UPR Río Piedras postpones start of classes, will implement alternative measures due to water rationing

University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Campus Interim Chancellor Mayra Charriez Cordero (Facebook via Recinto de Río Piedras de la UPR)

By THE STAR STAFF

Mayra Charriez Cordero, interim chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico’s (UPR) Río Piedras Campus, announced over the weekend the postponement of the start of the first semester of the 2026-2027 academic year to Monday, Aug. 17.

“Furthermore, for the duration of the state of emergency, courses will be offered via alternative teaching methods,” Charriez Cordero stated in an institutional memorandum reported on Saturday. “In the coming days, the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs will issue a communication outlining its plan to support and assist faculty members in designing syllabi and implementing strategies to facilitate the teaching process using alternative methods while the state of emergency remains in effect.”

Charriez Cordero noted that the decision is a response to water rationing. Several campus buildings require water for cooling systems.

The Central Chilled Water Cooling Plant, upon which some 25 buildings depend, requires a continuous water supply to operate. The campus has a storage capacity of approximately 250,000 gallons -- an amount that, primarily due to the Central Plant’s consumption, allows for only about one day of operation.

Alternatives for meeting this need through external resources face two significant limitations: a lack of sufficient financial resources to sustain the high cost of acquiring and transporting water, and the market’s limited capacity to guarantee a continuous supply of the some 250,000 gallons per day required for our operations.

The challenge is compounded by the priority that must necessarily be given to essential services during an emergency of this nature.

“The Executive Order itself establishes that potable water must be used primarily for public consumption and the provision of essential services,” the interim chancellor stated.

Meanwhile, UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde expressed support for “the measures adopted by the Río Piedras Campus administration in response to the operational challenges caused by scheduled potable water service interruptions.”