Víctor Rodríguez Velázquez

Along with low capital investment in replacing obsolete pipes, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority is grappling with water loss after losing 13% of the workforce responsible for detecting and repairing leaks over the past decade.

Truenorth has been the biggest beneficiary over the past two decades, receiving more than $34.9 million in contracts aimed at reducing water loss in Puerto Rico, while the public corporation’s rate of unaccounted-for water has remained at 60%.

Thirty-one percent of student loan borrowers in Puerto Rico are more than nine months behind on payments, according to the U.S. Department of Education, a situation that could jeopardize access to Pell Grants at institutions with high default rates.

The agreement was signed one week after the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo revealed a deadlock with the university president’s office that left the research institution without access to recurring funds for more than 10 months.

More than 10 months after an agreement expired, the UPR Molecular Center is at risk of halting infrastructure improvements and essential purchases tied to the research of 42 scientists and 225 students.

The university has not updated its fiscal plan since 2021. After missing this year’s March 24 deadline, it received an extension from the FOMB, but the May 1 final approval date remains unchanged.

The U.S. Department of Education’s demands under the Trump administration — struck down a month ago by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire — led to the elimination of an inclusion committee and the suspension of a census of Afro-descendant students at the University of Puerto Rico.

As Homeland Security Investigations in Puerto Rico does not rule out immigration enforcement operations at universities, professors, students and staff still do not know how to respond if agents intervene on campus.

The promise of socioeconomic mobility through enlistment is being eclipsed by harassment, discrimination, language barriers and the prospect of looming armed conflicts.

Amid face-offs, grimaces, accusations of censorship, a push to remove the university’s president, and a maze of parliamentary maneuvering and procedural technicalities, the latest meeting of the University of Puerto Rico system’s Governing Board failed to meet its responsibilities. It did not carry out, with seriousness, respect and responsibility, the public role entrusted to it.

In addition to eliminating inclusive restrooms at the Río Piedras campus, the university system voided guarantees of access and nondiscrimination for transgender students and revised its Chosen Name Protocol, because of Trump administration measures targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The federal Education Department is eliminating Hispanic-Serving Institutions and minority-focused programs, cutting $20.7 million that eight Puerto Rican universities received this academic year for research, infrastructure, and student support.

With a student body that is 97% Hispanic, Puerto Rico’s public and private universities face significant risk if a federal lawsuit to end grants for Hispanic-Serving Institutions succeeds.

In 2006, 59% of first-year students admitted to the University of Puerto Rico came from the public school system. However, by August 2025, this figure dropped to 47%. While students from public schools continue to show interest in the UPR, the combination of poverty and structural inequality affects their preparation to meet admission standards.

Nearly a month into her tenure, UPR President Zayira Jordán-Conde has yet to meet with the Governor, even as she emphasizes the need for “creativity” in securing funding amid deep budget cuts imposed by the Oversight Board and restrictions from the federal government.

Zayira Jordán Conde was elected president of the University of Puerto Rico last Saturday, without the backing of the academic senates, in a politicized and non-transparent process. Why was the candidate with the most weaknesses chosen against the will of the university community?