Sit-ins end at three Ionian University departments

The sit-ins have ended in three out of the six departments at the Ionian University, which had closed following decisions made by the general assemblies of the Student Associations, in protest chiefly at the bill regarding private universities, which has been a state law for the past 24 hours.

These are the Departments of Computer Science, History, Archival Science, Library Science, and Museology (CAΜΒ). Dean Andreas Floros told Enimerosi that the buildings have been handed over without any reported damages. "The buildings were handed over clean and intact," he stated. Moreover, as of today, students from the History Department have returned to attend in-person classes.

General Assemblies

The Student Associations in the other three departments that are holding sit-ins are calling for general assemblies today and tomorrow to determine what they will do. These departments are the Departments of Music Studies, AudioVisual Arts, and Foreign Languages, Translation, and Interpreting.

The first sit-ins at the Ionian University began on February 5th in the Departments of Computer Science and AudioVisual Arts, gradually followed by the rest of the Departments except for the Tourism Department. At the centre of the demands was the complete withdrawal of the bill for the establishment of non-state universities and the reinforcement of public and free education.

State Law

Since Friday 8th March, the bill has now become a state law, as it was passed in Parliament with 159 votes in favour. 158 of the MPs were from ND, and the vote of the independent MP Haris Katsivardas from the Spartiates party. 129 MPs voted against it, while 11 declared themselves "present". A total of 299 MPs voted.