The dispute between the rector of Transilvania University in Brașov, Ioan Abrudan, and the students dissatisfied with the institution’s new rules has gone viral. Rector since 2012 of the university, although the law stipulates a limit of two terms, Abrudan suggested that the students brought cockroaches into the dormitories.
Students complain about the presence of cockroaches in the dormitories. PHOTO: Shutterstock
Over a hundred students of the Transilvania University in Brașov protested last week, dissatisfied with the study conditions, the new rules regarding mandatory attendance and the lack of communication from the management.
The discussions with the rector Ioan Vasile Abrudan were tense, and the young people complain about high fees, overcrowded halls and problems in the dormitories.
The scene in which rector Ioan Vasile Abrudan reproached the students that they are the ones who bring cockroaches into the dormitories sparked extensive discussions on the Reddit platform.
“We are a hundred people in a hall, we write on the walls!”
The main reason for the protest is compulsory attendance at classes, introduced by a new regulation adopted in July. The students state that the document was not communicated by e-mail or through teachers, but “just published on the website, in a corner where no one enters”.
“We want to work, but also study. The schedule does not allow us even a part-time job. Many of us have 12-hour days, some finish classes at 10 o’clock in the evening”said Răzvan Pirtea, organizer of the protest.
Rector Ioan Vasile Abrudan explained to the students that “full-time education means attendance at university, not elsewhere.”
The students’ response came immediately: “You want to tell me that I have compulsory courses, but where do I sit? There are a hundred of us in a room, we write on the walls, on our knees, some of us sit on the floor.”
Another reason for the revolt is the transfer fee, which would have reached 50,000 lei for budget students who want to move to another university. Also, the tuition fee has increased considerably in the last year.
“The tax has increased exponentially. Before it was 2,700 lei, now it’s almost 4,000. It’s double!”, said a student from the Faculty of Letters.
Images of classrooms where students are huddled or even standing have been shared on social media. Other photos show dilapidated hallways and old furniture.
The rector acknowledged the existence of problems, but claims that the situation is temporary: “We publicly announced on October 1st that we have four amphitheaters in the works. In ten days they were ready.”
The management of Transilvania University claims that the new rules comply with the Higher Education Law of 2023 and that many of the reported problems “are temporary”.
“The students are partly right, but the university operates within the limits imposed by the law. Constant work is being done to improve the conditions on campus and in the classrooms”the university spokesman said.
“Who brought the cockroaches into the dorm”
Students also complained about the conditions in the dormitories: lack of heat, high prices and poor hygiene.
“We pay 2,800 lei for a room with a shared bathroom, where the water drains and there are cockroaches.” — argued a second-year student.
The rector’s reply went viral: “Did the rector bring the cockroaches there or all those who stayed there?”
The comment divided the internet. Most criticized him and mocked his statement, others gave him the right: “I stayed in the dormitory and every day there were dirty pots and food scraps. The students are also to blame, as well as the management, for not disinfesting more often.”
“What bugs did you bring from home?“, commented a student.
“We all know that students come home with bugs in their pockets”another intervened.
“Sex-Marxist Students Bring Cockroaches to Eat Them”– commented, ironically, someone else.
“Bro, and if they did come, they run the place, it’s their job to keep it in top condition, because it’s a paid service. It’s absolutely absurd to say that the ‘customer’ is to blame, when it’s clearly his and the manager’s incompetence.”
“No joke, I’ve worked in hotels for 10+ years. Bugs, bugs, of any kind, are always brought in by those who check in. Inevitably, transporting luggage by plane, car, etc. exposes the luggage to the external environment, where all kinds of bugs and bugs can hang on. Some even bring them from home, not knowing that the suitcase they’re packing is hiding something in the lining or holes. That’s no excuse the rate at which disinfestation is carried out in those premises”someone else intervened.
Regarding the dormitories, the administration stated that sanitation works are carried out regularly and that complaints will be verified.
Generations have changed. No more silence
Many reddit users congratulated the students for having the courage to speak out.
“Nice to see the new generations not sitting with their heads down anymore. Respect!”one user wrote.
Others called for more organization: “The protest is justified, but five main demands should be clearly stated. That way, it gets lost in the noise.”
“In the middle of the discussion, the students start chanting. It’s a grotesque picture of the lack of common sense that thinks itself superior. It doesn’t matter what Mr. Rector said, these individuals who have achieved nothing in life (because they didn’t have time at their age and that’s why we have to have some respect for age, because those older ones have survived longer than us), have no education at all. Such attitudes disgrace the quality of being a student. You better go to the stadium, you have exactly the right behavior,” someone else intervened.
The protest of students in Brașov has become a symbol of a generation that refuses silence and demands real change.
The “eternal” rector from Transilvania University. “Saved” by a delegation to the Maldives
Professor Ioan Vasile Abrudan, at the helm of Transilvania University in Brașov since 2012, won a fourth term as rector, following the internal elections held in February 2024.
Although the old National Education Law limited the number of rectors’ mandates to two, Abrudan managed to run again thanks to a legal loophole regarding “full mandates”. More precisely, the limit referred to 2 full mandates, but if, for example, a rector suspended himself from office for a period, the mandate was no longer complete, and he could run for office once more.
Therefore, Ioan Abrudan was suspended between October 28, 2018 and November 20, 2018, an interval that overlaps with the period of a delegation in the Maldives, as shown by the Ministry of Education and a decision of the Senate of Transilvania University.
Thus, the suspension allowed Abrudan to run for a third term in 2020.
Asked why he suspended himself and did not delegate his duties, Abrudan replied: “Do you think it would have been normal to take a month’s salary from the university, when I am out of the country? Would it have been ethical? The suspension was made with the unanimous vote of the Senate, the members were told that if my suspension is approved, a consequence will be the possibility to run again”.
The new Higher Education Law, which allows a maximum of two five-year mandates, does not take into account the previous mandates, which allowed Professor Abrudan to remain at the head of the institution for a fourth mandate. Thus, he will lead the university until 2029.
