With ten minutes to go till opening of the information-event, the auditorium was packed to capacity. Mostly, these were the staff – percentage of students being significantly lower.
The first to calm down colleagues was Mr Keevallik. «Never before has my heart been so heavy needing to address you,» he said. «As long as I can remember, never has the technology university been in a situation like this.»
Even so, Mr Keevallik proceeded to explain that the board of governors had taken its decision and by eight yes-votes elected academician Jaak Aaviksoo as next rector.
Member of board of governors Prof Margus Lopp said he did not believe that any of members thereof had explicitly desired to cause harm to the university. Nor does he believe that the results had been falsified.
«And yet, I see the total failure of the board of governors and its members, their inability for mutual constructive cooperation, wherefore great moral damage has been caused to the university,» he said straight out.
The bulk of the guilt Prof Lopp laid on chairman of the governors’ board (Sandor Liive – edit) while not denying the others shared the blame.
«Can you imagine the situation that in order to solve the crisis the board of governors has not convened for a single time? No decision has been taken. The issue has not been discussed. Some single e-mails – this is no discussion. There’s just this ongoing improvisation by chairman of the board of governors,» he said.