On Thursday, February 16, UPRM’s General Student Council (CGE in Spanish) held its first general assembly of the semester, during which students dicussed the UPR’s impending multi-million dollar budget cuts, possible rises in tuition costs, among many other pressing issues concerning the status of the UPR system. Students quickly voted against an indefinite strike at UPRM, but in favor of a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, February 22, as well as in favor of a march in front of the Capitol building in San Juan on Thursday, February 23. The record-setting assembly lasted nearly five hours and counted with the participation of 2,976 students, or 27 percent of UPRM’s population.
The assembly sparked controversies. Many students faulted the sound system at the Mangual Coliseum for their inability to hear the speakers during their turns at the mike. Others criticized the CGE for allegedly mishandling parliamentary procedures.
The General Student Council reports that 2,976 students attended the assembly, which counts for 27 percent of student participation.
One of the first motions to pass was the request for resignation of Interim UPR President Dr. Celeste Freytes, and of Dr. Lucas Avilés, Dean of Administration. The assembly was long-winded due largely in part to the multiple amendments to motions for strikes presented by some students at the microphones. The joint motion for a 24-hour strike and subsequent march at the Capitol next week was easily one of the most challenged of the assembly, as students piled on amendments for more than an hour.
During one of the amendments, a student argued that the march at the Capitol should be conditioned to other UPR campuses joining. The amendment was turned down by a majority vote at the assembly. This caused increased tension among students, many whom believed that the march should occur with the support and representation of other, if not all, UPR campuses. In the end, the motion for the march at the Capitol was approved without special conditions. Whether there will be an academic recess at UPRM for the march on Thursday, February 23 remains to be determined.
At around 2PM, since there was still quorum at the assembly, the CGE submitted a request to Chancellor John Fernández Van Cleve to extend the established academic recess until 3PM. By then, many issues were still on the table and the Mangual Coliseum was well above the required quorum, so the chancellor cancelled classes for the remainder of the day. At this point, students freely presented new issues, which included motions for students working part-time at the university to receive their wages on time, as well as additional rights for LGBT students on campus. The assembly ended shortly after, at around 3:20PM.
Photo by Yelixa M’ Pagán Vega.
Near the end of the assembly Pedro Gilberto Cabrera, a sophomore Political Science major, took the microphone and gave a spontaneous speech. He spoke about how some people are so willing to sit around and take whatever the “big guys” may throw at them, and urged students to fight “not for [themselves], but for the future generations.” He impassionately adressed each student and said they were “the key” to UPR’s future and assured them that progress lay in their eyes. He then presented a motion to march from the assembly to the Rectory Building, effectively ending the assembly, to let the administration know they were not going to accept the cuts. The entire Mangual Coliseum emptied and UPRM’s streets were flooded with students chanting “¡Lucha sí, entrega no!”
View of UPRM’s Rectory Building.
We sat down to talk to Pedro, amidst the chants that echoed in the air, about his final thoughts about the assembly and the financial cuts. “Without an assembly or a council we could not live in a real university democracy like the one we have.” He continued, saying, “Right now we are living in tough times, ones that affects each one of the students and every single boricua.” Pedro looked back at the hundreds of students chanting in front of the Rectory Building, and affirmed that those present were “the future of Puerto Rico,” fighting not just for their rights, but for the rights of every Puerto Rican and “future generations that will come [to the UPR].” He continued saying that this generation and the younger ones are the only ones that can fight “to get out of the hole that’s been dug by past governments.”
Taking a break from chants, members of the student council and Cabrera spoke out how “[they] have to keep organizing and fighting.” At the spontaneous pleno and rally that took place after the march, speakers bemoaned the irony of paying for a debt “that hasn’t even been audited” and that they “don’t know how legitimate it is.” The president of the General Student Council, Naysha Alcalá, exclaimed how “pumped” she was and urged students to not let that energy and adrenaline die, and to take it and use it for what is to come.
Before the chants started again, one of the ralliers exclaimed: “We cannot stay on our knees. We are living in a time never before seen! This is the people’s university and we have to join and make history. A UPR that fights for each one of you and all together, because UPR belongs to everybody!”
Later that evening, it was announced that UPR’s Interim President Dr. Celeste Freytes resigned, along with ten Chancellors from UPR’s eleven campuses, including UPRM Chancellor John Fernández Van Cleve.
This article may be updated once the CGE releases the official assembly minutes. Thumbnail image via CGE-RUM’s official Twitter account.