Bandung university undecided on Banyu’s fate

The senate board of Parahyangan Catholic University (Unpar) in Bandung, West Java, failed to come up with a decision on acts of plagiarism committed by one of its professors, Anak Agung Banyu Prawita, after a four-hour meeting on Thursday.

The university also said it had no right to strip him off his title.

The closed-door meeting, which started at 10 a.m., produced three recommendations, none of which was made public as of late Thursday.

Parahyangan Catholic University senate head Johannes Gunawan confirmed that the meeting had three outcomes.

“As agreed [in the meeting], only the rector is authorized to explain the matter,” he said.

The meeting began with the rector explaining the case, followed by recommendations from the ethics commission. Johannes said. It also discussed Bayu’s resignation letter and admission of wrongdoing.

“The meeting was attended by nearly all 40 senate members and the normative recommendations were approved by consensus,” he said.

Banyu, who was the youngest academic to attain a professor title in 2008, was absent from the meeting as he had tendered his resignation letter directly to the rector on Feb. 8. Anak Agung