Yerevan State University Board Meeting Fails to Convene Due to Lack of Quorum

The meeting of the Board of Trustees of Yerevan State University (YSU), scheduled for today, did not take place due to a lack of quorum, with only 14 of the 32 members present.

During the fourth meeting of the second convocation of the YSU Board of Trustees, it was set to discuss the reports for the 2019-20 academic year and the performance of tasks outlined in the strategic development plan, as well as make decisions regarding the election of the YSU administrator-rector and the director of the YSU Ijevan Branch.

YSU Board Secretary Mikael Malakhasyan, speaking about the situation, noted that the board has been facing this issue for a considerable time, with meetings unable to take place due to a lack of quorum.

He said that when the notification was sent to the members of the board, most of them responded that they would be attending the meeting. According to Malakhasyan, the notification clearly states the deadline for members to inform about their attendance or absence.

“Only this morning did most members inform that they could not attend, including some who had already confirmed their participation,” noted Malakhasyan. He added that only the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Artak Apitonian, responded by the specified deadline.

He pointed out that an agenda-related question was raised an hour before the meeting, which he found perplexing, as the agenda had been clearly formed in accordance with the regulations. Malakhasyan clarified that the first agenda item related to the reports was included based on suggestions made in the previous meeting, while the election-related questions had been planned since a meeting set for October 5.

Malakhasyan reminded that that meeting had also been postponed due to a lack of quorum, and according to the regulations, the next meeting convened generally should include those questions: “The previous meeting was not convened generally, hence the election-related questions were not included.”

Professor Arsen Hakobyan from the Department of Telecommunications and Signal Processing inquired whether the situation was sabotage, knowing that only university members were present for the meeting.

DAVID Apoi, president of the YSU Student Council, noted that the meeting was failed due to members appointed by the authoritative body, expressing belief that the reason was the absence of issues of interest to them. In his opinion, this indicates that members appointed by the government to university boards are not here to solve university problems but rather to serve their political interests.

Apoi listed the names of absent members, stating that they had shown a contemptuous attitude towards the university.

Karlene Khachatryan, head of the Department of Management and Business at YSU, emphasized that such an attitude is disturbing: “The Board of Trustees, as the supreme governing body of the university, should also care for the university. Board members should be the most concerned about the issues facing the university and should take steps in that direction.” He argued that the actions of the absent members constitute disrespect not only to other members of the Board but also to the entire university community.

Khachatryan urged colleagues to return to a constructive space and resolve issues through collaborative discussions. He indicated that given recent media reports about the sale of university buildings, this attitude can be understood as the current authorities attempting to dismantle the higher education system and ultimately destroy YSU, while assuring that university members will not allow this.

Manuel Soghomonyan, associate professor in the Department of Political Institutions and Processes at YSU, noted that such a severe situation has not been seen at YSU since the mid-1930s, when six rectors were changed within one to two years. According to him, the institution is accountable to the public and the state for its activities and educational program outcomes, and today’s failed meeting is an indicator of the violation of this accountability principle which the state, as the founder and authoritative body, should uphold.

Soghomonyan stated that this situation illustrates that the devaluation and discrediting chain of YSU began back in May 2018 when notorious disturbances occurred, and the scientific council meetings turned into a gambling venue. He joined Khachatryan’s call for another opportunity to convene a meeting with the same agenda as soon as possible.

YSU international relations student Khachik Abajyan mentioned that sabotages that are being organized will not succeed as YSU is not just a building; it has passionate students and teachers.

Below is a list of the names of the absent members:

• J. Andreasian - Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport
• A. Martirosyan - Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport
• A. Simonian - Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure
• V. Poghosyan - Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry
• A. Apitonian - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
• G. Mamikonyan - Advisor to the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport
• B. Badalyan - Head of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
• S. Hayotsyan - Chair of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport
• M. Galstyan - President of the Central Bank of Armenia
• G. Harutyunyan - Director of the