BRAMA, July 28, 2010, 9:00 AM ET
Press release
Joint Statement of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies
and
the Shevchenko Scientific Society of Canada
on the Recent Developments Regarding Academic Freedom in Ukraine
Our organizations, closely monitoring the post-election situation in
Ukraine, expresses their deep concern at recent attempts to curtail the
autonomy of academic institutions and academic freedom in Ukraine. These
developments threaten to abrogate the hard-won right to free speech on
campus; to pit administrators against students; to influence admission
policies, personnel decisions, and academic curricula; and to enforce the
unanimity of thought and behavior on campus. They are disturbingly
reminiscent of the former official practices of intimidation, coercion,
and cooptation of educational institutions in Soviet Ukraine—and of
neo-Stalinist practices elsewhere in the former Soviet Union.
We are concerned by the attempt on 18 May 2010 by a representative of the
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to obtain the signature of Fr. Borys
Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic University on a document intended to
pressure the administration of the UCU to cooperate with the SBU. Although
Fr. Gudziak responded in a brave and principled way, refusing to sign his
name to the letter, it appears that SBU representatives have already met
with administrators at other universities and obtained some measure of
cooperation.
We are concerned by Decree No. 1353-r, issued by the Cabinet of Ministers
of Ukraine on July 7, 2010, which officially transferred the National
University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the National University of Ostroh
Academy to the management of the Ministry of Education and Science of
Ukraine. In previous years these universities acted under the direct
formal authority of the Cabinet of Ministers. While Ukrainian law requires
that all universities fall under the purview of the Ministry of Education
and Science, it is the implementation of the decree that will clarify the
government's position and will indicate the nature of its policies toward
higher education.
Since the re-establishment of Ukraine's independence, these universities
have been at the forefront of educational reform, based on the fundamental
principles of academic freedom and university autonomy—two indispensable
pillars of institutions of higher education. We are dismayed—and have
made this dismay known to our news media and elected officials—at the way
the authorities of Ukraine are treating Ukraine's institutions of higher
education, and fear the return of Stalinist practices.
We urge all officials and representatives of official bodies to respect
these fundamental principles, and to desist from the coercion of
university administrators, faculty, staff, and students. With Fr. Gudziak,
we urge them "not to [commit] actions that would cause lasting damage to
[their] own identity and shame [their] children and grandchildren."
On behalf of the Board of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies,
Prof. Vitaly Chernetsky
AAUS President
On behalf of the Shevchenko Scientific Society of Canada,
Dr. Daria Darewych
President
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