Non-existent MSUSU gets a president

VADODARA: With the clear intention to influence the forthcoming syndicate elections scheduled next month, M S University's outgoing syndicate members on Friday cleared the appointment of K S Agrawal as MSU Students Union (MSUSU) president. Agrawal, the floor manager of BJP-RSS group in the present syndicate body, will be able to contest the forthcoming polls for the formation of the new syndicate body as by becoming president of MSUSU he becomes a senate member.
Ironically, MSUSU itself has not been constituted and is a defunct body ever since the elections of the students union got embroiled in legal wrangles last year. As the students union elections have not been held at the campus last year, the two top posts of general secretary and vice-president of MSUSU are lying vacant. Also, there are no faculty representatives in the union.
But just for the sake of the forthcoming elections, Agrawal has been appointed as president of this body which has no student representatives.
During their meeting, the members re-appointed Agrawal for a term of one year. This is the third consecutive time that Agrawal has been re-appointed as MSUSU president.
However, with this, his nomination for the election in the syndicate has also become legally questionable as he will hold the post in the senate only for a tenure of one year but the syndicate's membership is for three years. As per the present rules, nobody can be appointed as union's president for over three consecutive terms.
During the meeting which was the first chaired by pro vice-chancellor professor Parimal Vyas, the members approved minutes of the faculty board meeting of faculties of commerce, family and community sciences, fine arts, performing arts, social work and journalism and communications.
With this, syllabus and admission rules of several degree and diploma programmes have been modified. Also, the nomenclature of the degree offered by Faculty of Journalism and Communication has been changed to Master of Journalism and Communication from the present nomenclature of Master of Communication Studies.