A new independent Hungarian-language university

Things became more heated on 20 February, when the university's senate
rejected the proposal to establish an independent Hungarian
university. It seemed the Hungarian lecturers would follow the lead of
the radical Bolyai Initiative Committee (BIC) in withdrawing their
confidence in Levente Salat and Laszlo Nagy, vice-rectors of the
university, which would have made the work of teachers in the
Hungarian-language departments impossible - at present, each faculty
teaches in several languages. In the end, there was no vote of no
confidence, even though the two vice-rectors in question had asked for
a vote to solve the crisis of legitimacy.

After the senate's vote, Nicolae Bocsa, the university's rector,
launched a sally against the BIC and its president, Peter Hantz. The
rector said the group agitating for an independent Hungarian
university were behaving "without moral scruple". Furthermore, BIC's
mostly young members should "focus more on their careers rather than
falsify facts." The rector threatened also sent a written note to Mr
Hantz threatening him with dismissal. Tension was increased when
Andrei Marga, head of the university's academic committee announced he
would personally sue the writer Imre Kertesz, since he, along with
other Nobel laureates, had signed a petition calling for an
independent Hungarian university that was sent to the German newspaper
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. This petition was also handed to Jose
Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission on 21 February by
Mr Hantz and Csaba Sogor, president of the Democratic Alliance of
Hungarians in Romania, along with a report on the condition of higher
education in Transylvania.

Things took a strange turn when Laszlo Gyemant, a professor of Jewish
studies, said Bolyai University's multiculturalism was very successful
in the department of Hebrew. Referring to the Frankfurter Allgemeine
petition, he said prominent Jews like Elie Wiesel and Imre Kertesz had
been misinformed. Mr Gyemant said: "Holocaust survivors should not be
dragged into this campaign."

Hungarian lecturers at the university sent a statement to the
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, which had until then
been keeping out of the row. They asked the Alliance to press for the
government to get involved with the issue. "In a few weeks, we will be
holding discussions with the Alliance and other interested parties
about the future of higher education in Transylvania," said Mr Hantz.
The Alliance was prepared only to say they wanted a negotiated
solution.