Split in EHU

The platform “For New EHU” was created at the European Humanities University in Vilnius.

Initiators of the alternative platform say it unites those disagreeing with the current course of the university leadership and wanting “to return EHU its initial sense – the effective Belarusian humanities university with the European quality of education and research”.

The platform is supported by 13 out of 20 candidates to the Senate (the university's main self-governing body), according to the initiators. The election to the Senate will be held on November 19. Among those supporting the initiative are Prof. Pavel Tereshkovich, Assoc. Profs. Olga Shparaga, Andrei Laurukhin, Maksim Zhbankou.

“The reason for the consolidation of the academic community is a deep internal crisis of the 'university in exile'. The aggravation is indicated by the growing adherence to the authoritarian managerial style, including the opaque personnel and financial policy, demonstrated by the EHU management that poses a threat to the existence of the university as a democratic educational project for Belarus,” says the statement by the initiators of the EHU's new platform.

Radio Svaboda wanted to obtain a comment from EHU rector Anatoli Mikhailov, but a representative of his office said he had a day off and refused to give his mobile number. Vice rector for academic affairs Aliaksandr Kalbaska declined to give any comments on the phone.

Darius Udrys, vice-rector for development and communications, said he hadn't read the statement and promised to comment on it later when he had the text.

Pavel Tereshkovich, head of the history department and chairman of EHU's Senate, said:

“The crisis in EHU is to a large extent caused by the fact that standard approaches of neoliberal management are being applied to solve nonstandard problems of the nonstandard university. EHU's leadership doesn't regard the academic community as a partner. Every new edition of the Statute, the university's constitution that is being amended endlessly, more and more reduces the rights of the Senate and thus the rights of the academic staff and students.”

The democratic platform of the candidates to the Senate “For New EHU” notes:

“In our view, the reasons for the crisis aggravation have roots in absence of the up-to-date mission of the university, absence of social obligations to Belarusian society and contempt for the fundamental values and principles of the European higher education area. We think the mission of EHU is to become an effective and competitive Belarusian university based on the principles and values of the European higher education area.”