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Mundtodt.
That is a nice pun on the name of the German scientists who has been recently sacked after making a critical comment on the state of the University of Hamburg in an interview she gave in March. The interview in question can be found here, a PDF here. Todt, Sabine Todt, is the name of the person sacked, and "mundtot" is the German word for muzzling someone.
She is the case who led to the decision the head of our university made that any academic who wants to make a statement on anything concerning the university in the presence of a journalist has to get the press office's OK first.
Or else.
Or else, they can be sacked like Sabine Todt, because the head doesn't hold with people who are too critical and whose view on our university is not the same as that the press office presents. Apparently, the press office does not want people to know that some of the university's scientists are working for one Euro per hour, or, like Sabine Todt, for €1,200 per semester. They don't want senior members of staff to comment on the new internet based system coordination enrolment into courses, either - which is not working and has caused severe difficulties for some students in the past semesters.
I knew that the Head had ruled that no one was allowed to say anything not coordinated with the press office, but I heard of this case only today. Our dearest Head denies that the interview has anything to do with the fact that Ms Todt has been sacked, of course. I wonder what her explanation would be, because she was supposed to have a seminar next semester, which has apparently been cancelled.
Amazing coincidences.
That is a nice pun on the name of the German scientists who has been recently sacked after making a critical comment on the state of the University of Hamburg in an interview she gave in March. The interview in question can be found here, a PDF here. Todt, Sabine Todt, is the name of the person sacked, and "mundtot" is the German word for muzzling someone.
She is the case who led to the decision the head of our university made that any academic who wants to make a statement on anything concerning the university in the presence of a journalist has to get the press office's OK first.
Or else.
Or else, they can be sacked like Sabine Todt, because the head doesn't hold with people who are too critical and whose view on our university is not the same as that the press office presents. Apparently, the press office does not want people to know that some of the university's scientists are working for one Euro per hour, or, like Sabine Todt, for €1,200 per semester. They don't want senior members of staff to comment on the new internet based system coordination enrolment into courses, either - which is not working and has caused severe difficulties for some students in the past semesters.
I knew that the Head had ruled that no one was allowed to say anything not coordinated with the press office, but I heard of this case only today. Our dearest Head denies that the interview has anything to do with the fact that Ms Todt has been sacked, of course. I wonder what her explanation would be, because she was supposed to have a seminar next semester, which has apparently been cancelled.
Amazing coincidences.
