Statement regarding student elections
Ladies and Gentlemen! Dear Students!
In light of the information circulating in the media regarding the conducted by-elections to the bodies of the Student Self-Government, I wish to assure you that the issue of the proper conduct of all democratic procedures is of particular concern to the rectoral authorities of the University of Wrocław.
This concerns both student activity and the academic community as a whole. The foundation of democracy is respect for and adherence to legal regulations, which is why I am so vigilant in ensuring their compliance.
Student activity within the self-government and student organisations undeniably serves as the best school of democracy and active citizenship. You can rest assured that the management of the University is also based on paying due attention to creating the conditions for their full realization at the UWr.
At the same time, I would like to clarify: in accordance with the Statute of the University of Wrocław, the University Electoral Committee of the Student Self-Government (UKW SS), elected by the Student Parliament, organizes and holds elections to the statutory bodies of the Student Self-Government at the UWr. The UKW SS supervises the proper conduct of elections for self-government bodies. This means that the organization of elections is not within the responsibility of the Student Self-Government Board, and neither the Rector nor the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs is responsible for them. Supervision of the elections falls under the domain of the University Electoral Committee for the Student Self-Government, which has reviewed all election protests within the set deadline and responded to the formal allegations contained in them. The UKW SS has confirmed the correctness of the electoral process during the by-elections to the bodies of the Student Self-Government.
However, as these matters have garnered interest within the academic community, I would like to inform you that, according to Article 72, sections 2 and 3 of the Statute of the University of Wrocław, a procedure is provided whereby the University Electoral Committee will, as part of its control responsibilities, verify the election documentation submitted by the competent bodies of the Student Self-Government. I will be able to address the issue only after reviewing the results of this verification.
I want to assure you that I will make every effort to activate the student community and strengthen voter turnout so that election results reflect the will of the broadest possible student section of the academic community.
Guided by concern for the well-being of the University, I would also like to point out that the Student Self-Government of the University of Wrocław is composed of all students of the University of Wrocław, and the bodies of the Student Self-Government are the sole representative of the entire student body.
Therefore, I kindly request that any discussions dedicated to elections conducted by students take into account the above provisions of the Statute of the University of Wrocław and adhere to the fundamental principles of academic debate.
prof. dr hab. Robert Olkiewicz, Rector of the University of Wrocław
Translated by Julia Kowalczyk (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
