“I rarely speak out, but now I cannot keep silent.”
What happens at BSMU, where the dropouts were announced.
On Wednesday evening, various telegram channels reported that some students had been expelled from the Belarusian State Medical University. In order to support their classmates, some students and teachers gathered at the doors of the administration. According to the students, they had not received clear answers to their questions from the university administration. However, at about 19.20, the riot police arrived at the main building of the Belarusian State Medical University. TUT.BY was told that the riot police officers had been called by one of the workers of the administration.
Photo: TUT.BY
After 18.00, there was a full house at the doors of the BSMU administration. There were about fifty people gathered there, maybe more. Those students were the expelled ones and their classmates, who were supporting them. They were guys from different courses and faculties. Information about the number of boys and girls who are now forced to leave the university varies. Only a few of them are ready to reveal their names and surnames, Polina Korzhenevskaya and Yana Zyabko joke that they have nothing to be ashamed of and they do not mind talking.
Polina is or, it is better to say, was a junior student of the faculty of General Medicine. She learned about her expulsion today during the classes.
- The Vice-Dean called me and said that I had to meet with the acting Dean Oleg Ishutin, — Polina recalls those events. — In the office, they asked me where I was on Monday on October 26th. I explained that on Friday I had submitted an application to the Dean’s office that I would not be there on that day for political reasons. I support the strike. The acting Dean told me that this document was not a valid reason to skip classes. He asked if I was at home on Monday. I answered: “Yes.” But now, being an honest person, I must confess: on October 26th I came to the university.
According to Polina, she and other students entered the classrooms, called others to “daluchazza” (join) and offered to support the strike.
Polina Korzhenevskaya. Photo: TUT.BY
- The administration said that we had broken into the classrooms, but this is not true, — says Polina. — We did not break into them. We just entered the lecture halls and invited others to join us. Yes, I agree, it may have been inappropriate. But some of the teachers did not mind. One of them even applauded, there were tears in her eyes. I do not hide the fact that there were those teachers who did not approve of this initiative … But you must understand, we have such a situation in the country that something needs to be done.
On Tuesday, Polina continued, she, as usual, attended the classes. During one of the breaks, I took part in a sitting manifestation. At the same time, she says, for the first time the administration said that “you shall not be here tomorrow.” On Wednesday, again during the break the students “sat in the hall again.”
- As a result, the acting Dean took out the order for my expulsion and said: “Sign it.” I signed. Maybe I did something stupid, — Polina recalls the events in the office. — No documents about the expulsion have been given to me yet. As I remember, the formulation of the order sounded like: “for violation of the internal regulations and disruption of the educational process.”
According to the girl, she heard about 30 students expelled from the university: 15 from them were from the faculty of General Medicine, other 12 from the pediatric faculty and last two from the pharmaceutical faculty. In the telegram channel “Rupor BSMU” closer to 9 pm on Wednesday, appeared a list of students who were “expelled at the moment”. There were 18 surnames.
“I do not consider singing at a break to be a disruption of the educational process”
Yana Zyabko is among the students in that list, a sophomore of the faculty of General Medicine. The girl does not hide: she is a famous person at the university. She is a member of the university football team, the author of four scientific papers, she finished the first year with an average mark of 8.6. Earlier, she says, she had contact with the Dean’s office more than once, but mostly for more pleasant reasons. The situation changed this autumn.
- I was among the students of the Belarusian State Medical University who were detained on September 9, I was fined 25 base rates. After that, I was summoned to the administration and told that it all was not right, — Yana describes the events. — Later I had the second “summon”. It was due to a sitting protest that we held on the steps of the university. The guys were censured while I was reprimanded. I wanted to appeal it to the court and yesterday I went to the Dean’s office to take an extract. They said that the administration had the meeting. Then our insiders reported that the meeting was related to the students’ expulsion.
On Wednesday, Yana continues, she was asked to write an explanatory note about what she did on October 26. She explained that she was present at all classes, she did not violate the educational process and did not insult anyone. The only thing she did was singing “Try Charapachi” with other students during one of the breaks.
