Mayaguez is in a bit of a turmoil right now. Though it seems to be nothing new according to people who have lived here longer than I.
First, the university students are on strike. While I never heard of this sort of situation in a university before, apparently this occurred in Mayaguez in 2010 as well. In that case, the students protested in early spring, causing a delay in classes which resulted in the spring semester being completed the following August and pushing back the start of the fall semester.
This is a complex subject I only know a minute amount about, but this year the students want the university to divulge where all it’s debt lies. And odious task because I bet the university system doesn’t even know and would have to invest an absurd amount of money into investigating. The uni wants to cut copious funding and even is considering closing down some of the PRU branches in the smaller cities along with firing significant staff. So – the students strike, wanting accountability.
Half my friends are university professors so I try to ask them about this situation when I see them. Most are calmer than I would be, biding their time waiting for this to play out. Some are frustrated, some rallying with the students. I think they all understand the students point, but are frustrated with everything.
I since learned that professors are still getting paid
Anyway, my tutor was hoping to graduate in about three weeks from the Uni, then apply to their masters program. All that’s on hold. My other friend has a family trip to the other side of the planet in early summer, so hopefully those plans won’t become compromised.
Honestly, I’m glad I’m not in the middle of it.
On another note, our garbage collection service hasn’t been paid by the city since November. Understandably, they are mad and had to tell the city pay up or we can’t afford to collect anymore. So the garbage in my neighborhood sat fermenting on our curbs for four extra days past the usual pick up date (the previous week’s collection was questionable but happened).
The Mayor’s solution? Fire the company to which it owed $$$$$ and hire a new company. Read below:
What a nice mayor! And good luck EC Waste Management with suing a broke city.
My massage therapist said all Puerto Ricans should be protesting. Because the situation all around as such a mess. My tutor called it ‘Un disastre” Let’s see where this leads
The new company with white trucks. I’d ask for payment up front if I were them.
I can’t blame the students but at the same time they need to realize that the government is reducing money to them so the University needs to scale back. It is a bad situation. Have you heard anything about govt. agencies striking May 1?
No I haven’t. Seems like nothing major has changed here on the ground level. Business as usual.