turajlic ('Blic' daily, January 29th) if he wanted to be promoted. As it was expected, Djurovic did not do that, so he had to leave the School. On the occasion of his departure, Chairman of the Department of Automatics, Prof. Milic Stojic, said that Djurovic had been one of the most promising scientists and that he had definitely deserved to be promoted.
Dr. Djurovic is taking a one-year leave for a post-PhD specialisation in Portugal. There still is a chance for someone who has not signed anything - because it now seems that it is not important how many theses he had written or how he had proved himself so far, but whether he supports or does not support the regime. Exceptions are not tolerable.
The third example of imposing order in January this year took place at the School of Physical Education, where a collective battle against the Dean is already in progress. The Association of Teaching Staff has recently notified that their colleague Miladin Radisavljevic (the former Dean) received a notice of dismissal after 25 years of work at the School. Someone has thrown his belongings out of his office and changed the lock. Consequently, about fifty members of the Association uselessly required to see the Prime Minister or the Serbian Vice-president on this matter. The outcome of this case still remains uncertain.

The Renewal Movement

The University Movement of Renewal was founded in Belgrade by the end of last week. The ideological initiator of this, so-called 'imposed gathering of those who are fighting to defend the freedom of the University' is the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO).

Professor Miladin Kovacevic, adviser of the president of SPO, stated that the newly founded movement had not assumed a greater political influence of SPO members at the University. It was created only to defend the University's freedoms, including the return of dismissed teachers and the cancellation of the University Law: 'As soon as that goal is reached, the movement will be dissolved.'

The support towards this project arrived from other parties of the opposition, student organisations, professors and students of Belgrade University, as well as of other Universities in Serbia, and finally from the representatives of Montenegro's ruling political party.

Despite the official attitude and the prohibition of political activities at the University, there exist two active committees, that of JUL (the Yugoslav Left) and that of SPS (the Serbian Socialist Party).

The newly established committee and the newly elected members have not yet revealed any details of their plan how to liberate the University. In any case, this new movement suggests additional extra-curricular activities at the University.