FAMU expresses full support for the student initiative 'Ne!musíš to vydržet' (You Don’t Have to Endure It)

FAMU expresses full support to the student initiative Ne!musíš to vydržet (You Don’t Have to Endure It) and its objective of pointing out problems in the internal culture of art schools. We perceive that the students of the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts are pointing out an issue that has to be addressed not only within the structures of our faculties but also across the entire Czech university environment. This is an issue that we have to pay attention to, that we have to talk about aloud, thus contributing to a society-wide debate, and we have to focus on the various displays of it and address them urgently; even more importantly, we have to prevent them in the future. This will require changes in the infrastructure of tertiary schools, which will provide room and relevance to bodies that defend student interests and encourage functional mechanisms of addressing inappropriate conduct (typically ombudsmen/ombudswomen). It will also require explaining and educating patiently with a view to defining the limits and forms of considerate and educationally suitable behaviour. We appreciate the attitude of DAMU leaders who approach the situation openly, transparently and with all the seriousness that this issue requires. We should never forget that the system of education and the communication between students and teachers need critical reflection on an ongoing basis, that they need to be viewed from various perspectives, and that it is vital to listen to the voices of the people who are not “in power” but who are influenced by the power and whose future is shaped by the decisions of those in power. FAMU will continue to follow the developments closely and encourage steps towards improving the situation, as well as taking active steps in this respect. One of such steps is the planned colloquium of the FAMU ombudswoman, which will be organised in the autumn of 2021. Many guests, both Czech and international, will be invited to take part; they are people involved in the management of university institutions with emphasis on the issues of ethics, attitude to students, feedback and fair treatment in school and at workplaces.