PUERTO RICO: University head quits amid fee protests

The president of the University of Puerto Rico has resigned amid the worst student riots in 30 years, calling into doubt the future of the island's largest and most venerable institution.

Jose Ramon de la Torre (pictured), leader of the sprawling public university, submitted his resignation on 11 February. He said he was stepping down for personal reasons.

It followed months of violent clashes between student protesters and riot police that have brought the university to a virtual standstill.

More than 200 people have been arrested amid allegations of police brutality, torture and sexual harassment. Faculty and staff, incensed by the violence, held a two-day walkout two weeks ago in a mark of solidarity with their students.

Luis G Fortuno, Puerto Rico's first Republican governor in decades, on Monday started withdrawing the police presence from the university's 11 campuses.

Scores of police, riot squads and swat teams descended on the main campus in early December, when students abandoned their books in protest against a new $800 yearly fee, imposed this semester to help tackle the university's US$240 million budget deficit.

This is the second wave of strikes in less than a year. Student protests erupted last April against a similar tuition increase and led to a two-month shutdown of all 11 campuses.

The $800 fee that sparked the protests equals more than half the annual tuition, and would strain the budgets of at least 10,000 of the university's 60,000 students.

The strike comes as Puerto Rico struggles to overcome a crippling social and economic crisis. Unemployment is close to 16%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To make matters worse, the government recently laid off some 17,000 government employees in its continuing efforts to privatise public services.

Much like the Egyptian protests, the students have used social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to mobilise supporters and spread their message to a wider audience, doing it more quickly than traditional media and government statements.

Before de la Torre's departure was made official, the news was announced on the Facebook page Estudiantes de la UPR Informan. That post alone has garnered more than 1,400 'likes' and close to 200 comments.

"What makes this strike different is that in a country where there is such crisis, the students have been the most successful group in organising an effective movement to resist and fight for equity," said Carmen Medina, a professor of education at Indiana University and a University of Peurto Rico alumni.

Throughout the crisis, top university officials have threatened to shut down the main San Juan campus, which serves more than 20,000 students.

"I don't see much respect from the current administration towards the preservation of the most prestigious higher education institution on the island," said Medina.

The cost of the University of Peurto Rico conflict is estimated at more than $150 million, according to the Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education, "which is $102 million more than the projected income from the special $800 fee," wrote Council member Maximo Cerame Vivas.

A student assembly is scheduled for Tuesday to decide whether to carry on with the strike.