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<font size=4><b>Puerto Rico: Decisive moment 50 days into the Student
Strike<br><br>
</b></font><font size=3>Posted By <u>Firuzeh Shokooh Valle</u> On 11 June
2010 @ 23:24 pm <br><br>
Students of the state-run University of Puerto Rico (UPR) have sustained
a student strike that enters its 50th day today. On this decisive day,
the students' National Negotiating Committee has another round of
negotiations with the UPR's administration. Students have transmitted
their second message to the country via the website
<a href="http://www.upresunpais.com/">UPR es un País</a> [1] [ES] in
which they explain their proposals:<br><br>
<br>
</font><font size=2>Students' message to the country on the 50th day of
the strike.<br><br>
</font><font size=3>Ten of the 11 campuses of the UPR -in which
approximately 62,000 students are enrolled- have been paralyzed in
protest against massive budget cuts and the elimination of fee waivers
that would unfairly affect low-income students with federal grants and
talented students (in academics, sports and arts). Students have been
living inside the UPR's main campus in Río Piedras -with 22,000 students
registered- which has become the focus of demonstrations, artistic
performances, urban agriculture, and academic workshops. (Please see
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/puerto-rico-student-strike-2010/">
Global Voices' Special Coverage page</a> [2]<br><br>
<a href="http://www.rojogallito.blogspot.com/">There have been a number
of violent confrontations with police special forces</a> [5] at the
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/05/21/puerto-rico-violent-confrontations-against-demonstrators/">
Hotel Sheraton</a> [6] [En], the Río Piedras and Aguadilla campuses, and
outside the UPR's central administration. Students and parents have been
beaten and arrested. The pro-statehood Governor Luis Fortuño imposed a
“mediator” to intervene in the conflict, the Episcopalian Minister David
Alvarez,
<a href="http://www.claridadpuertorico.com/content.html?news=E3DFECCA304856266F1FA71D4802E7A5">
who was rejected by the students</a> [7] [ES]. The student strike has
catalyzed a national civil society movement that has supported them
throughout these 50 days. Students have also creatively used online media
and Internet-based radio to speak for themselves (please see
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/puerto-rico-student-strike-2010/">
Global Voices' compilation of online citizen media resources</a> ).
[8]<br><br>
The students' National Negotiating Committee has been negotiating with
the UPR administration. They have made important advances: the UPR's
Board of Trustees changed the language of the Certification 98 regarding
the fee waivers so that students will not be penalized.
<a href="http://rojogallito.blogspot.com/2010/06/presentaran-contrapropuesta.html">
Two fundamental issues remain on the table</a> [9] [ES]: the elimination
of the recent UPR's proposal of imposing a special fee of $1,100 per
semester in addition to the registration costs, and the guarantee that
the administration will not incur any disciplinary actions against the
students who have participated in the strike.<br><br>
In the meantime, an interesting and passionate debate is taking place
online. Historian and UPR professor
<a href="http://www.laacera.com/posts/illustrious-guest/2010/06/la-estrategia-del-cierre-de-la-universidad-por-carlos-pabon">
Carlos Pabón questions the strategic usefulness of continuing the
strike</a> [10] [ES] and of closing the campus:<br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>Lo que viene en término de políticas hacia la Universidad es mucho
más que lo está en juego en los reclamos de la huelga. Los estudiantes en
huelga deberían consolidar y certificar lo que han logrado hasta ahora
(que son algunas de sus demandas principales), proclamar un triunfo y
levantar la huelga, dando paso a que se abra la Universidad. De lo
contrario, se corren el riesgo de quedar entrampados en la estrategia del
gobierno, que es quién apuesta al cierre de la Universidad y en este
escenario lo que nos espera será nefasto (ya ayer se anunciaron algunas
medidas de recortes presupuestarios y reducciones salariales que tendrán
efectos drásticos sobre los distintos componentes de la Universidad).
