PDP accuses NPP of politicization at UPR

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary General Manuel Calderón Cerame, along with Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas and a group of young people, including students from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) system, issued a call on Sunday to prevent what they said is the politicization of UPR. 

The call concerned defending the autonomy of the university system, which is Puerto Rico’s main public university and social mobility project, and to promoting projects that benefit the university, as well as transparency in administrative processes.

“The current president of the UPR, Zayira Jordán Conde, has gone a year without being able to implement tangible changes in the university community; there is no clear plan for the reconstruction of campuses, for the creation of new academic programs, nor has she gained the trust of the university community,” Calderón Cerame said. “Her incompetence is such that the New Progressive Party (NPP) government has to politicize the UPR governing with the appointment of the former NPP electoral commissioner, Vanessa Santo Domingo.” “Recently, there was an attempt to remove her from office at the university board, and prior to that, there was a request for her removal by student and faculty representatives,” the PDP secretary general added.

Vargas, meanwhile, said that in one year, Jordán Conde has demonstrated a total inability to hold the position.

“In one year, the UPR presidency has been unable to implement improvements to the university campuses, even when there are mandated reconstruction funds, as well as federal funds that Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández has secured through the Trio Student Support Services Program, as well as other federal funds that have been allocated to the Mayagüez University Campus (RUM),” said the representative, who is also president of the National Popular Youth.

Regarding the politicization of the UPR, the secretary general expressed concern about the future of the system.

“The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) cannot become a committee of the NPP … with the sole purpose of keeping a person in office who has proven to be incompetent,” Calderón Cerame said. “The appointment of Vanessa Santo Domingo is a response to this, to defend the continued tenure of a president who does not have the support of the university community.”