Students support Leipzig Rector

Occupation of the Rectorate at the HTWK-Leipzig finished: Students support elected Rector with protest action

28.04.2011

With the appointment of the rectorate at the University of Applied Sciences HTWK in Leipzig, students have responded to the refusal of the Saxon Ministry of Science to appoint rector Renate Lieckfeldt elected as election official in January 2011.

For 24 hours, the students occupied the rectorate at the HTWK. With their protest action they wanted to emphasize the demand for the appointment of the elected Rector Renate Lieckfeldt. Lieckfeldt was able to win the rector's election in January, but the Saxon Ministry of Science since then refuses to appoint her as rector. The reason: Lieckfeldt was still subject to a risk of relapse after a cancer survived, an appointment as an election official is therefore incompatible with civil service law.

Students occupied the rectorate 24 hours a day
For the students an unacceptable attitude. They call for the appointment of the rector as scheduled for May 1. The students emphasized this demand with the appointment of the rectorate at the HTWK. From Wednesday to Thursday morning, up to 50 students occupied the offices of the Rectorate for 24 hours. Further protest actions to support are not planned for the time being, but it will be the announced talks between the elected Rector and the Saxon Minister of Culture Sabine von Schorlemer wait, said the spokesman for the Student Council (StuRa), Christian Wille. Von Schorlemer had signaled readiness to talk to the elected principal last week in order to arrive at a mutually agreed solution. In doing so, the Minister of Science also asked for employment in an employment relationship for discussion. A takeover as an election official, as the Rector's Office at the HTWK normally provides, excluded from Schorlemer, however, continues.

Elected Rector signaled willingness to talk
Renate Lieckfeldt had made public the controversial behavior of the Saxon Ministry of Science itself, after she was denied the appointment as an election official. She wanted to fight for the post, the quarrelsome principal stressed last week. However, Lieckfeldt was also willing to talk in the direction of the Ministry of Science. She was prepared to think about the offer of an employment relationship, if presented by the Ministry, emphasized the elected Rector. For Lieckfeldt, however, the question arises as to how it can be, „that you are healthy enough to work as an employee, but not healthy enough to work as a civil servant“. Particularly since she is accepted as a civil servant by North Rhine-Westphalia, where she has been professor of technical management in the department of physical engineering at the Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen since 2001 and dean since 2007. In Saxony, however, Lieckfeldt should not even be a temporary civil servant. „I want to get that explained by the Ministry“, stressed the elected principal last week to the MDR. Lieckfeldt stated that she can not rule out legal recourse if no agreement can be reached during further talks with the Ministry of Science. However, this was the last resort, as she was aware that by a lawsuit the position of the rector at the HTWK could be blocked for years, said Lieckfeldt. (Fp)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann