The situation in the Saratov State University aggravated again. Poilt.ru has already written on this case: the dean of the Faculty of History was dismissed because of his aversion to the “United Russia” party’s policy; historians of Saratov threaten the head of the university with impeachment.
The case began April 2, 2006. The vice-speaker of the State Duma and secretary of the presidium of the general council of the United Russia party Vyacheslav Volodin came in the Saratov State University. He found out that heating system of the new XI building of the University didn’t function and accused of it the dean of the Faculty of History Velikhan Mirzekhanov. April 13 the head of the University Leonid Kossovich, an active advocate of the “United Russia”, member of the regional political council discharged Mirzekhanov. People in camouflage surrounded the building, safe in the dean’s office were forced; and only mass media’s interference stopped it.
Students, membership of the Faculty, the whole scientific community of Russia opposed the dismissal of Mirzekhanov. He appealed in the court and in a month was reinstated in his office.
But the confrontation didn’t come to the end, since fade but constant baiting of the dean continued. The University Administration divided the membership of the Saratov State University into two groups: agents of West influence (the dean’s supporters) and true patriots of the University (his adversaries). The ‘agents’ were accused of the whole bag of tricks: of getting money from some ‘financial and industrial groups, of organizing the Orange Revolution in one university, of relations with the political opposition and of confrontation with the United Russia. A letter witness for Mirzekhanov signed by 57 professors and addressed to the society, to the Minister if Education and to the governor of the Saratov Region was unacknowledged. This winter the academic council of the University did not commission Mirzekhanov. This decision was also put in issue and now the legal process is in full swing.
The university administration has created its own know-how. Local newspapers publish disbursed articles defiling the dean and his supporters. The Saratov “Komsomolskaya Pravda” is a strong favourite of the head of the University. But its chief-editor, probably, did not want facing the trial for detraction and produced a note that the newspaper didn’t account for the content of these materials, since they had been published on a commercial basis; the payer was the Saratov State University (see Doc. 1, Doc. 2, Doc. 3).
The university permits itself of such expenditure, whereas, according to the official University magazine “Saratov University”, the average salary of a lecturer amounts to 6874 rubles.
It seems that the head of the University tries to get even with a disagreeable professor. The dean was demanded to supply an explanation concerning ‘facts’ having been stated in these contract articles, inasmuch as they ‘dishonored the University’.
And all this campaign is conducted under the slogan standing out on the elevation of building XI of the University: “From the United Russia to the Saratov State University ”
Oksana Kiyanskaya
Doctor of Historic Science, Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities.
