The University of Puerto Rico was paralyzed by a student strike that began in April and ended earlier this month.

Students set up makeshift camps across the 11 University campuses and refused to leave.

They were protesting proposed budget cuts and tuition increases, and they called for greater transparency in University finances.

But the strikes might have broader implications. Charles Venator was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and he says the University plays a central role on the island.

Venator teaches political science at the Institute of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut, and he’s here to tell us more…