Ukrainian students demand dismissal of lecturer over alleged sexist, pro-Russian views
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Students of the Educational and Research Institute of Journalism of the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv are demanding the dismissal of their lecturer Mykyta Vasylenko, who is accused of promoting sexist and pro-Russian narratives, Oksana Parashchak, a fourth-year student of the institute and a servicewoman announced on TikTok on Feb. 17.
Vasylenko claimed during his lectures that “women can achieve something only in four ways: husband, lover, father, brother.”
In her comment to hromadske news outlet, she said that in the summer of 2023, students sent a letter to the then-director of the institute, Volodymyr Rizun, complaining about Vasylenko’s “openly pro-Russian and sexist position.”
“The lecturer indulges in sexist comments towards female students,” reads the letter, signed by more than 170 students of the Institute.
“During Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, this lecturer tells students in class about the ‘greatness of Russia’.”
Rizun claimed at the time that he did not have the authority to qualify the evidence as a violation, and also admitted that he had not watched the video or listened to the audio evidence of behavior with signs of discrimination, Parashchak stated.
She later contacted the Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets. In January 2024, the Ombudsman replied that the Academic Council’s Standing Ethics Commission had set up a working group to address issues of sexism.
The Commission recognized the facts of ethics violations and that the formal approach of the management, Academic Council, and student union of the Institute to these violations led to reputational losses for the institute and the university as a whole. Based on these findings, Vasylenko and the head of the department were reprimanded.
Students are nonetheless demanding Vasylenko’s dismissal.
The student union of the Institute stated that they had repeatedly received complaints from students about Vasylenko’s behavior, and in December 2023, their representatives participated in a meeting of the Ethics Commission that considered his suspension from lecturing.
The student union stressed that they categorically condemn the position and statements of Mykyta Vasylenko and consider his work as a lecturer unacceptable.
“For our part, we promise to do everything possible to ensure that justice is served,” the student union said.
Mykyta Vasylenko denied all the accusations in a comment to the TSN news program and said that he would sue the student.
“I am just forced to do it,” the lecturer responded.
“Before doing so, I will warn the university administration and consult with my colleagues. I have enough reason to believe that this provocation was commissioned. It is directly related to my teaching and publishing activities.”
Read also: Lviv university professor resigns over husband’s controversial dealings with Defense Ministry
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
