Dear students,

in these sad and difficult days, I have written to you several times: to express how close your university (our common home, the University of Bergamo) and I are to you, to give you procedural information about the teaching activity, to inform you about the new examination methods, to experiment with you distance degree sessions, and so on. Now, however, I feel the need to send you another kind of letter, a message that does not contain any logistical and organisational indication, but only openhearted considerations.

I know, it's unusual... I thought about it a bit before deciding to do so: I didn't want to risk that all this seemed superficial or even inappropriate... But I believe that these complicated times have given us the opportunity to get to know each other more deeply and I am sure you will understand my desire to reduce distances, and meet on a blank page (strictly digital), filled with encouraging thoughts and good luck.

These are my wishes, to meet again as soon as possible in our offices, to resume our everyday life and see each other face to face, with a smile on the face: we will find ourselves changed, no doubt, certainly stronger and more conscious of our possibilities, of our ability to face, together, the enormous pain provoked by these times.

Over the past few days I received a very brief message, yet it is a news that tears me apart due to its seriousness: one of your colleagues, Elena, asked me to remember her father, a prison guard doctor who died because of Covid-19. A model and righteous person, a man who gave his life to save that of others, where the others were people – the prisoners – who are often left on the margins, forgotten, and alone. This father certainly taught his daughter what dedicating oneself to others means, to sacrifice one’s life for others: it is an edifying testimony of dedication and deep humanity.

When you receive certain news it is hard to look passed them, to continue with our occupations and, above all, to keep on believing that things will get better… But we owe it to all those people who left us, like Elena’s father: also in their memory, we must not let ourselves be low-spirited, we need to intensify our emotional ties, strengthen our teacher-student, family-University relationships, we must build new ones and re-connect to those people we lost on the way.

The term solidarity comes from the Latin solidus, which is solid, full: together we must be strong and sound, so as to counteract the tragic and often beyond description emptiness brought into our lives by this disease.

Let us continue, therefore, with our distance lessons, examinations and degrees and all the effort that these involve, but let us remember to nurture our loved ones and to keep them protected and cared for within ourselves.

These are my best wishes for the next Easter holidays, which I send to you, your family, your friends and all your acquaintances. Let us help each other to be supportive. Let us help each other to move forward, stubbornly, with trust and courage. In the greeting card that I am attaching, there is a beautiful photograph of the great cloister of St. Augustine illuminated by the sun rays: the seat is, however, empty ... it is waiting to be enlivened by all of us and our hopes of rebirth: come on! 

With all my heart: Happy Easter.

Your Rector,

Professor Remo Morzenti Pellegrini