Zayira Jordan Conde

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.

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?