8 Out of 16 Members Nominated by the Government Failed to Attend the Meeting, Says Apoyan

The agenda of today's meeting of the Board of Trustees of Yerevan State University (YSU) was highly operational, including reports and performance approvals, stated David Apoyan, the president of the YSU Student Council, in a Facebook post.

“When we attempted to register in the lobby as student members, we noticed that out of the 16 members nominated by the Government, 8 did not prioritize attending the meeting. Seeing this disregard, we decided to boycott the meeting as well. As a result, the meeting did not take place. Government representatives in the Council must understand that they are not here solely for the purpose of electing a rector. They are obligated to participate in such operational meetings and to contribute their expertise and knowledge to the development of YSU. The highest governing body of YSU is not a game, nor is it a matter of glancing through one’s fingers.

Moreover, with the draft law that is currently circulating, the number of student members in the Board of Trustees is sharply decreasing. Today's meeting reflects the damage the university will incur if the proposed formulations in the draft are implemented. Those who are at YSU every day, who live with the daily concerns of the university and are engaged in public work, will be deprived of the opportunity to effectively participate in the governance of the university. Meanwhile, those who have countless other responsibilities and remember YSU only when electing a rector or dissolving divisions will have decisive voting rights. There is a need for a wake-up call and a reassessment of the situation,” he wrote.

We have previously reported that today's scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees did not take place due to a lack of quorum.