Faculty union will not endorse any candidate for UPR president

Puerto Rican Association of University Professors President María del Mar Rosa Rodríguez (centropr.hunter.cuny.edu)

By The Star Staff

Puerto Rican Association of University Professors (APPU) President María del Mar Rosa Rodríguez said Tuesday that none of the current candidates for University of Puerto Rico (UPR) president truly represent the community and described the election process as undemocratic.

“The process is undemocratic; it’s a consultative process that is very superficial and serves merely as window dressing because, in the end, the governing board can appoint whomever it wants, or whomever the governor prefers,” Rosa said in a Radio Isla interview. “None of these candidates currently represent the university community’s base, which is why the APPU is not endorsing any of them.”

There are nine candidates vying for the position: Dr. Julián Vásquez Heiling, Dr. Zayira Jordán Conde, Dr. Edwin Barea Rodríguez, Dr. Mayra Olavarría Cruz, Dr. Héctor A. Ríos Maury, Dr. Walleska de Jesús Bonilla, Dr. Angélica Varela Llavona, architect Wilma I. Santiago Gabrielini and Dr. Agustín Rullán Toro.

Rosa raised concerns about specific candidates.

“There are candidates who worry us more than others,” she said. “For example, Dr. Zayira Jordán, while she may be a capable individual, does not understand the essence of the University of Puerto Rico and seems to be imposing the logic of a private university.”

Additionally, Rosa expressed hope that interim president Miguel Muñoz would sign an agreement providing fair pay for non-tenure-track faculty members in the UPR system, who make up almost half of the teaching staff.

“Approximately 44 percent of the faculty, according to the last numbers, are non-tenure-track faculty,” she said. “It’s time to offer them fair compensation so that they receive a prorated salary based on what a full-time faculty member earns. Their academic workload should be recognized at the campus level, and their contributions must be acknowledged despite their contracts often not including a probationary period. We trust that dignity will guide both negotiating committees this Thursday to finalize this agreement.”