Today (Tuesday), Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares appointed Professor Walter Alomar Jimenez and Ms. Zoraida Buxó Santiago as members of the Governing Board of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). These appointments will now go on to be considered by the Senate.

Meanwhile, three Board members submitted their resignations to the UPR’s governing body today, to ‘give other people the chance’ to ‘contribute solutions for the University, with the same endeavor we’ve had in protecting it, but with greater support from those who have seized control of the gates and those who are controlling its funds.’ The letter was submitted this morning for the governor’s consideration by Dr. Carlos Pérez Díaz (current president), Eng. Carlos H. del Río (vice president), and Mr. Frank Catalá Morales.

Interim President Nivia Fernández Hernández also joined the list of resignations from the university institution today, effective immediately and irrevocably. This way, she avoids incurring in contempt , which would have happened if she had failed to submit a plan to reopen the campus before Judge Lauracelis Roque today, in response to the action filed by six students who are demanding to have classes resumed.

‘I am confident there will be a prompt and fair conclusion to the current irregularities we are facing, and that there will be a return to work in an environment of peace and tranquility, like we all deserve to fulfill our official duties,’ Fernández said in her resignation letter.

‘Unfortunately, the University has become the target of disproportionate, excessive, unfair, and carelessly defined cutbacks, which gravely threatens not only the UPR’s physical integrity, but also the ability it still has to attract highly-qualified instructors, lead important research projects, and shape extraordinary professionals in a wide variety of fields in the arts and sciences,’ reads the letter addressed to the Governor. It also adds that, ‘to revert this path, the University needs to unify its purposes, establish common goals that will save it and help it emerge from the complicated position it is in.’

The three signers of the resignation letter reiterated that ‘the University of Puerto Rico belongs to all and serves everyone,’ and they said they hope ‘the government, students, teachers, and workers, the Fiscal Oversight Board, and all sectors interested in maintaining UPR as a quality institution of higher education, will be able to reach an understanding that will place it above all else and save it, for the benefit of future generations and Puerto Rico.’

As for the appointees, Alomar Jiménez has worked as a professor in the field of patents at the UPR School of Law, and he also has his own private law practice. Meanwhile, Buxó Santiago was secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation under Rosselló González’s administration, and she has her own law practice.

‘As we promised before, I am making these appointments after a thorough evaluation of the nominees to fill two of the available vacancies in the UPR Governing Board. I am certain that, with their experience and sensibility, both appointees will lead the University down the best path,’ Rosselló Nevares upheld.

The first executive thanked both lawyers for their availability to serve the University in such challenging times.

‘At times such as these, the commitment of citizens with the University of Puerto Rico and our Island is put to the test. I thank attorneys Alomar Jiménez and Buxó Santiago for agreeing to become part of our University’s highest governing body, when we most need skilled and ethical people,’ the governor added.

As he made the appointments, Rosselló Nevares expressed that, ‘to be able to open the University, the university community must show that they are willing to get back to work; they need to show they want to resume their academic work and return to normalcy in all campuses.’

‘Wanting to open the University without evidence that the university community is willing to return to their academic and administrative tasks would provoke violent situations at the gates, which should be avoided,’ the governor added.

‘I urge the entire university community, including administrators, students, faculty, and non-faculty employees, to seek out real—not fictional—dialogue, while keeping order and respect. Our Administration reiterates its respect for the university’s autonomy and compliance with the law. We are confident that the university community will be able to set an example and demonstrate that it is precisely the academia that which fosters dialogue and generates results. This is the best example they can give Puerto Rico,’ Rosselló Nevares concluded.

Meanwhile, the UPR’s outgoing interim president met yesterday with the Governing Board Executive Committee, up until late at night, to discuss possible strategies to restore access to the Río Piedras campus. After a thoughtful analysis from the Committee members, they decided, in consensus with Fernández, not to enact any strategies.

If both appointments are confirmed, there would be six vacancies left in the UPR Board, which should have a total of 14 members. The quorum the Board needs to make decisions is seven members. There are only six members left in the Board, including the two student representatives, the two faculty representatives, one representative from the Department of Education, and one representative from the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (FAFAA). According to the law, the Governor must provide appointments for all the vacancies.