Scandal at Simón Bolívar University: A graduate questioned the rector's office for his lack of ethics and the authorities left the hall

Simon Bolivar University made headlines again this week, after a student questioned the authorities about their lack of ethics and leadership during their graduation ceremony, and they withdrew from the classroom.

After denouncing that “the future” of the house of studies “is in doubt”, the student pointed to “the lack of ethics and leadership” on the part of the rectory authorities in front of a room full of her colleagues and professors who, when they finished, overlooked her.

The authorities, for their part, withdrew from the place in the middle of the graduate's speech.

The ceremony, held this Friday at the University's Auditorium Ensemble, awarded degrees to more than 300 new professionals from the different short and long careers offered by the Simón Bolívar University at its headquarters. It was the first public ceremony to award titles after the health emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In October last year, the students of that house of studies had already led to several protests and demands aimed at demanding elections of authorities, following the arbitrary appointment of the rector and two vice-rectors by the National Council of Universities, that is, Chavismo.

“Our demand is very clear: autonomy to choose our authorities and freedom to play their role. This objective will only be possible if the necessary renewal of our governing authorities begins (...) as established by the law and the general regulations of the university,” said David Cedeño, president of the Federation of Student Centres of the Simon Bolivar University in an interview with local media.

Cedeño said that students reject the appointment of new rectory figures because they were “framed within a huge number of irregularities in a session of the National Council of Universities.” In addition, he denounced that a commission was not formed to evaluate the 20 nominees by the Board of Directors, nor were the opinions of the rectors of the Venezuelan Association of University Rectors (Averu) and the saved vote of the Simón Bolívar University itself taken into account.

“We are very concerned about the interests of the Ministry when it appoints three authorities in the same session. We note that the vice-rectors appointed have been part of projects of the national executive or the PSUV political party, which does not raise doubts as to what will be of their actions and their autonomy within the institution,” said the leader.

According to internal and university regulations, after the death of former rector Enrique Planchard, an interim rector had to be appointed and university elections to renew the authorities. However, like other schools of study, the regime's justice system halted the process, and universities have not been electing new rectors for at least ten years.

Likewise, in that same interview he recalled that since 2019, with sentence 0324 (which required elections to be held in the UCV and consequently in the rest of Venezuelan universities), “the government is trying to “impose itself and take over universities”. “However, students assume the banner of struggle of autonomy to face all presumption,” Cedeño said.

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