Letter of the Rector of the University of Nova Gorica to all students

We are close to concluding the 2020/21 academic year, which was anything but ordinary due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In addition to positive experiences, the new forms of study we had to adopt have also brought many difficult challenges, for which it was sometimes difficult to find the right and effective solutions. We all missed socialising and the acquisition and exchange of knowledge in direct communication, which we had to mostly give up for epidemiological reasons.

We expect the virus to spread faster in the coming months. We turn to you with the desire to start the new academic year as safely as possible, with the least possible risk of our studies and work at the University being interrupted by a new wave of the epidemic. The University of Nova Gorica will do everything to ensure that the academic process continues smoothly and under safe conditions, but we cannot do it without your help. By acting responsibly, taking protective measures, and above all, by getting vaccinated, we will work together to limit the spread of infections and enable everyone to work and study at the university together with their classmates, assistants and professors.

We can only stop the epidemic if we work together, so we ask and urge you to take part in the vaccination effort as much as possible, if you have not already done so. This is the best single measure to reduce the spread of the virus in the population and to slow down the emergence of new viral variants. The alternative to vaccination is the closure of public life and restrictions on movement, which we really don’t want to endure any more. In the fight against the virus, science has given us a powerful tool that we must take advantage of for the good of ourselves and the people around us. This way, as future experts yourselves, you will also help spread the general trust in science that we desperately need these days.

We are aware that many of you may have questions and doubts about vaccination. For clarification, please contact your personal physicians and UNG experts, who will best answer these questions. You can also contact our Student Office at any time for information about the organisation of vaccinations.
We wish you a successful conclusion of the current academic year and believe that together we will be able to carry out the next academic year in a way we all want and deserve.

Prof. Dr. Danilo Zavrtanik, Rector