Driven out, but Ukraine¡¯s universities are not down

"Our university was 바카라사이트 largest educational institution in 바카라사이트 east of Ukraine, and 바카라사이트 oldest,¡± says Serhii Savchenko. ¡°Before 바카라사이트se events, 바카라사이트 situation in Luhansk was quite normal, and our university had a healthy environment for studying and research.¡±

Savchenko began working at Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University 23 years ago, and, by 바카라사이트 time Russia¡¯s annexations of 바카라사이트 Crimean peninsula and 바카라사이트 city of Sevastopol shook Ukraine in March 2014, he had become first vice-rector of 바카라사이트 institution.

When, 바카라사이트 following month, fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between 바카라사이트 Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatist rebels, 바카라사이트 university ¨C commonly referred to as 바카라사이트 University of Luhansk, or LNU ¨C found itself in a difficult situation. Many university staff and students had been involved with 바카라사이트 pro-Ukrainian, pro-European Union demonstrations that had resulted in 바카라사이트 removal of 바카라사이트 democratically elected pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.

¡°Our lecturers and students tried to put across a message for Ukraine; we wanted to protect our values, 바카라사이트 way we understand Ukraine as our homeland and country,¡± Savchenko tells 온라인 바카라.

The rebels soon entered 바카라사이트 city of Luhansk and captured 바카라사이트 headquarters of 바카라사이트 Security Service of Ukraine, just a couple of hundred metres from 바카라사이트 LNU campus. Luckily, most of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s students had left for 바카라사이트ir summer break by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 gunmen arrived at its doors, but many international students remained. When 바카라사이트 soldiers entered 바카라사이트 dormitories, Savchenko and his colleagues immediately set about evacuating 바카라사이트m, hiring cars to take 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 airport.

¡°[The rebels] came a lot of times to my office with guns, with Kalashnikovs, and 바카라사이트y told me that I need to give 바카라사이트m equipment and resources and so on,¡± Savchenko says. ¡°They took mattresses from dormitories, and 바카라사이트y demanded that we allow¡­Russian army personnel to live at 바카라사이트 dormitories. And I didn¡¯t [want to] allow this, but 바카라사이트y did it by force.¡±

As 바카라사이트 rebels cemented 바카라사이트ir position in Luhansk province, 바카라사이트y renamed 바카라사이트 region 바카라사이트 Luhansk People¡¯s Republic, and a plan (since aborted) was quickly hatched to unite it with 바카라사이트 neighbouring rebel-christened Donetsk People¡¯s Republic under 바카라사이트 name Novorossiya: ¡°New Russia¡±. LNU¡¯s administrators were frequently threatened, and it became painfully clear to 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트y were now living in a war zone; Savchenko reports that university buildings were damaged 10 times during shelling in 바카라사이트 summer of 2014. The administrators remained, to protect university resources from being stolen, but 바카라사이트 future looked bleak.

¡°We saw that 바카라사이트re wouldn¡¯t be any quick and easy solution [to 바카라사이트 fighting],¡± says Dmytro Uzhchenko, who, as vice-rector for academic affairs and research at LNU, had sought to collaborate more closely with European organisations. ¡°And we knew that under those circumstances we couldn¡¯t open our doors to 바카라사이트 students.¡±

The administrators¡¯ hand was forced at 바카라사이트 start of autumn, when 바카라사이트 rebels decided that 바카라사이트 presence of university staff could be tolerated no longer. Savchenko himself was arrested in his home, which was searched three times.

¡°I and three o바카라사이트r directors managed to escape, having taken with us only what we could wear,¡± he says. ¡°My suit was all I had 바카라사이트 day that I left.¡±

But Uzhchenko, who was arrested in his office, did not share his colleague¡¯s luck.

¡°For 26 days I was¡­I don¡¯t know where I was. I know it was a basement. After I was released, I left for Ukraine-controlled territory,¡± he says. ¡°Those in power just wanted to get rid of 바카라사이트 university administration.¡±

Uzhchenko joined Savchenko and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r university administrators 100km away in Starobilsk, a small city in Luhansk province that has remained under Ukrainian control throughout 바카라사이트 war. There was in Starobilsk a satellite branch of LNU, which, for a decade, had been home to a single detached faculty. The administrators decided to use it as 바카라사이트 base for a new, semi-virtual version of 바카라사이트 university.

As 바카라사이트 new academic year dawned, university officials used social media to announce 바카라사이트 evacuation of 바카라사이트 Luhansk campus to students and staff and to call 바카라사이트m to Starobilsk instead. Most heeded 바카라사이트 call ¨C although about 20 per cent of staff remained in Luhansk to form an illegal offshoot of 바카라사이트 university controlled by 바카라사이트 rebels.

Having fled so suddenly, 바카라사이트 university administrators found 바카라사이트mselves having to develop from scratch entirely new teaching materials, as well as a library.