Cada día que pasa este escenario se hace más probable, pues el tiempo y
el cierre favorecen al gobierno y a la alta administración
universitaria.<br><br>
</dl>The upcoming policies that will be applied to the University are
much more than what's at stake in the strike's claims. The striking
students should consolidate and confirm what they have accomplished up to
this point (which are some of their principal demands), declare victory
and end the strike, thus paving the way for the opening of the
University. If they fail to do so, they risk being entrapped by the
government's strategy, who's betting on the closure of the University,
and within this scenario what awaits us is dreadful (yesterday they
announced some budget cutting measures and salary reductions that will
have drastic effects on diverse components of the University). With every
day that passes, this scenario becomes a more probable one, since time
and the closure favor the government and the University's top
administrators.<br><br>
In the comment section of Pabón's post in
<a href="http://www.laacera.com/">La Acera</a></i> [11] [ES and
EN], graduate History student, activist and blogger
<a href="http://multitudenredada.blogspot.com/">Iván
Chaar-López</a> [12] [ES]
<a href="http://www.laacera.com/posts/illustrious-guest/2010/06/la-estrategia-del-cierre-de-la-universidad-por-carlos-pabon#comment-2364">
argues that students have unveiled the administration's project and urges
professors to make proposals</a> [13] [ES]:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>Si bien puede ser cierto que la huelga viabiliza el proyecto
destructivo de la administración universitaria y el gobierno, también es
cierto que la huelga ha desenmascarado el programa. En ese sentido, la
huelga ha viabilizado la articulación de resistencias en cada sector
comunitario de la Universidad. Los profesores no se habían expresado ni
habían producido documento alguno sobre la anti-democracia y la implosión
del proyecto universitario hasta que los estudiantes rompimos con el
ritmo monótono del curso lectivo. Desde esta perspectiva, la huelga ha
abierto camino para reflexionar y pensar la Universidad desde otras
coordenadas.<br><br>
</dl>It may be true that the strike has facilitated the destructive
project of the university's administration and the government. But it is
also true that the strike has unmasked this program. In this sense, the
strike has facilitated the formation of manifestations of resistance in
every community sector of the University. The professors had not
expressed themselves, nor had they produced any documents on the
anti-democratic movements and the destruction of the university project
until the students broke the monotony of classes. From this perspective,
the strike has opened a pathway to reflect and think about the University
from different coordinates.<br><br>
<br>
<a href="http://promesapolitica.blogspot.com/">Law student, activist and
blogger Mariana Iriarte</a> [15] [ES] questions the effectivity of
prolonging the strike and proposes the formulation of new strategies to
strengthen the student movement:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>Las negociaciones finalmente comenzaron, sin embargo, nunca parecen
haber estado destinadas a la reapertura de la Universidad. Por un lado,
</b>la administración se sienta con el Comité Negociador mientras que por
el otro desarrolla campañas publicitarias, anuncia la imposición de una
cuota especial ridículamente alta y empiezan a llover en el Capitolio
proyectos de ley destinados a enmendar la ley de la Universidad. Ante
este escenario, es preciso que empecemos a reflexionar en qué momento
comenzamos a permitir que fuera la administración quien dictara cómo y
cuándo íbamos a desarrollar nuestra huelga. Que nos preguntemos si la
dilación de los procesos no está, maliciosamente, destinada a mantenernos
en una huelga que parece no tener fin. Que pensemos si no estamos dando
vueltas como el perro que intenta, infructuosamente, de morderse la
cola.<br><br>
</dl>The negotiations finally started, but they never seemed to be
destined to open the University. On one side, the administration was
talking with the Negotiating Committee. But, on the other side, they
developed ad campaigns in the media, announced the imposition of a
ridiculously high special fee, and law projects destined to amend the
University Law started to fly in the Legislature. In this scenario, it is
fundamental that we start to reflect on the moment that we started to let
the administration dictate when and how we were going to conduct our
strike. We have to ask ourselves if the dilation of the processes is not
maliciously destined to keep us on a strike that seems to have no end in
sight. It is time we start to think if we are running around like the dog
that unsuccessfully tries to bite his own tail.<br><br>
<a href="http://poderyambiente.blogspot.com/">UPR Law professor and
blogger Erika Fontánez</a> [16] [ES] has also weighed in on the
debate:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>Lo cierto es que la gesta de más de 50 días de los y las estudiantes
del sistema universitario ha visibilizado estos temas, los ha traído al
debate público, los ha presentado al país. Cierto que habría que decir
que el debate público ha recogido esto en un nivel todavía muy
insuficiente en cuanto a los términos estructurales que se requiere, pero
ciertamente, como mínimo, es claro que este proceso huelgario ha
