March, 17

The rector of EUSP, N.B. Vakhtin had a telephone conversation with V.I. Matvienko, the Governor of St. Petersburg.  The governor informed him that, to her knowledge, the work being carried out by EUSP in the elimination of fire safety violations has satisfied the fire inspectorate.  A session of the court should take place in the next several days at which a positive conclusion on the fire [codes] will be pronounced.  The court should come to a decision to the advantage of EUSP in this case.  This means, according to the Governor, that in the next few several days EUSP may return to normal work.  However, the work to correct the fire safety shortcomings must continue.

On March, 14 a meeting of EUSP’s faculty and students with A.D. Viktorov, the representative of the Committee of Science and Higher Education of the St. Petersburg government, took place in the university’s conference hall on March 14б at 5pm.  Viktorov explained the position of the city government in relation to the situation with EUSP and answered our questions.

On March, 7 EUSP’s students opened Maslenitsa week with the presentation of an exhibition on March 7, in the Solyanie alley.  The premiere went off smoothly; the spectators reacted to the folk carnivalesque form of the performance with understanding, as to something that stood the test of time.

On  March 6 a copy of the lease agreement for temporary rental of premises for educational activities outside of the University was officially handed to the Committee on Science and Higher Education of the Saint Petersburg Government (headed by A.D. Viktorov) and the Expert Center for Evaluation of Continuing and Secondary Education (headed by N.A. Veshev). The package of documents handed to the aforementioned bodies includes a cover letter signed by EUSP Rector Nikolai Vakhtin, in which he requests the issue of a temporary license for educational activities.

Head of the Committee A.D. Viktorov has repeatedly emphasized previously that given the exceptional character of the situation with EUSP, the license can be issued within a few days.

On March 5 at 6 pm a press conference of the initiative group of EUSP students, graduates and entrants was held in the Gallery of Experimental Sound – 21 Pushkinskaya 10. The conference marked the opening of a series of public awareness events, entitled “’Closed Door’ Days at the European University in St Petersburg,” to support the University

In the course of one hour event there were presentations by representatives of the initiative group, faculty and University’s friends.  A photo exhibition “Shlang Off” (“Hose Off”) was opened in the café GEZ-21, and an audio-visual composition about EUSP was shown.

[Download the sound track] .

Photos

On March 5, A general administrative meeting was held today in EUSP’s conference hall. In the course of this meeting EUSP Rector Nikolai Vakhtin answered questions raised by EUSP students and faculty.

On March 4, As of Monday, March 3rd, all fire cocks and fire-hose nozzles were replaced by those certified and marked in accordance with fire safety requirements.

Photos

Also, the following work was started:

- Replacement of the coatings of walls in the corridors and on the stairway landings on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors (with puttying and painting to follow)
- Replacement of the linoleum in the corridors of 3d and 4th floors (approx. 300sq. meters of total area) with further flooring of certified (fireproofed) linoleum
- Fire-resistance treatment of the metal staircase on the 4th and 5th floors
- Development of a project to install an automatic fire alarm system and notification system in parts of the building which were leased to EUSP in 2006 and are not presently covered by these systems
- Replacement of fire resistant doors in attics, transformer room and storerooms (with subsequent installation of fire-resistant doors that can withstand 0.6h of fire)
-Installation of a fireproofed partition with a self-closing fire-resistant door of type 2 in the corridor of the 4th floor
- Installation of smoke-blocking doors (12 units) leading from the corridors toward the stairway landings
- Assessment of the level of fire hazards in some parts of the premises

Estimated deadline for completion of aforementioned works is March 21st.

On February 29, At noon EUSP students of the European University in St. Petersburg staged a theatrical performance in front of the monument to M.A. Lomonsov on Mendeleevskaya line. 
In the course of the event they laid a 50-meter long fire hose at the foot of a monument to Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, often seen as the father of Russian higher education. The coiled fire hose resembled the university’s snail logo. By this symbolic act the students wanted to express their sorrow that a fire hose has tied the hands of scientific and educational activities.
Photos

Today Ilya Utekhin, Dean of the Department of Ethnology, along with Vadim Volkov and Artemii Mogun, both professors of the Department of Political Science and Sociology, became associate members of the “Coordinating group of students, graduates and entrants.”

On February 28, A meeting of the EUSP Coordinating Committee took place. The issues discussed in the course of the meeting included such items as different possibilities for renting of external premises, work towards elimination of fire safety violations, and the University’s media information policy. 

On February 26, The EUSP Rector received official notice of a resolution on suspension of the University’s educational licence, which ws passed on February 21st 2008 by the Committee on Science and Higher Education of the Saint Petersburg Government.

The first item of this resolution says: “The validity of the license issued by the Committee on Science and Higher Education for the European University is to be suspended from the day when this instruction is issued”
 
This resolution directs N.A. Veshev, Director of the “Expert Center for Evaluation of Continuing and Secondary Education” to inform the EUSP, its founding members and the local tax authorities with jurisdiction over EUSP with a one week period.

According to the resolution, EUSP rector is ordered to take measures for eliminating violations of fire safety requirements and norms, and to acquaint all post-graduates and students with the contents of the resolution.

On February 26th EUSP Rector sent a letter to aforementioned Committee in which he requested a suspension of the resolution and permission for EUSP to continue its educational activity in rented premises until the court-ordered closure of its building is revoked.

On February 22, EUSP received a letter from the Permanent Commission on Education, Culture, and Science of the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly, signed by its chair K. E. Sukhenko.  The letter states that in the current situation, “all possible measures should be taken to observe the rights and legal interests” of EUSP students, and that  “…we regard as expedient the University’s decision, in line with the goals specified above, to rent instruction premises that satisfy the requirements of the educational process.”

On February 22, EUSP Rector Nikolai Vakhtin issued the following order:

“In connection with the decision of the Dzerhzhinskii regional court to temporarily suspend the activities of the European University in Saint Petersburg (EUSP), and in consultation with the Permanent Commission on Education, Culture, and Science of the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly, I order:

-Transfer of the EUSP’s educational activity to the temporarily rented premises until the revocation of the court decision on the suspension of EUSP’s activity

-Maximal use of independent forms of instruction (instructional literature, written work, consultations), as well as methods of distance learning (Internet technologies, on the basis of Ministry of Education Order No. 137 of May 6, 2005)

-Individual consultations of graduate students with their academic supervisors, to take place outside the walls of the EUSP

-Responsibility for organization of the educational process to rest with the pro-rector for instructional work G.G. Lisitsyna.”

On February 22, G.G. Lisitsyna chaired a meeting of department heads, which took measures to ensure the ongoing educational process and developed a schedule of classes for the coming weeks.  Students may receive detailed information from their department chairs.

On February 20, The EUSP Coordination Council held a meeting. At the meeting it was decided that during the suspension of instruction at EUSP, coordination of the university's information and public relations will be carried out by the Development Office.  Please direct correspondence to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call +7 (812) 275 5257.

On February 20, the EUSP Department Chairs' Assembly held a meeting.  At the meeting EUSP rector Nikolai Vakhtin reported on the negotiations and measures which the EUSP administration is carrying out with the fire safety services.  By February 22, he reported, the administration will complete the necessary documents on the time and cost requirements of addressing fire safety shortcomings in the EUSP building