Senator to UPR: Allow resident commissioner to address students regarding federal Pell Grant changes

Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde

By THE STAR STAFF

Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde called on the administration of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) on Monday to grant permission for Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera to visit the various campuses and units of the UPR as there is currently an official initiative underway to inform students about changes to the federal Pell Grant.

“It is commendable that Hernández Rivera is going directly to students at other universities to explain that both the Pell Grant and other student loan programs have undergone changes following the passage of President Donald Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ and for this reason, he has organized forums at academic institutions,” stated the Popular Democratic Party senator.

Last week, the resident commissioner stated in a radio interview that “I have wanted to visit the University of Puerto Rico; I had planned to visit the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez and Humacao.”

“Usually, these visits are arranged based on invitations from student associations or the university administration itself,” Hernández Rivera said on 1320 AM radio. “In the case of UPR, they told us we had to request permission first from the chancellor, and then the chancellor sent us to request permission from the president. We have followed all the procedures, but we have not received a response.”

The resident commissioner’s office has sent more than one official communication, and nearly two weeks have passed since the first one was sent to the UPR president, Álvarez Conde noted. Hernández Rivera confirmed that he has received invitations from student associations to provide the information.

Álvarez Conde emphasized that “this is an official, non-partisan initiative to inform students about the changes to federal laws regarding student loans and the Pell Grant.”

“As a former university professor, I fully understand the importance of providing information about changes to federal scholarship programs,” she said.

The resident commissioner has already visited Polytechnic University in Hato Rey and Inter-American University campuses in Fajardo and San Germán. Previously, he visited the Ponce School of Medicine and the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

“The meetings on the university campuses have been very positive because there are still people who are unaware that changes have been made to federal scholarship programs,” Álvarez Conde said. “We need to provide assistance to university students, and these meetings help to clarify general and specific questions about scholarships. We hope that the UPR administration will recognize this need and grant permission for these presentations to take place, for the benefit of the students.”