The entire academic community in Serbia, as well as the general public, expected the Committee for Professional Ethics of the University of Belgrade to make a decision on the validity of Sinisa Malog's doctorate on November 4, 2019.
This date is fixed by agreement of 24.09.2019. between the administration of the University of Belgrade and the students who blocked the Rector's office, demanding that the issue of the disputed doctorate of Sinisa Malog, which has been threatening the reputation of the University of Belgrade for more than five years, be finally resolved.
Extension of the deadline for the final decision until November 22, 2019. it's an unpleasant surprise.
Rector of the University of Belgrade, prof. Ph.D. Ivanka Popović explained that, due to an oversight in the interpretation of the regulations, and considering the newly created circumstances after the decision of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, it is necessary to extend the deadline in order to comply with the appeal procedure of 15 days.
The omission in the interpretation of regulations is big and unpleasant both for the academic community and for the general public. However, we are of the opinion that this was not the result of the intention, because delaying the resolution of this issue cannot bring any benefit to the academic community. On the contrary!
We fully understand the dissatisfaction of students due to these circumstances. We also understand, and we're sure the students do, that the delay is really necessary for procedural reasons. If the appeal deadline is not met, we would provide an opportunity to have the Professional Ethics Board's decision overturned in court.
In other words, we are ready to wait, together with the students, for the final decision to be made within valid academic and legal frameworks. In the meantime, the teachers and researchers of the University of Belgrade will also file appeals against the FON's decision regarding Sinisa Malog's doctorate.
We express our belief that, based on the unequivocal, and publicly presented, evidence of plagiarism in Sinisa Malog's doctorate, the Committee for Professional Ethics of the University of Belgrade will make the correct decision on November 22.
We, the teachers and researchers of the University of Belgrade, stand by our students and will support any student initiative that will protect the academic integrity, reputation and autonomy of our university. The university, made up of teachers, researchers and students, represents the intellectual force on which the foundations of modern society rest. We will not allow these values to collapse.
Initiative University support #1 of 5 million
Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement - MASA
