ooc: A Plea
The people I have in AIM know my situation but here's the skinny:
Spread the word amongst yourselves of the injustices done in US Soil. There is an outright refusal & denial a human right happening in Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico is a state-college system that is currently going through hard financial times but it is not this I'm stating. The UPR Administration has forced upon its roughly 64,000 students a tuition fee of $800, as a "stabilization fee." Everyone taking at least 1 academic credit will have to pay for it. This alienates the right to a higher education to many students and aggravates those who are currently enrolled and cannot make the payments per semester. It has changed from a 6-year plan to perpetual. Supposedly done to cover the $230 million deficit via the creation of a credit line, it is an unjust condition to a credit line by the state bank: Banco de Fomento.
The issue here is the government's totalitarian approach to the situation. Do not be swayed by your newscast. The Administration has forbidden the students' right to invoke a strike and any subsequent meeting activities. To enforce this, they have called the state police to guard and secure "posts" in order to ensure accreditation by the Middle States Board. In addition, the local Supreme Court has declared that all student strikes are illegal. This is against the 1st Amendment to the Right of Free Expression. Since 1917, Puerto Rican citizens living on the Island enjoy US Citizenship and are covered by the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
What the local government and UPR administration are doing is trampling over the students' rights to fight against an unjust fee. We as students of the UPR do not want to or have the means to pay this fee. Both students from private and public schools cannot afford it, even with federal help. Please spread the word of these injustices and help us regain not only our alma mater but also the right to free expression. Reinforced police repression and unfair financial load on the students do not make for a safe and fruitful academic environment.
I don't care if no one reads this, it's on the Internet. Please spread the word and pressure your local legislator! Today was a boiling point in the UPR Strike, where police brutality has been confirmed. Presence of snipers & riot squad have been confirmed. I cannot risk going in there and standing in the crowds but I can help inform others like you who are reading this. DONT JUST MARK READ, READ IT. It's the most complete English-language article I could find.
I beseech you, reader, to consider the implications of these actions in your own world. It's not all fun pretendy-times and the world gets ugly. I have no agenda in writing this entry, only to inform the real situation that is happening right now. There are students protests in Rome and London but this one is closer to home for most of you. We may not be a state but we are still American citizens and we're more than just a tourist spot. There are 3.9 million people who live here and will see their quality of life dismantled by these actions.
Thank you.
Spread the word amongst yourselves of the injustices done in US Soil. There is an outright refusal & denial a human right happening in Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico is a state-college system that is currently going through hard financial times but it is not this I'm stating. The UPR Administration has forced upon its roughly 64,000 students a tuition fee of $800, as a "stabilization fee." Everyone taking at least 1 academic credit will have to pay for it. This alienates the right to a higher education to many students and aggravates those who are currently enrolled and cannot make the payments per semester. It has changed from a 6-year plan to perpetual. Supposedly done to cover the $230 million deficit via the creation of a credit line, it is an unjust condition to a credit line by the state bank: Banco de Fomento.
The issue here is the government's totalitarian approach to the situation. Do not be swayed by your newscast. The Administration has forbidden the students' right to invoke a strike and any subsequent meeting activities. To enforce this, they have called the state police to guard and secure "posts" in order to ensure accreditation by the Middle States Board. In addition, the local Supreme Court has declared that all student strikes are illegal. This is against the 1st Amendment to the Right of Free Expression. Since 1917, Puerto Rican citizens living on the Island enjoy US Citizenship and are covered by the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
What the local government and UPR administration are doing is trampling over the students' rights to fight against an unjust fee. We as students of the UPR do not want to or have the means to pay this fee. Both students from private and public schools cannot afford it, even with federal help. Please spread the word of these injustices and help us regain not only our alma mater but also the right to free expression. Reinforced police repression and unfair financial load on the students do not make for a safe and fruitful academic environment.
I don't care if no one reads this, it's on the Internet. Please spread the word and pressure your local legislator! Today was a boiling point in the UPR Strike, where police brutality has been confirmed. Presence of snipers & riot squad have been confirmed. I cannot risk going in there and standing in the crowds but I can help inform others like you who are reading this. DONT JUST MARK READ, READ IT. It's the most complete English-language article I could find.
I beseech you, reader, to consider the implications of these actions in your own world. It's not all fun pretendy-times and the world gets ugly. I have no agenda in writing this entry, only to inform the real situation that is happening right now. There are students protests in Rome and London but this one is closer to home for most of you. We may not be a state but we are still American citizens and we're more than just a tourist spot. There are 3.9 million people who live here and will see their quality of life dismantled by these actions.
Thank you.