Researchers from Stanford List Refuse to Attend Marking of Novi Sad University Day

University of Novi Sad, Rectorate (BetaPhoto/Dragan Gojic)

Seven University of Novi Sad researchers, who are on the Stanford University's list of the World's Top 2% Scientists, have informed the Rectorate of the University of Novi Sad that, out of protest, they will not be attending the ceremonial marking of Novi Sad University Day, June 29.

In their letter to the Rectorate, the researchers said they do not wish to take part in "legitimizing and normalizing institutional violence and violations of academic integrity that characterize the activities of a number of members of the highest University of Novi Sad bodies."

"The role of a university is not only to create conditions for education and scientific research, but also to protect and nurture fundamental academic and social values," the scientists said in the open letter to the Rectorate.

According to them, a university that "is complicit in the trampling" of these values, a university that sees its "highest professional body (the Senate) as a place of abuse of power, violation of procedures and persecution of professors like Jelena Kleut and Vladimir Mihic," and a university "which does not view its campus as a space of freedom, but rather as a space of repression" has no reason to celebrate.

The signatories of the letter are the following professors: Dragan Lambic from the School of Pedagogy, Veljko Jovanovic from the School of Philosophy, Ivana Kovacic from the School of Technical Sciences, Branimir Pavlic from the School of Technology, and Neda Mimica-Dukic, Sanja Armakovic and Stevan Armakovic from the School of Sciences of the University of Novi Sad.