Students fought for stoneware, but renovation does not pay off the university

Kamionka's occupation ended on May 28, 2024. Lasted 11 days. “We have it: Kamionka stays” then wrote protesters in the social media of the Krakow employee initiative. Both the IP and the Jagiellonian University have published a list of the conditions for the end of the occupation. The university, as we read in the initiative entry, was primarily to order the independent valuation of the renovation of the student house and determine the number of authorized persons interested in living in the former dormitory.

In the comments under the entry of an employee initiative – enthusiasm. Words about “a small step for the Jagiellonian University, but great for the student movement”, hashtags #distance and thanks to protesters for “put their own comfort, their own safety to fight for equal access to education for the weaker and less wealthy.” Nine months have passed and there are many indications that Kamionka's defenders have many reasons to celebrate. The university does not intend to renovate the building, explaining it with high costs and low interest.

Students associated with the employee initiative were allowed to meet the Senate of the Jagiellonian University on January 29, 2025. The subject of the Student House of Kamionka was to appear at the meeting before. These, however, are secret, just like the reports from the meetings. University spokesman Marcin Kubat, explaining the secrecy of documents, refers to the Act on accessible to public information. However, as we checked, protocols from the meetings of the university Senate do not secret such universities as the University of Warsaw, Szczecin or Wrocław.

– The point is that bystanders cannot participate in the deliberations, and the protocol is a document that describes it. – Kubat in an interview with tvn24.pl points out that all resolutions adopted by senators are published in the Public Information Bulletin. However, students and other persons whose decisions of the Senate relate directly may not read the discussion preceding the adoption of the resolution or resolutions rejected during the meeting.

This time, students were to present to the rector and other members of the Senate a presentation about Kamionka. Relations from the course of the speech are significantly different, but one thing is certain: students and members of the Senate did not part in harmony.

“The voice of the students was clearly ignored by rector of the only child. The student presentation was interrupted many times and prevented it from completing it. During the presentation, some senators were repeatedly interrupted, and even laughed at the content of the presentation. Rector Jedynak closed the meeting of the Senate within a dozen or so minutes of starting the submitted point without conducting the promised discussion, “write students in a message sent to ours editorial office. As they explain, the pretext for closing the meeting was to record their speech. They argue, however, that they recorded only the person conducting the presentation.

– At some point, the rector noticed them, for the third time to stop recording the meeting because they are closed. These people could not adapt to these requests, one of them began to behave aggressively, shout, ran to the cathedral of the Collegium Novum Hall with a microphone and shouted different slogans to senators – says the head of the Jagiellonian University's press office Adam Koprowski.

Students also claim that after the Senators leaving the room “security guards immediately entered, who forcibly tried to take one of the speeching students.” In the social media, they published a photo in which you can see a man in a suit holding by the student's arm.

“It is not known who gave the use of force to the people present there and what was the justification of such action. However, this happened without opposition from the rector Piotr Jedynak. (…) Once again it turned out that the validity of Motta UJ, i.e. 'Plus Ratio quam vis' (Latin reason above strength) is at least very questionable ” – they emphasize.

We also asked a representative of the university for the strength of the speech. – I would like to deny these reports, we are dealing with the introduction of public opinion. (…) It should be noted that these people voluntarily left the Aula, there were no handles – argues Koprowski.

After this conversation, we turned to the university's press office asking about the “bodyguard” visible in the photo. This time we talked with the Jagiellonian University spokesman Marcin Kubat who confirmed that he was a university employee (as he points out: a member of the rector's guard, not protection). And that “nobody used strength for students except for the time of touching, it could push away.”

– I was on this Senate, I saw what it looked like. It consisted in the fact that at some point the student jumped with the microphone onto the tribune, where he generally does not jump, because this is a very rector's place. He was asked to go down, which did not work, and therefore he was slightly moved – describes Kubat. He adds that students also tried to get to the hall next to it, where senators “have lobby conversations over coffee and yeast”. They were not allowed.

