UPR-Carolina students to discuss ongoing stoppage.

University of Puerto Rico President Zayira Jordán Conde

Jordán Conde: Mayagüez Campus strike could impact Pell grants

By THE STAR STAFF

Students at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) in Carolina have been convened for a student assembly today to discuss the situation stemming from an ongoing student strike, but it was unclear whether there would be a call for the campus to join the stoppage.

Student leaders have said the protest is driven by demands that UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde resign, criticism of recent administrative decisions -- including the removal and appointment of campus chancellors -- and broader concerns about governance, transparency and long-term funding for the public university system. The Río Piedras and Mayagüez campuses have decreed stoppages.

Jordán Conde warned Tuesday that students at the Mayagüez Campus could lose access to Pell Grants if the ongoing strike continues and the university is required to notify the U.S. Department of Education of an extended disruption of academic activities.

In a radio interview with NotiUno, Jordán Conde said the Mayagüez campus remains without classes and “with no resolution in sight,” prompting university officials to consider reporting a prolonged work stoppage -- an action that could affect Title IV funding, including Pell Grants.

“As a result of all this, it’s now up to us -- it’s up to the chancellor -- to write to the [federal] Department of Education, notifying them that we have an extended work stoppage and that Title IV funding, which is essentially the Pell Grant, could be affected,” Jordán Conde said.

She called the situation “an extremely serious matter.”

She urged students and other members of the university community who are blocking access and halting operations at campuses in Mayagüez and Río Piedras to end the strike “immediately” to avoid harming students who plan to study over the summer.

Jordán Conde said other campuses could also face consequences, noting that the definition of an “extended” period without classes is not clear in the regulations.

“If we are not offering classes for an extended period, then we must notify the Department of Education,” she said, adding that the federal agency ultimately decides how grant payments are handled.

She said the interim chancellor of the Mayagüez Campus, Miguel Muñoz, is responsible for reporting the situation to federal officials. Jordán Conde also said she does not plan to resign.

On Monday, more than 600 students at the Mayagüez Campus gathered at Isidoro García Stadium for the fifth Extraordinary General Student Assembly convened by the General Student Council, but the meeting failed to reach the 1,072-student quorum required for a deliberative session after more than two hours of waiting.