STUDENTS STRIKE IN PUERTO RICO

Abstract

A MASSIVE student-led strike that has resulted in the temporary closure of 10 of 11 University of Puerto Rico campuses has affected the ability of faculty and students to conduct research—including chemistry research. “This strike is really hurting the research, the students, and the university as a whole,” says Carlos R. Cabrera, a professor of chemistry at the university’s Rio Piedras campus and director of the Center for Advanced Nanoscale Materials. “The morale here is very low, but we’re trying to keep the research going.” The strike began on April 21 in opposition to several issues, including proposed tuition hikes. The situation in Puerto Rico reflects the consequences of severe budget cuts that have hit colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. Since the strike began, chemistry faculty and students have had only intermittent access to research labs. “We keep working,” says Ingrid Montes, a professor of chemistry at the Rio Piedras campus. “But ...