The rector of the UAZ: from the rector’s chair to the dock
It seems that the rector of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (UAZ), Rubén “N” (because in Mexico even scandals have an incomplete name), decided that his academic legacy would not be enough and opted for a judicial plot twist. This Saturday, the headlines were filled with his arrest for aggravated equivalent rape, a crime that, spoiler alert, is not in the curriculum of any university. The initial hearing has already occurred, and now we are all waiting for the next chapter of this institutional soap opera with popcorn in hand.
And now who can govern us? (or at least sign the papers)
While Rubén faces his legal process, Armando Flores de la Torre, general secretary of the Rector’s Office, assumed office “as established by the Organic Law” (translation: “someone had to do it, and it was my turn”). In a video worthy of a corporate crisis announcement, Flores insisted that this is a personal matter of the rector and not of the institution. Of course, because when the CEO of a company goes to prison, that doesn’t affect the brand’s image at all, right?
But the drama doesn’t end here. The arrest occurs in the middle of an electoral process to elect the next rector, because at UAZ they like to mix judicial thrillers with political reality shows. The two candidates, Ángel Román Gutiérrez (the rector’s ally) and Jenny González Arenas (his nemesis), have turned the campaign into a ring of accusations: from the criminal complaint against Rubén to alleged irregular purchases of buildings. Come on, a festival of questionable ethics.
Elections under the motto: “Who has the most skeletons in the closet?”
The campaign closed with both teams accusing each other of “black campaigns”, because in university politics, as in life, everyone has dirty hands but no one wants to admit it. Meanwhile, students in the semi-school system already voted this Saturday, but the general vote will be on May 14. The prize? Running a university that, for now, seems more like an House of Cards episode than an educational institution.
So, dear readers, prepare for more legal repercussions, uncomfortable statements, and probably the occasional academic meme. Because when justice and politics mix, the result is never boring.
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