PETITION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE CHAIR OF CLASSICAL ARCHAELOLGY AT SAARLAND UNIVERSITY

The German Association of Archaeologists (Deutscher Archäologen-Verband) has launched a petition against the abolition of the chair of Classical Archaeology at Saarland University. Please have a look at the beginning of the petition, which addresses the government of the German state Saarland as well as the president of its university:

“Under severe financial pressure by Saarland's state government, Saarland University (Universität des Saarlandes, UdS) is forced to reduce its expenses by almost 20 per cent by the year 2020. In order to meet this requirement, the University Board announced its plans, inter alia, to abolish Classical and Antiquity Studies (Altertumswissenschaften) as an independent department.  While the Chairs of Classics (Philology) and Ancient History, both currently appointed and secure for the coming years, will be preserved (for the moment at least) under the auspices of the Historical Institute, the currently vacant Chairs of Classical Archaeology as well as Prehistory shall be given up completely.”

For more information and to sign the petition, please visit the following website (see below for instructions on how to sign the petition in German):

https://www.change.org/p/an-die-landesregierung-des-saarlandes-erhalt-der-professur-f%C3%BCr-klassische-arch%C3%A4ologie-an-der-universit%C3%A4t-des-saarlandes

How to sign the petition in German:

By clicking on the link you will be directed to the petition on change.org. On the right-hand side you will see the headline “Petition unterschreiben” (sign petition). Beneath this headline you are asked to enter your first name (“Vorname”), your last name (“Nachname”), your country (change “Deutschland” (Germany) to your home country)), and you postcode/zip code (“Postleitzahl”).

To complete the process click on “Unterschreiben” (sign).

Below the “Unterschreiben”-button there are two boxes you may tick if you would like to be kept up to date by the petitioner (box 1), or if you want your signature to be visible to everyone on change.org (box 2).

Help by drafting an individual letter:

If you would like to do more in order to save the Chair of Classical Archaeology and if you would like to express your personal concerns, the Colleagues at Saarland University ask you to write an individual letter to the governor of Saarland State and to the president of the university. It would be best to send a formal letter to the official addresses mentioned below; feel free to send an email as well:

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
Ministerpräsidentin des Saarlandes
Staatskanzlei
Am Ludwigsplatz 14
D-66117 Saarbrücken
a.kramp-karrenbauer@staatskanzlei.saarland.de

Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber
Präsident der Universität des Saarlandes
Campus A2 3
D-66123 Saarbrücken
praesident@uni-saarland.de