Alexandrov takes pictures of the protest
Photo by Silviya Krasteva

Protesters raise yellow cards in the air

By Anna Kadnikova and Alexandra Voroneanu

October 21, 2007

Around 200 students protested on October 18

Students gathered Thursday in front of the main building at 4:30 p.m. to show their disappointment with the way the administration solves problems. They listed their concerns in a manifesto under the slogan ?What are we paying for?? and suggested solutions to the administration.

The manifesto called on the administration to reform the faculty hiring process and improve the information flow at AUBG. They wanted the administration to clearly define ?what information students can have absolute access to, and what information should be restricted.? The manifesto demanded an external evaluation of the Skaptopara computer network, as well as the introduction of a code of conduct that would be signed by the Student Government, the student media, and the university administration. The participants in the protest said they hope for ?open dialogue and mutual respect.?

The organizers handed out whistles, yellow cards and two copies of the manifesto to each of the participants. Then everyone proceeded to the hall outside the office of Provost Ann Ferren. Students started blowing the whistles and the Provost and Dean of Faculty Steve Sullivan went out of Ferren?s office. The protesters raised yellow cards in the air and each of them handed one signed copy of the manifesto to the Provost and the other one to the Dean.

Ivan Evstatiev, one of the organizers of the protest, said the members of the administration make a mistake by trying to prove their superiority to the students in any possible way. By doing this, they undermine their real mission, he said. ?There is a limit to being tough to students and faculty. If students are protesting and faculty members are resigning, you [the administration] are not doing the right thing.?

?Whistles and yellow cards were just symbolic. In soccer, when you play rough, you get a yellow card, a warning. It was a polite and symbolic way,? Evstatiev said. The protest was not directed against the ?administration as a whole,? as there are offices that are ?doing a great job,? he added.

Sullivan said he could not comment at once, when receiving the petitions from students. ?I just read the manifesto. First I have some questions for the people who organized the protest,? he said.

Vice-President for Finance and Administration Alexander Alexandrov was taking pictures with his cell phone and said he is going to send them to alumni, said student Dimitar Ostoich. ?How can someone from senior administration act like that in front of 200 students?? Evstatiev said. ?It is exactly what we talked about in the 4th point of the manifesto: lack of respect to students.?

The Student Government (SG) does not take stands in the situation. SG senator Nebojsa Nikolic said the SG was put in a very uncomfortable position before the protest. ?If we supported the protest, it would look like double playing the administration. We are currently trying to reach an agreement with them. It is like you have peace negotiations and start throwing bombs,? said Nikolic. The SG is now devising a survey that will be used as a bargaining leverage between the students and the administration, he added. ?But if you do not support the protest, students think you are turning back to them. We could take neither stand.?

?The protest should be the means of communication only when all other channels are exhausted,? said SG president Nikola Tomic. He said he hopes the communication between students and the SG will improve in the future.

Serik Sharipov, student representative to the Board of Trustees, called the protest an extreme measure and said students first had to use other channels such as the SG, student media, student representatives, Dean of Students, and the ?accessible President.? He said the protest was somewhat premature but well-organized. ?I support any kind of student political activity.?

Student Slavena Ivanova said she is not well informed about the protest. ?I heard it is against the administration [?]. I do not think it is plausible to protest against [what happened with the Internet] because it took place long ago and the issue has already been solved,? Ivanova added.

?The kids just want to play. I don?t think this is serious,? student Oksana Tolmacheva said. She does not think the protest makes much sense, Tolmacheva said.

Student Atanas Dyulgerov did not think the manifesto statements were well grounded. The OCC is doing a great job with the financial resources they have, he said. ?The network is almost perfect. What [OCC] lacks is the money to increase the band width.?

Even though last year's protest against the late announcement of a $150 housing deposit did not solve much, students still came to the protest because ?everyone is complaining and we feel we should do something,? student Mariya Tsvyatkova said.

?I want to believe that something will happen at all, but I have a feeling that nothing will and the administration will ignore us again,? said student Jan Cabacov.

Evstatiev said he hopes things will change. He does not expect immediate results, but wants to show the administration that students can be active.

Read the full text of the protesters' manifesto here.

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