UF Center for Latin American Studies
October 11, 2017
As part of UF’s efforts to accommodate displaced faculty from Puerto Rican universities, the Center is hosting Dr. Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera, Distinguished Researcher and Associate Professor of Humanities at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.
Dr. Herlihy-Mera has published an article in The Chronicles of Higher Education recounting his experience as hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.
"One of the first things my department chair, Héctor Huyke, said to me was, "Tengo mi machete" — I have my machete. Fernando Gilbes, our dean, brought me into his office and said, "No vamos a perder el semestre." We aren’t going to lose the semester. They were working to bring a university back to life — with no water, no cell coverage, no electricity."
