Warsaw. Rector of the former Collegium Humanum on the difficult situation of students

– Unfortunately, the consequences of the confusion around the university are unfortunately borne today, and unjustly, by those who are educated or have been educated here in a reliable, legal and committed manner – admitted its rector, Magdalena Stryja, at a conference held at the university on Thursday.

According to her, currently 17,000 people study at seven branches of universities in the country.

The conference is the result of Tuesday's protest by students of the former Collegium Humanum, which attracted about 100 participants. The students demanded that they be issued documents certifying the course and completion of their studies at Collegium Humanum, as well as announcing the dates for the defense of their bachelor's and master's theses. According to one of the protesters, there are several thousand people injured as a result of the university's slackness. The university authorities stopped issuing documents to students because, according to investigators, there were numerous irregularities at the university, including trade in diplomas. The prosecutor's order was to verify whether all grades for tests and exams, as well as participation in classes, were certified truthfully. Students' problems have been going on since spring this year, when the CBA entered the university's headquarters in Warsaw.

READ MORE: Students of the former Collegium Humanum: we are in a hopeless situation. The university responds

– I do not have access to the grades I obtained legally by passing exams at this university. Worst of all, I was deprived of the opportunity to work. I was fired in two institutions because I was employed there conditionally, with the consent of the school board, as a student who had to defend herself. I declared that I would have my graduation diploma in March, but it didn't happen. But the management, having to choose from qualified people with diplomas, decided to choose them, said one of the protest participants.

The organizer of the protest, Karolina Synowiec, explained that the students decided to organize a demonstration because the university authorities had not contacted them for at least three or four months. – They deceive us, especially Mrs. Stryja (Magdalena, rector of the university – ed.). He completely ignores us, treats us like garbage, and we can't afford it. We came to the university to complete our studies honestly, without any bribery. We also want to work in our dream profession, but this is impossible due to the lack of a diploma. We are not asking for much, she argued.

At Thursday's conference, the rector was accompanied by the chairwoman of the university student government council, Magdalena Antoniak, and deputy chairwoman Artur Rybacki. Magdalena Stryja, who has been officially serving as rector since September, explained the causes of students' problems. As she emphasized, “the university must check the legality of each document it issues.” We are talking about study records or diplomas. – This is the moment when I would really like to express my deep regret. “I'm very sorry that the students suffered,” she said. – We exercise the utmost care and great effort to ensure that the verification processes are carried out as quickly as possible – assured the rector. She also emphasized that the new authorities “are responsible not only for managing the university”, but also for “cleaning up what raised doubts and reservations”.

– Today we have a situation in which we check every document, every diploma, every card, we check tens of thousands of grades. As a result of the verification, we are at the stage where the verification processes have not only accelerated significantly, but their effect is that within the next week, 50,000 verified, legal and checked assessments will appear in the system. Legal means that the grade is followed by an exam, and the grade is followed by a check of the learning outcomes that the student achieved in a given subject during a given semester, Stryja explained.

The rector announced that the first defenses are scheduled for next week. – These are all the results of several months of very hard work – said Stryja.

The rector said that she is aware that everyone expects a specific date – when the last diploma will be issued. – I make every effort and I have set myself a goal that at the end of the winter semester, students will enter the winter session and then the new semester with a regulated, systematized and orderly situation. Currently, the university operates properly under its new name, assured a representative of the university authorities.

According to Stryja, the visitation process of the Polish Accreditation Committee is still ongoing until December 7, and inspections are also being carried out by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, with which – as the rector assured – the university cooperates on an ongoing basis.

– The time since March has been a situation for which no local government could have been prepared. Fortunately, we have constant contact with the rector. There were many meetings with students and starostas, said Magdalena Antoniak, a representative of the students' government.

– This entire restructuring and recovery process is very difficult in legal and administrative terms. I would even compare it to open heart surgery. This process is still ongoing and will certainly continue for a while, and will certainly continue to be complex and complicated. I hope that at the end of this semester, we will enter the new summer semester full of optimism and a sense of security that we are studying in a fully organized system – added her deputy Artur Rybacki.

