Outcry as CEU closes refugee access programme

Staff and students at 바카라사이트 Central European University (CEU) want managers to reverse a?decision to?close a?long-running refugee access programme, despite promises of?a bigger successor.

A petition that calls for 바카라사이트 ¡°Olive¡± Open Learning Initiative to?be revived and claims that its closure will hurt ¡°바카라사이트 most vulnerable people in?Europe¡± has been signed by?more than 1,000 CEU students, staff and supporters. A?protest was planned outside an?extraordinary meeting of?바카라사이트 university senate on 24?February. Prem Kumar Rajaram, 바카라사이트 initiative director, attended 바카라사이트 meeting and expressed his opposition to 바카라사이트 shutdown.

¡°I don¡¯t understand why you need to kill one thing before setting up something else,¡± Ian Cook, Olive¡¯s former director of studies, told 온라인 바카라. The CEU-trained anthropologist had his contract with 바카라사이트 university ended without reason when 바카라사이트 closure was announced. He said he had asked 15?times why he had been let go. The university declined to comment on 바카라사이트 decision.

Set up in 2015 in response to 바카라사이트 Syrian refugee crisis, Olive has helped more than 1,000 refugees prepare for university, offering language training, free legal advice and a programme of weekend courses in academic subjects. It has been funded by Erasmus, 바카라사이트 Open Society Foundation and 바카라사이트 MacArthur Foundation, with top-ups from 바카라사이트 university.

Olive was left behind in Budapest when most of 바카라사이트 university departed for Vienna in 2018, having faced persistent legal pressure from 바카라사이트 Hungarian government. A subsequent law against non-governmental organisations that assist refugees forced 바카라사이트 university to spin Olive out as a separate legal entity.

The European Association of Social Anthropologists 바카라사이트 CEU¡¯s rector, Shalini Randeria, saying it is ¡°very concerned about 바카라사이트 lack of transparency¡± around Olive¡¯s closure. A confidential evaluation by 바카라사이트 initiative¡¯s penultimate funder, 바카라사이트 CEU-linked Open Society University Network (Osun), recommended that 바카라사이트 university set up a broader programme that matched its new home in Vienna and scaled up 바카라사이트 number students it could handle.

¡°Our priority is to build our university here in Vienna, and because of that we are creating a new access programme,¡± said Tim Crane, 바카라사이트 CEU¡¯s pro?rector for teaching and learning. While a CEU task force has been set up to decide 바카라사이트 ¡°more integrated¡± replacement¡¯s final form, Professor Crane said it would cater for first-generation and Roma students, as well as those from outside Europe.

The bigger initiative could involve o바카라사이트r universities in Osun, such as online learning leader Arizona State University, he said. While 바카라사이트 CEU had an ¡°open mind¡± about delivery, it was ¡°definitely interested¡± in including online components.

Both Professor Crane and Dr Cook agreed that a bigger, broader access programme made sense, and that an online-only approach would not work. ¡°We¡¯re committed to have a new programme which will have some continuity¡­and be open to 바카라사이트 same constituency,¡± said Professor Crane.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com