“Legacy of Vasyl Stus can become a strong element of the school’s new vision”

The solemn opening brought together researchers, local universities’ rectors, leaders of the city and the region, while Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Serhii Kvit was present as well. “We discussed the possibility of moving the Donetsk National University (DonNU) to Vinnytsia for three months. Feedback from students who wished to continue their studies on the banks of the Southern Buh River [where Vinnytsia is situated. – Ed.] confirmed the correctness of our decision,” Kvit maintained. “Even though you start the new academic year outside the walls of your alma mater, this will still be an important step in the history of your school. I know that two IT companies moved to Vinnytsia following your university, and the Donetsk Physical-Technical Institute is next in line.”

In fact, Donetsk refugees like their Vinnytsia experience. Although the weekend saw a fake news of the Right Sector members allegedly beating up the DonNU students in Vinnytsia spreading on the Internet, none of them is going to return home. Second-year student Pavlo, born near Mariupol, said that such rumors were already familiar to them. “Residents of Vinnytsia are wonderful people,” he stated. “As soon as they learn that we are from the Donbas, they hurry to help in some way. We now live in a hotel, the university compensates half the price of the rooms we occupy, but the plans are to move to a dormitory soon. We are looking for places.”

“For the time being, we are unable to find housing for all students,” rector of the DonNU Roman Hryniuk admitted. “We have found a few places in the former dormitory of the Vinnytsia Regional Teachers’ Training Institute. Therefore, our students will attend classes remotely for now. Teachers will send them daily e-mails with necessary information. Schedule will be cyclical, meaning that the teacher will present his subject in a week and conduct testing, and then will return to their place of residence.”

Faculty members of the city’s various educational institutions are engaging in a joint effort to find solutions to the problems facing the DonNU. The whole community is coming to their help, as one institution is lending desks and tables for classrooms, while another is providing literature for its library. After all, the DonNU brought to Vinnytsia from Donetsk only its banner, saved by female fourth-year students who serve on the student council.

“In fact, it is frightening to even think about what our colleagues experienced in Donetsk, what forced them to leave their homes and well-equipped workplaces, and move to Vinnytsia to start everything from the scratch. We must support them now,” lecturer in journalistics at the Vinnytsia Pedagogical University Vitalii Handziuk remarked. “Under the prevailing conditions, any school can find itself in a similar situation. Therefore, leaving colleagues to face this disaster on their own is not an option for us.”

The DonNU has announced a supplementary admission session to fill both government scholarship places and places for tuition-paying students. In addition to school-leavers, the Unoversity invites students from the anti-terrorist operation area who are unable to attend their first choice school anymore. They will be able to study at the DonNU for a term, and then will be designated as auditors. The admission commission will operate through November 10 this year.