Przemysław Mitka, a student, who can be seen in the photo with a member of the Rector's Guard, recalls the course of the meeting. His relationship shows that it was the senators and rector present at the meeting that showed a lack of respect for students. – From the very beginning we were interrupted, the rector did not allow us to speak, we have many times heard laughter and light conversations to disturb our presentation. The rector also began to invite other people to speak, despite the fact that time was intended for our presentation – says Mitka.

The student also claims that the university authorities are currently not replying to either emails or applications for public information. – Chancellor Monika Harpula, who should consider such a conclusion within two weeks, delayed up to several months – says Mitka.

When asked about the current plans of the university towards Kamionka, Kubat said that a valuation was carried out. – It is not profitable to renovate it, interest in living is small, therefore the investment priority translated into a new dormitory, and we leave it – he said.

We received more detailed information about the university's activities by email. The document mentions the costs of reconstruction of Kamionka, reaching PLN 54 million, and little interest in living there.

“The inventory of buildings was carried out and the concept of reconstruction of one with an estimate. Simply put, these reconstruction costs can be doubled, hence the total amount exceeding PLN 54 million. Ordering a concept for two twin buildings ” – we read in the document. In turn, an employee initiative argues that this way of carrying out the valuation artificially overstates it and the real cost of restoring Kamionka to the utility state can only be learned by analyzing the condition of both buildings.

“The university's presentation presented in the Senate suggests that the reconstruction project with defective assumptions was intentionally commissioned to justify the need to sell the dormitory” – write students in a message published in January this year. They also point out that, by virtue of an agreement ending the occupation, the rector undertook to carry out renovation, not reconstruction, which is a more expensive solution.

The allegations regarding the replacement of the renovation by the reconstruction of Kubat repels, paying attention to the need to adapt buildings to fire protection regulations, adapt them to the needs of people with disabilities and thermomodernization. It also confirms reports of trees that bind to the work, which would provide, among others, access to fire brigades and parking spaces. How many trees would go under the ax – that Kubat explains, it would be known only at the stage of the construction project. Students write about “almost complete felling”, which in turn does not allow the local plan. And which, according to them, would not be necessary if Kamionka was only renovated.

The second condition for the end of Kamionka's occupation was to determine the number of authorized persons interested in living in a former dormitory. The university argues that she fulfilled this commitment, organizing the Open Day in Kamionka in September 2024. 17 people came to him.

Students associated with employee initiative say that 438 people have not received places at the Jagiellonian University's student homes in the current academic year. We asked the university spokesman how many students in the dorms in 2024 had to refuse to refuse because of the lack of places, but we did not receive an answer. It is also not known how many people could live in Kamionka after renovation or reconstruction. The spokesman also did not refer to our question about whether the sale of stoneware is currently planned.

The university, however, emphasizes that thanks to “acquiring” in September 2024, a student home at ul. Racławicka 9A managed to create 132 additional places for students. At that time, the Krakow employee initiative was protested against the sale of the building. DS Racławicka was previously owned by the Collegium Medicum UJ. From February 2022, in connection with the sales process, it was not available. Now students of units other than Cm will find places there, because they have place mainly in Prokocim.

“Work is also underway on the reorganization of parts of single rooms in double, which will allow about 40 more places in this building. The changes will be carried out during this year's summer break, so that from the beginning of October this year may live in the dormitory more people” – he announces Marcin Kubat in an email sent to our editorial office.

At the end of January, a tender was announced for the construction of a dormitory at the 3rd campus of the Jagiellonian University in Ruczaj. “If the tender and construction works themselves do without complications, then the commissioning of the student house is planned at the turn of 2026/27. There will be about 200 people studying at the Jagiellonian University. In the future, another such building is planned in the future at the third campus of the UJ , for another 200 people, “says the university.

The first didactic buildings on the 3rd campus were put into use a quarter of a century ago.

Students also have reservations against the dormitory in Ruczaj. They write that the rector initially declared 400 places, but this number was reduced by half. According to data published by the employee initiative, the number of places in dorms at the Jagiellonian University (together with Collegium Medicum) is 3707, which means that there are only places for about 9% of the studyers.