Río Piedras Campus student council demands removal of UPR president

UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde

By THE STAR STAFF

University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Río Piedras Campus general student council demanded on Monday the immediate removal of UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde, whom they accuse of leading with “opacity, lack of transparency, and a toxic management style,” less than 100 days after she assumed office.

“She has misrepresented financial data, marginalized the participation of various sectors in the University Board, and ordered the arbitrary closure of academically valuable programs with significant social impact,” the student organization said in a written statement. “Furthermore, she has delegated strategic decisions to external advisers with conflicts of interest.”

The Student Government Council (CGE) accused Jordán Conde of adopting as official policy false statements made by political analyst Jorge Colberg Toro regarding the UPR’s financial health and retirement system. They asserted that those statements exaggerated the extent of the debt, despite the fact that audited financial statements and representatives of the university community present a different picture.

The students emphasized that the UPR is an essential public service that goes beyond its academic offerings, with contributions such as the Seismic Network, the University Hospital, legal clinics, and programs providing psychological and legal support to victims of gender-based violence, as well as agricultural and scientific projects that impact the island as a whole.

According to the CGE, keeping Jordán Conde in the UPR presidency “endangers the university’s accreditation, financial stability, and its historical mission as a driver of social mobility and research.” They called upon the UPR community and the general public to join them in demanding her immediate removal to ensure the stability and strengthening of the public university.