On the third and…thirteenth(!) of January 2026, in a particularly warm and festive atmosphere, our University's New Year's cake cutting event took place, at the welcoming Toca cafe in our city.
The place was packed with students, teaching professors and municipal officials of our Municipality. We were honored with their presence, among others, by the heads of the municipal opposition parties, Messrs. I. Stathopoulos, V. Sarkoulas, G. Economou, as well as the former Deputy Mayor, Mr. I. Argyros and his wife. The independent municipal councilor, Mr. K. Tsiabas, also sent us greetings. On the part of our professors, we had the pleasure of having Messrs. P. Karafotias and his wife, I. Baltzoi, G. Gonis, L. Papakostas, N. Argyropoulos and his wife, and Messrs. E. Katoufa and I. Malagardi.
Our choir opened the event with the well-known "The old days are gone" and with two more melodies full of lyricism, under the direction of the remarkable conductor Ms. Chrysanthi Dendri and with piano accompaniment by the equally important musician Ms. Tatiana Sinkevich.
Afterwards, the President of the students, Ms. F. Dimouli, gave a short but sharp speech, emphasizing in particular the problem of lack of housing that our Municipal Authority stubbornly deprives us of. Referring to our fighting spirit, she said characteristically «"Our defense is our strength and our strength is our unity". Her speech, as well as that of the former Dean Mr. S. Priovolou that followed, are quoted at the end. Ms. Priovolou, taking the floor immediately after and after wishing us all the best for the new year, continued her speech in a particularly sharp tone with multiple messages. She emphasized the absurdity of the Mayor's refusal to provide a classroom and praised the students for their stubbornness, passion and will for knowledge, as well as for their fighting spirit in opposing the unreasonable will of the Municipal Authority to dissolve an institution of years, which is based on democratic procedures. She also informed about the process of obtaining a legal entity and identity of our People's University.
In turn, the representatives of the municipal parties, Messrs. Stathopoulos, Sarkoulas and Economou, took the floor for a greeting for the new year, who criticized the Mayor's absurd refusal to make a hall available for the lectures of our city's historic university, while expressing their support for our request. This was followed by greetings from all our professors, who wished the best for us and our families and at the same time expressed their love and admiration for our undiminished interest in knowledge, but also their own pleasure in teaching to such an audience. The greetings were closed by the former Deputy Mayor Mr. I. Argyros, who has worked intensely in the past to support our University, ensuring an impeccable collaboration with the Dean-professors-students with a corresponding reflection in the upgraded quality lecture programs and the increased attendance of professors and students. He closed his greetings by expressing the belief that the absurd will disappear and that our struggle will be justified.
The cake was then cut and distributed to the entire body of those present, with the first lucky winner of the year being Mr. Economou, who was awarded the first of the five coins available. The President thanked the students Mr. Giorgos Mavromatis and Mr. Getshimanis Mylonakis for their kind donation of two icons painted by them as gifts for the …lucky ones. The other three were books donated by our professors Mr. Meropi Spyropoulou, Mr. Tefkros Michaelides and the aforementioned former Deputy Mayor Mr. I. Argyros.
The event ended in a climate of intense emotion from the wishes and praises of the professors to the students and vice versa. A pervasive mental euphoria possessed our members and the feeling that we all belong to the great family of our People's University, which is distinguished by a deep bond and solidarity in the face of a common goal, as well as a fighting spirit for its conquest. We are all connected by the common love for knowledge and our SELF-REALIZATION.
The speeches of the Student President and the Dean are listed below.
Speech by Mr. Student President
Honorable Heads of Municipal Divisions, Ladies and Gentlemen Municipal Councilors, Mr. Dean, Ladies and Gentlemen Professors, dear fellow students,
We thank you all for your presence here today and we especially thank the owner of the hospitable Toca Café, Mr. Thanasis Bilianis, for granting his civilized space to our University for our events and especially for our classes.
