The San Marcos community denounced that the rector of the National University of San Marcos, Jeri Ramonarbitrarily dismissed the dean of the Faculty of Geological Engineering, Mines and Metallurgy, Alfonso Romero. According to the shared statement, the decision was made without complying with due process during an extraordinary session of the University Assembly held on January 8.
The statement, signed by four organizations composed of teachers and students, details that a representative of the student third, aligned with the ruling partyrequested the dismissal of the dean off the agenda. “The rector, instead of guaranteeing due process and requiring evidence for the complaint, allowed the request and used it to request powers that would allow him to make this arbitrary decision,” the text states.
In statements to La República, Alfonso Romero supported this version and detailed the irregularities committed against him. “According to the regulations, the quorum must first be verified and then a qualified vote must be carried out. None of this was fulfilled“he explained. He also indicated that the meeting was used to discredit his image and justify the rector’s request of extraordinary powers, which allowed him to issue the rector’s resolution with which his functions were suspended since January 13.
The dismissed dean indicated that he was not notified of the reasons for his removal nor was the procedures established in the university statute, such as the presentation of evidence or a formal complaint, complied with. “I was never notified. They only issued the rector’s resolution and, the next day, they sent security personnel to the dean’s office to hand over the position,” he denounced.
Furthermore, Romero attributed his dismissal to political interests due to the panorama, pointing out that his vote against the report of the Investigative Commission – related to the violent entry of unknown people who attacked students that demanded transparency in the October 2024 elections—and the rotation of personnel in the Postgraduate unit and close to the administration generated discomfort in the ruling party. “The objective is to capture the powers to favor their candidates in the next deanship elections,” he stated.
Finally, he questioned the appointment of the new dean, made directly by the rector, who would have appointed a person who does not meet the statutory requirements. “According to the regulations, in the event of a vacancy, the oldest and highest-ranking professor in the faculty must take over, but this appointee does not meet those conditions,” he indicated. Likewise, Romero announced that he has initiated administrative actions to question the rector’s resolution and does not rule out resorting to legal means.
