On Thursday, March 5, 2020, the first meeting of the Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement with colleagues from the University of Niš was held in the large hall of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš. The assembled colleagues were addressed by Dr. Galjina Ognjanov, Dr. Vladan Čokić and Dr. Dalibor Petrović, members of the Mass Coordination Committee, as well as Dr. Ivana Spasić, a member of the Mass.
The members of the Coordination Board introduced their colleagues from Nis to the reasons for starting the Mass, the basic principles and methods of operation of this organization, as well as the activities that have been carried out in the past months. As a specific reason for convening the meeting, the need to expand Mass beyond the University of Belgrade was highlighted, since the problems faced by the academic community in Serbia are not exclusively related to it and cannot be solved without the support of colleagues from other universities throughout Serbia.
Colleagues from Nis welcomed the establishment of Mass, pointing out that there has been a need for the formation of such an organization for years. The problems faced by colleagues from Niš are largely universal for the entire academic space in Serbia, from the arrogance of certain faculty deans in Niš to disturbed interpersonal relationships. As one of the current problems, it was highlighted that recently, without any public discussion and in a completely non-transparent procedure, at the session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the University of Belgrade was declared a University of national importance. In this way, in their opinion, the work of other universities in Serbia was completely underestimated, which were not only not informed about this initiative, but were never presented with the criteria on the basis of which the University of Belgrade received this prestigious status.
The meeting was also attended by a colleague, Dr. Biljana Aranđelović from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Niš, who, although she met the legal requirements for election to the title of associate professor in 2014, was elected to the title of assistant professor for the third time in 2019. Colleague Aranđelović thanked Masa for her help in getting her case to the local media, which before that largely ignored her requests to inform the public in Nis about this case.
It was concluded that there are significant reasons for the establishment of the Masa branch in Niš and it was agreed that Dr. Nemanja Krstić will coordinate the activities so that it is established as soon as possible.
The representatives of Masa emphasized that they will continue to fight on behalf of the members of the academic community for the preservation of the autonomy of the university, the right to express a critical opinion, the cultivation of solidarity, expertise, honesty, transparency and social responsibility, regardless of possible obstacles and being ignored by decision-makers. guided by the slogan "smarter does not give in", which was proposed by one of the present colleagues from the University of Niš.
