Hundreds of Puerto Rican students have resettled on college campuses across the mainland U.S. in recent weeks — and many more are considering leaving the island territory in the spring — grateful for the opportunity to resume their studies in the wake of Hurricane Maria, the Wall Street Journal reported today. But some worry the students won’t return to an island that is already suffering an exodus of young people and their talents. The University of Puerto Rico, like the commonwealth government that provides roughly two-thirds of its annual operating budget, was in financial crisis when Hurricane Maria hit seven weeks ago. Last spring, student-led budget protests shut down some campuses for months, and eight campuses were placed on probation by the university’s accreditor in part because of financial concerns. The system is digesting an 18.8% cut to appropriations for the current school year. Enrollment was down by about 4 percent to 59,450 this fall before the storm hit. The last of the system’s 11 campuses reopened on Monday, despite damaged buildings and spotty electricity. Early tallies show that about 95 percent of students returned to class. But hundreds have withdrawn from the largest campuses and concern about the loss of talent is growing as more schools join the likes of Brown University, Tulane University and the State University of New York in bringing Puerto Rican students to their campuses free of charge or at in-state tuition rates.