Every year, when cutting our New Year's cake, we make a small assessment of the year that has passed and express our wishes and goals for the new one that has come. However, all the activities of the past year, as well as our problems, but also our creativity in this warm place where we are, are known to all of us through updates that we take care to send you. However, we could not fail to point out the uniqueness of this academic year, since it is the only year in the 26 years of the history of our University that finds us homeless! This is how our current Municipal Authority wanted, judged and decided, making an abusive exercise of power, in our opinion, and setting an example against all other Municipal Authorities, who embraced and contributed to this beautiful institution of our city to the extent they could.
We are still waiting for a response to the approximately ten applications we have submitted since last September for the allocation of a classroom in a school. We know that the authorities are obliged to respond to citizens' applications within a period not exceeding two months. We are hopefully in the fourth month. Therefore, we have here also a circumvention of the Code of Administrative Procedure, in addition to the fact that it discredits us as individuals with its silence and seems to consider us as pariahs.
On the contrary, from our side we have every reason to believe that we belong to the healthy part of our society, since we were and are productive individuals, with a tertiary education in our overwhelming majority, with a strong interest in education and culture. Above all, we are distinguished by purity and common sense. That is why we meet in a common place and have a common vision for the University we serve. That is why our team emerged strengthened through the difficulties we face. That is why we have bonded even more closely with our Dean, Ms. Stella Priovolou, as well as the professors of the Board, but also other professors who offer to support our effort to keep our University standing and strengthened. Our defense is our strength and our strength is our unity. The expression of one of our members who said is characteristic "Even on a bench, if we need to have a lesson, we'll come!"
We are on a path to regularizing the legal personality of our Scientific Association and we will return more assertive for what belongs to us. Because for us, education is not only the transmission of knowledge. Education is also the persistence in values. Education is also bravery and responsibility. Education is also the assertion of what is just and moral. Education is also respect for institutions that have built their value over time. And our own University has built its value over time. That is why it inspires respect for people of the spirit, who willingly respond to our call.
Dear Ladies who honor us, we still have a long way to go to solve our problems. We will definitely need your help. Allow us to count on it.
For another year, we will thank the marketing company ''Grey & Orange'' for its selfless contribution to our website and we will close with the wish that the new year will sort out what last year did not manage to do for our University, ensuring first of all a nice room for our classes, and also that logic will prevail over the absurd, which is becoming more and more evident by watching what is happening both in our microcosm and on our entire planet in general.
Creative in 2026!
The President of the Student Committee
Frida Dimouli
Political Analyst
Speech by Mr. Dean
Happy and blessed new year to all, with health, strength for creation, moments of joy and happiness and every success in our people's University. I would first like to warmly thank the owner of TOCA CAFÉ Mr. Thanasis Bilianis, his associates and the staff for the kind offer of accommodation at the People's University of… the disrespected citizens by their Mayor Mr. Mylonakis. We understand the difficulties of such hospitality, but this cafe will remain in the history of the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi, as a shining example of cultural sensitivity, while conversely a black page will be written in the tenure of the current Mayor, who categorically refuses to provide a room for such a high-level cultural activity, for 26 years, of his citizens, even against the positive response of the schools.
There was always the thought that a hall in the Municipality should be made available to the DLPAP, and even named after the inspiring mayor or his pioneering professors. However, developments turned everything upside down.
I would also like to warmly thank all the opposition municipal councilors who stood by us and supported our work, and especially Mr. Stathopoulos, to whom the idea and actions for the hospitality at TOCA CAFÉ belong.
I thank you, the students, who remain faithful to attending the University's courses, and your president, especially our dear Frida, who, with her passion and love for this creation of yours, inspires and excites me, who walk with you like a teenager. I think it would be worth it to invite here, to the CAFE, which is flooded with more than 120 people, a journalist who would do the most original report on our adventure, and would even thank us for the success! However, the dignity of all of us does not allow it.
Today is a day of joy, so with the new year we leave behind the small things of people and move forward dynamically, as always, into the next rich and enviable program of our University, and may it not catch our eye! HAPPY NEW YEAR, and always success.
The former Dean
Stella Priovolou
Emeritus Professor of Latin-Italian Literature at the National University of Athens, President of the Body of Emeritus Professors of the National University of Athens and Superintendent of Schools ''F.S.Parnassos''
