Pesaro Urbino, 21 June 2024 – He’s a researcher of theUniversity of Urbinoentered by competition in 1997. Except he hasn’t been seen since 2003 in the laboratory. He hasn’t published anything nor did he bother to justify himself to the department director, rector, personnel manager, colleagues and students.
The only contact with the University for 21 years now is salary slip at the end of the month, around 2500/3000 euros. Is called Luciano Lattanzi, 62 years oldresearcher at the department of Pure and Applied Sciences, environmental sector.
He lives in Montecopiolo, between Marche and Romagna, very active in the village. Fifteen days ago it was also chairperson for the elections. The problem or advantage, depending on your point of view, is that the University pays it but doesn’t know why. The rector Giorgio Calcagninion the phone, he says: “We have over 350 teachers and I really don’t know this colleague. I have received reports of his prolonged absence. Now I’m waiting for the director of the department, Professor Vicerè, to send me an official note to attest to the constant lack of this researcher. A category that has no particular obligations, certainly is not required to clock in, but it is clear that he must do research. If Lattanzi has not produced anything for 21 years and continues to receive his salary. everything needs to be clarified immediately after taking the necessary measures. Finding confirmation of the various reports I have received, I do not rule out the possibility of dismissal. Then it will be a matter for the labor judge but it cannot be a situation to be tolerated. They tell me that is not aware of the school not even his phone number.”
The director of the Andrea Vicerè department: “Me I looked for Lattanzi repeatedly but without success. She never responded to me or introduced herself. However, I would like to say that I am not Lattanzi’s employer, the rector has this role. I have the power to give negative opinions on the researcher’s productivity and I have stuck to this. But I also remember something else: there are no attendance obligations for researchers while professors have the duty to hold lessons. Lattanzi’s disciplinary problem should be addressed well but it won’t be easy.”
Also at the University personnel office they know the case but spread their arms: “We do not have the role of inspectors who check those present or absent, but it is certain that the teacher is regularly included in the staff with the related costs for the administration”.
Rector Giorgio Calcagnini adds: “In the abstract, a researcher might not be seen for a long time if he were engaged in the search for life, the details of which, however, must be defined and made known to the respective departments. Here it seems like a very different situation and fortunately isolated. I don’t know of any other researchers who are absent for this long and in any case there is always contact with their manager. In this case, however, there is not even telephone contact.”
Yet it wasn’t difficult to find Professor Lattanzi’s number. On the phone he says: “It’s true, I haven’t done research since 2003. My career fell apart because I made many projects but without receiving the funds. So I stayed at home, paid because I have tenure. But I don’t even have a computer and I don’t know the director of the department (he has been in office for 4 years ed.). But now I’m going back to the faculty to see how much I have left for retirement.”