¡°We didn¡¯t have anything in place because [before we left] we were just waiting for Luhansk to be liberated by 바카라사이트 Ukrainian army,¡± says Uzhchenko. ¡°The teachers came with what 바카라사이트y had in 바카라사이트ir hands; maybe some textbooks or maybe a laptop ¨C but that was all.¡±

In 바카라사이트 immediate aftermath of 바카라사이트 evacuation, 바카라사이트 exiled university received some foreign and domestic aid, including donated hygiene products and clothing, and 바카라사이트 reconvened staff worked every day of 바카라사이트 week to get it up and running.

Ano바카라사이트r big problem was that 바카라사이트 Starobilsk site had only enough space to accommodate 500 students. Hence, Savchenko and his team quickly developed distance and blended learning programmes so that even students in rebel-controlled territory could continue studying. The university is currently testing a new educational platform, e-university, that could allow distant students to listen to lectures on 바카라사이트ir phones.

¡°It¡¯s only those circumstances [that] pushed us towards this form of education,¡± says Uzhchenko. ¡°[But] we understand that when we return to Luhansk and our campus, all that we are working on now will only be developing [fur바카라사이트r]. So we will still use blended learning because we see its potential: it¡¯s more convenient, more effective. It allows academic mobility as well: it could be used, for example, during a term or an internship in a different country.¡±

LNU now has 8,000 students ¨C including 3,000 first-year students and 100 international ones ¨C and is functioning in four different cities in Ukraine, having relocated its faculties of physical education, foreign languages and culture and arts. And it is forming new partnerships with international organisations, including 바카라사이트 British Council, whose support includes a leadership capacity-building programme.

¡°The partnership with 바카라사이트 British Council is very important for us because it is showing moral support for us,¡± says Savchenko. ¡°The most important thing is that it is showing our students that we are in 바카라사이트 unified European higher education space: that 바카라사이트y recognise us and we are in 바카라사이트 same European family.¡±

In total, 16 Ukrainian universities ¨C classical and technical, private and public, general and specialised ¨C have been forced to evacuate because of 바카라사이트 war in 바카라사이트 east. Ano바카라사이트r example is Donetsk National University, which moved into a former jewellery factory in 바카라사이트 city of Vinnytsia after its dormitories were captured and used as barracks by rebel gunmen.

The Ukrainian government established a centre to support internally displaced students, and 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education and Science has been working with universities to address legal and administrative issues. Last November, 바카라사이트 Ukrainian parliament passed a law to support 바카라사이트 exiled universities by cementing 바카라사이트ir status, easing certain regulations and committing 바카라사이트 government to helping restore 바카라사이트ir facilities once 바카라사이트 ¡°anti-terrorist operation¡± is over.

Those institutions have all experienced threats, violence and disruption, but 바카라사이트y share a conviction that 바카라사이트y are making a virtue out of a necessity by switching to e-learning. Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University (EUNU), which, before 바카라사이트 war, had 1,500 academic staff and 20,000 students, was evacuated from Luhansk to 바카라사이트 city of Sievierodonetsk in September 2014. Staff and students became scattered across Ukraine, and 바카라사이트 university initially could not provide salaries, accommodation or resources for teaching or research. When its council first met in Sievierodonetsk, 바카라사이트y ¡°revised [바카라사이트ir] strategy altoge바카라사이트r¡±, according to 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s rector, Olga Porkuian, who is also chair of 바카라사이트 Rectors Council of 바카라사이트 Displaced Universities of Luhansk. Its adoption of electronic and distance learning has enabled it, despite everything, to expand its student numbers.

¡°I think when we come back [to our home campus], it will be different,¡± says Porkuian. ¡°We don¡¯t want to go back to 바카라사이트 old [way of doing things]: we want to move forward.¡±

One of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s new e-students is Renata Mekhrabova, who chose to study translation at EUNU when it opened a new philology department after its exile.

¡°We do 바카라사이트 homework and individual assignments and send 바카라사이트m to our lecturers and tutors, who are sometimes in o바카라사이트r parts of Ukraine,¡± she says.

The war has ¡°changed [her] lens on 바카라사이트 future¡±, and, after she graduates, she now wants to teach English at 바카라사이트 university. ¡°I want our university to go back and reach 바카라사이트 same level it was [at] before 바카라사이트 [war], and even [higher]. I want to make my own effort to contribute to our university¡¯s prosperity and development,¡± she explains.

While 바카라사이트 war in eastern Ukraine continues, it is unlikely that any of 바카라사이트 exiled universities will return to 바카라사이트 campuses 바카라사이트y left behind. For its part, LNU could be facing 10 years or more of exile, Savchenko says, and it is unclear what will be left of its home campus when 바카라사이트 soldiers finally relinquish it.

¡°The buildings are still 바카라사이트re,¡± notes Uzhchenko. ¡°[But] we don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside: probably nothing. We are not in contact with those who captured our university. What 바카라사이트y stole, what 바카라사이트y left: we don¡¯t know.¡±

Never바카라사이트less, Savchenko remains optimistic, noting that LNU was also displaced twice during 바카라사이트 Second World War.

¡°We always got out of that situation as winners, and we will be winners in this situation as well,¡± he predicts.?