Yana Zyabko. Photo: TUT.BY
- But I do not consider singing at a brake to be a disruption of the educational process, — Yana shares her opinion and again goes back to the explanatory note. — After I wrote it, the Vice Dean contacted me and said that the acting Dean wanted to see me. He handed me an expulsion order. I read the first sentence. It indicates that I was expelled “for disruption of the educational process and non-attendance of classes on October 26”. I objected “On the 26th I attended all classes.” The response was “Well, you understand everything”. I replied that I did not understand anything. All that was happening in the absence of our Dean, Professor Alexei Volotovsky, who has always stood up for his students.
Yana says that on Thursday she had an appointment with the rector regarding expulsion.
On Wednesday, the boys and girls who gathered at the rectorate wanted to meet with the administration as well. The guys said that the administration came out, but the students’ questions remained unanswered.
- We were informed that the expelled students skipped classes on October 26, but one of them attended classes on that day, — the sophomore of the medical faculty does not hide her emotions. — They said that “if you have any questions, come personally, and with the parents”.
In the meantime, the students were slowly leaving. They were diverging if to be precise. Someone read on the Internet that the riot police were coming to the university.
“I’m not a rat, but I’m leaving,” one of the students said quietly.
Those people who heard it respect her decision. “We have no flags, we stand calmly”, said a girl from the General Medicine department, either describing the situation or trying to calm herself and the others down. “The main thing is to avoid provocations.” Good news comes with excitement: parents, students, doctors and other concerned people came to support the expelled guys to the university building.
A collective appeal in support of Yana. Photo: TUT.BY
Several teachers from those who support the students were also at the rectorate. Each of them after hearing about the expulsions rushed to the university. Antonina Nikolaeva-Kiselevich is an assistant of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, she “flew” to Petrovschina underground station from the centre. The professor was sure that it was inappropriate to expel students who had no problems with academic performance.
- We have a lot of foreign students who receive low grades during the semester, we do not do anything. They pass exams from the third or fourth attempt and continue to study, — says Antonina. — At the same time, students with good academic performance are expelled. I do not think that sitting in a university hall and expressing your opinion is a violation of discipline. […] Our rector said that it offends the teaching staff, but it does not offend me. On the contrary, I am proud that our students are not afraid to express their point of view.
- For six years we have been working on textbooks to help people, to heal. What is happening now? Now people are being mutilated, and the administration says “At the university, you must study. What kind of position is that? “ An assistant at the Department of Normal Anatomy Victoria Rimashevskaya continues the topic.
- How can you study in a situation of repression and beatings of civilians? I rarely speak out, but now I cannot remain silent. 15 of my students, students of other teachers, honest hardworking children will be expelled. On TV we are told that everyone will be fired and expelled. Okay, let them fire me, let them fire us, but who will teach? The riot police will? Will the administration be torn apart?
As for the position of the administration, the university itself has not yet clarified the situation. They said all the official information will be on Thursday. As soon as we receive the commentary of the BSMU, we will publish it immediately.
“We are just people who care”
Despite the emotions and the tense atmosphere, everyone is trying to control themselves. To question how long you are going to stand here, the teachers joke: “Until the moment riot police arrive.” Students answer like this: “We want the administration to see how many expelled students are.”
Students, parents and caring people came to support the expelled. Photo: “Rupor BSMU”
To be more effective the guys made collective appeals — each of those students who were expelled has his own, and then they began to collect signatures. By 7 am, for example, 103 people signed up for Yana Zyabko. My mother came to support Polina Korzhenevskaya. Svetlana admits that she is completely on the side of her daughter. Today’s communication with the administration, says the woman, did not have any results. From the important information that she heard that the riot police are going to the university. To discuss questions about her daughter, the woman was asked to come on Thursday.
When Svetlana left the reception of the administration, it was completely dark outside. Almost no students remained in the building.
- Police, — she sees through the glass door and notices that- Ahead of us. Polina went out to the street. — My daughter is there, — looking for her child, the mother goes to the crowd.
At about 19.30, the riot police began to push away from the entrance to the main building the students and those who came to support them. We saw that the forces did not detain anyone. When the university porch cleared out, several people lined up on the sidewalk near the university in a chain of solidarity. In this way, men and women decided to support the students.
Photo: TUT.BY
Are you doctors? — we asked the women there.
- No, we are just people who care,” answered they.
