PROTESTAmos was born on April 17th 2017 in the Vita gate of UPRM, during the protest. Its objective lies in the organization of resistance and support methods for employees and students that defended the wellbeing of the University and Puerto Rico. The association also seeks to propose alternatives to the restrictions imposed by the Fiscal Control Board and to begin transformation that would reach not only the UPR, but the vulnerable sectors of the island as well. APRUM or the Association of Professors of RUM’s objective is to make sure that the employees’ rights are respected in every context. The association has also fought to guarantee seniority, permanence, sabbaticals and contract renovation, due to the fact that when it was created (and still now) it was common practice that newcomers received raises and promotions because they had friends in the administration. APRUM has also fought for stable salaries that took into consideration the growing cost of life, which the administration constantly forgot about. The current situation is worsening because permanence for professors is constantly threatened, and it’s becoming more and more common to have professors teaching on temporary contracts. The administration accepts more students every year, yet doesn’t open up new positions for the faculty. APRUM holds up the torch in the belief that by joining together there’s more strength than by “keeping calm” and waiting, especially since the “mala fe” of the administration is consecutively more noticeable.
PROTESTAmos (Professors Transforming themselves in Solidarity Towards Action) and APRUM (Association of Professors of the UPRM) have joined forces to announce several things to the Colegial community, which we at Her Campus UPRM think are extremely important. This is especially due to the looming threat of changes to the entire UPR system which would heavily affect students and employees.
“From PROTESTAmos and APRUM we are calling on you, on all of us, wherever we may be in the Puerto Rican archipelago and the diaspora, to familiarize ourselves with the information attached herein and, therefore, become empowered to act as spokespeople both for the lawsuit filed by APRUM under Title III of PROMESA and for the Al 100 x la UPR campaign to support it. This lawsuit constitutes the only UPR voice in the bankruptcy court, where the bondholders, in sharp and lethal contrast, are widely represented.
Soon, we will also publish the revised version of our Sustainable Fiscal Plan for the UPR, 2.0 (SoS UPR Plan, 2.0), a key piece in the lawsuit. Please, be on the lookout for that! In the meantime, please find attached four information capsules (more to come …) on said Plan. Share freely!”
They have three petitions for the public in defense of accessible and public education in Puerto Rico:
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If any of you can volunteer time to translate into English the “Frequently Asked Questions” document about APRUM’s lawsuit under Title III of PROMESA and the information capsules on the Sustainable Financial Plan for UPR, 2.0 (SoS UPR Plan, 2.0) (attached to this email), please email Professor Beatriz Llenín at: b.llenin.figueroa@gmail.com
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Use your cell phone, laptop or camera to record a very brief video (1-2 minutes) that includes the information indicated below and send it to protestamosuprm@gmail.com:
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Your full name
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Your organization or institutional affiliation, or any other information about your projects / creative work / research work / or social cause that you want to share
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The statement: “I am also Al 100 x por la UPR because…” (a reason why you think that supporting this lawsuit is important / worthwhile / essential for Puerto Rico in the current context of threats and assaults to any kind of common good and wellbeing).
If you or your organization can think of any other creative ways to help us publicize the lawsuit and to support the Al 100 x la UPR campaign, please contact us at: protestamosuprm@gmail.com
Here is a part of the four-page document that PROTESTAmos and APRUM need help in translating to English:
Find more information here.
Tw @PROTESTAmosUPRM
FB PROTESTAmos
Additional source here.