To celebrate the beginning of the academic year, the Deans' Barbecue was traditionally held at the Bohunice campus on Thursday 26 September.
On the Bohunice University Campus, students could meet with the deans Martin Repko from the Faculty of Medicine, Jan Cacek from the Faculty of Sports Studies, David Vetchý from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Tomáš Kašparovský from the Faculty of Science and the Rector of Masaryk University Martin Bareš. In addition to vegetables, sausages and cheese, students could "grill" the deans through questions they had to say.
Loud nostalgic music, the opportunity to have an informal chat with the deans, a crypto game for prizes and stands of university associations or a sports stand with games of spikeball, kanjam or badminton, which the deans of the Faculty of Sports Studies and the Faculty of Medicine played together. All of this on the university campus offered a traditional informal gathering over food and drink to bring students closer to their deans and kick off the new semester. "Our university is alive not only with education and science, but it's all about people in different positions, different stages of their careers and studies. The large number of people coming fills me with hope and a feeling that the idea has succeeded," said Rector Martin Bareš.
Even students who had a long day at school found time for the meeting. "I don't go to many big events. But when I do force myself to go, I enjoy it. But when I get home, I'll go straight back to studying," said Klára Zemanová, a student at the Faculty of Pharmacy. "Cheap beer, cheap food, paradise. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely go to a similar event again," added Marek Hanuštiak, a student of biochemistry at the Faculty of Science.
Students could scan a QR code that directed them to a form where they could anonymously ask any question to one of the four deans. For example, students wanted to know what the Dean of the Faculty of Science considers his greatest research achievement, whether the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy is afraid of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, or how the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine spends his day. "My normal day starts before seven in the morning at the hospital. In the morning I have surgery and after lunch I spend most of my time at my beloved faculty," Martin Repko revealed.
There was also a question about what the Dean of the College of Pharmacy would recommend to students who do not want to work in a pharmacy. "I would recommend studying our doctoral program, which we are in the process of reaccrediting," explained David Vetchý. The faculty will soon be integrated into the Bohunik campus, once the MUNI BioPharma Hub building is completed. "We will have natural scientists, athletes and physicians on hand to complete the drug research opportunity," Vetchý added. The students also asked the dean of the Faculty of Medicine how he spent his time during his student days. "These are some of the most beautiful moments in human life. We had fun, we liked each other, we played sports. And we looked forward to working," Martin Repko replied.
There was also an opportunity to register for various university societies at the event - for example, the MU Faculty of Medicine Medical Students' Society, the Pharmacy Students' Union or the Faculty Group of Creative Students from the Faculty of Sports Studies - and thus enrich their studies with other beneficial activities.
On 5 March, a lecture on healthy nutrition and plant-based diet was organized by IFMSA CZ Brno in cooperation with experts from PAN Czech Republic. Participants learned about the importance of good nutrition, practical tips for creating a healthy diet and had the opportunity to taste plant-based dishes.
For one day, the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University hosted a fundraiser for the Krtek Foundation, which supports the development of personalized treatment for pediatric patients. The fundraiser, which raised over 8,500 CZK, was organized by general medicine students at our faculty, along with the foundation's mascot. The plush mole managed to briefly visit a physiology lecture while spreading hugs during the event.