Why is it that the university can now issue diplomas, and why have students been demanding it recently? – Prosecutor's proceedings are ongoing. As a result of certain irregularities, reservations, processes (…) it turned out that, first of all, there are a lot of grades that have not been entered into the system. These are thousands of ratings, Stryja replied.

She reminded that a student who wants to take part in the defense must meet basic requirements, such as obtaining the appropriate number of ECTS points. However, many doubts and reservations emerged during the verification. Both towards students who have already submitted their master's thesis and were waiting for their defense, and towards people who have already defended themselves but before the new administrator took power. – I can't imagine signing a diploma that contained irregularities, not all exams, not all ECTS points – Stryja emphasized.

In the case of diplomas of persons whose defense is questionable, their student status will be restored. Then, such a person will have to complete the subjects for which they did not have credits. – This is a very complicated situation. Within 1.5 months, we have accelerated significantly, for example with the issue of study records, which must also contain verified grades. Therefore, the procedure is such that a study record card is issued for those grades that do not raise doubts. And in relation to those that raise doubts (…) we initiate explanatory proceedings regarding these assessments – said the rector.

We asked about the difference in withdrawal fees. In some cases – as students told us – it is over PLN 400, in others it is over PLN 600 or even PLN 800. Stryja explained that it results from the contract concluded between the university and the student. – When a student applies for a study record card and is waiting for it, no fees are charged – she assured. Those who want to transfer are still waiting for their study records to be issued. – They also want to receive a document that they will present to the new university and which will allow the university to enroll them in the semester in which they finished their studies here – noted the rector.

According to the rector, the main wave of resignations could be observed in May and June.

– The cancellation price depends on the monthly tuition fee for various studies. One monthly tuition fee is the resignation fee, added the representative of the student government.

Stryja noted that currently nearly two thousand people have submitted applications for a study record card. Within 1.5 months, the university managed to issue – as she indicated – “hundreds”.

However, we have not found out how many students have resigned from studying at “Varsovia” so far. – Out of these two thousand, we do not know which of these students applied for the issuance of study records because they want to leave and want to resign immediately, and which of these students simply want to have this document – explained Stryja.

We asked about the situation of lecturers. Our editorial office received information that some people resigned from their jobs due to the scandal and non-payment of their salaries. – The main reason for the resignation of employees, academic teachers and educators from work at the university was the media confusion – Stryja said in response. – This was one of the main reasons why employees left in March-April-May. Some of it was when I started working at the university. I had meetings with employees, I explained our plans, and I managed to dissuade some of them from this decision. Currently, the university has nearly 500 teachers, Stryja said.

We have already informed many times about the problems of students of the former Collegium Humanum on tvnwarszawa.pl. Some people decided to class action lawsuit against the university. Students are demanding compensation for the university's actions, which, in their opinion, prevent them from pursuing their studies properly. They told us about the “total chaos” and uncertainty that has accompanied them since the outbreak of the scandal and the arrest of former rector Paweł C. They also submitted a letter to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection to clarify the issue of charging cancellation fees.

The situation is also being monitored by the Ombudsman, who has repeatedly called on the university authorities for explanations.

Over the weekend, we reported that former rector of the former Collegium Humanum, Paweł C., left pre-trial detention in Katowice and returned home to Warsaw. C. is a suspect in a multi-threaded scandal involving, among other things, issuing diplomas for money.

– The prosecutor revoked the preventive measure against the former rector of Collegium Humanum Paweł C. in the form of temporary arrest and applied preventive measures to the suspect – said prosecutor Katarzyna Calów-Jaszewska from the press office of the National Prosecutor's Office on Saturday.

This concerns: a property guarantee in the amount of PLN 2 million, which was paid on Friday; ban on leaving the country, combined with confiscation of the passport; ban on entering the university and approaching its employees; ban on performing the duties of an academic teacher in Poland.

C. was charged with leading an organized criminal group. The prosecutor's office reported that he had been charged with nearly 100 charges so far. Currently, there are 55 suspects in the case, with a total of 196 charges brought by the prosecutor.