permitido, al menos, rasgar de las paredes de la indiferencia, poner en
escena el tema universitario y el riesgo en que se encuentra la
posibilidad de la Universidad pública, de excelencia y accesible. Para
comenzar, como mínimo, nos ha hecho ver las caras, incluso, a sectores
universitarios que dentro de la ‘normalidad’ universitaria de la UPR (no
de otra Universidad posible), difícilmente coincidimos. Ese ‘saldo’
tendremos que seguir analizándolo por mucho tiempo, en la contingencia de
su día a día, dentro del proceso y tiempo después de éste.<br><br>
</dl>What's true is that the feat of more than 50 days of the students
from the university system has made these themes visible, has brought
them to the public debate, it has presented them to the country. True, we
have to say that the public debate has picked this up at a level that is
very insufficient with regards to the structural issues that are
essential, but certainly, at a minimum, it's clear that this strike has
permitted, at least, a clawing of the walls of indifference, placed the
university system in the scene as well as the risk that the possibility
of a public University, of excellence and accessible, faces. To begin
with, at a minimum, it has made us see the faces of university sectors
that within the “normalcy” of the UPR (not of another possible
University) do not coincide. We will need to continue analyzing that
“remnant” for a long time, in the day to day juncture, within the current
process and for some time after.<br>
<hr>
Article printed from Global Voices in English:
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://globalvoicesonline.org<br><br>
</a></b>URL to article:
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/06/11/puerto-rico-decisive-moment-50-days-into-the-student-strike/" eudora="autourl">
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/06/11/puerto-rico-decisive-moment-50-days-into-the-student-strike/<br>
<br>
</a></b>URLs in this post:<br><br>
[1] UPR es un País:
<a href="http://www.upresunpais.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.upresunpais.com/<br><br>
</a></b>[2] Global Voices' Special Coverage page:
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/puerto-rico-student-strike-2010/" eudora="autourl">
http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/puerto-rico-student-strike-2010/<br>
<br>
</a></b>[5] There have been a number of violent confrontations with
police special forces:
<a href="http://www.rojogallito.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.rojogallito.blogspot.com/<br><br>
</a></b>[6] Hotel Sheraton:
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/05/21/puerto-rico-violent-confrontations-against-demonstrators/" eudora="autourl">
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/05/21/puerto-rico-violent-confrontations-against-demonstrators/<br>
<br>
</a></b>[7] who was rejected by the students:
<a href="http://www.claridadpuertorico.com/content.html?news=E3DFECCA304856266F1FA71D4802E7A5" eudora="autourl">
http://www.claridadpuertorico.com/content.html?news=E3DFECCA304856266F1FA71D4802E7A5<br>
<br>
</a></b>[8] Image:
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/paz_UPR.jpg" eudora="autourl">
http://globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/paz_UPR.jpg<br>
<br>
</a></b>[9] Two fundamental issues remain on the table:
<a href="http://rojogallito.blogspot.com/2010/06/presentaran-contrapropuesta.html" eudora="autourl">
http://rojogallito.blogspot.com/2010/06/presentaran-contrapropuesta.html<br>
<br>
</a></b>[10] Carlos Pabón questions the strategic usefulness of
continuing the strike:
<a href="http://www.laacera.com/posts/illustrious-guest/2010/06/la-estrategia-del-cierre-de-la-universidad-por-carlos-pabon" eudora="autourl">
http://www.laacera.com/posts/illustrious-guest/2010/06/la-estrategia-del-cierre-de-la-universidad-por-carlos-pabon<br>
<br>
</a></b>[11] La Acera</i>:
<a href="http://www.laacera.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.laacera.com/<br><br>
</a></b>[12] Iván Chaar-López:
<a href="http://multitudenredada.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://multitudenredada.blogspot.com/<br><br>
</a></b>[13] argues that students have unveiled the administration's
project and urges professors to make proposals:
<a href="http://www.laacera.com/posts/illustrious-guest/2010/06/la-estrategia-del-cierre-de-la-universidad-por-carlos-pabon#comment-2364" eudora="autourl">
http://www.laacera.com/posts/illustrious-guest/2010/06/la-estrategia-del-cierre-de-la-universidad-por-carlos-pabon#comment-2364<br>
<br>
</a></b>[15] Law student, activist and blogger Mariana Iriarte:
<a href="http://promesapolitica.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://promesapolitica.blogspot.com/<br><br>
</a></b>[16] UPR Law professor and blogger Erika Fontánez:
<a href="http://poderyambiente.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://poderyambiente.blogspot.com/<br><br>
</a></b>Click
<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/06/11/puerto-rico-decisive-moment-50-days-into-the-student-strike/print/#Print">
here</a> to print.<br><br>
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<a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/about/global-voices-attribution-policy" eudora="autourl">
http://globalvoicesonline.org/about/global-voices-attribution-policy<br>
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