Rio Piedras Campus

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.

Since Hurricane María hit in 2017, the José M. Lázaro Library at the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras campus has been plagued by leaks, moldy books, and seven study rooms that remain closed. Home to much of the island’s cultural and historical heritage, the library is still far from a full recovery. University officials estimate it will take at least three more years to complete the repairs.

A study among campus students revealed that 62% of them subsist on $500 monthly amid rising food and transportation costs and a shortage of affordable housing near the university.

The nearly $10 million difference for this expense is compounded by the fact that some facilities spent more for this line item due to prolonged breakdowns or unexpected repairs of electrical substations.

The construction and reconstruction of the university dorms will not be ready by August 2023. Students are forced to work multiple jobs to pay for increasingly expensive apartments, and others must commute from their homes daily. In some cases, they can only study part-time.