By Libni Sanjurjo Meléndez / lsanjurjo@elnuevodia.com endi.com Miguel Hernandez, president of the Association that groups 900 professors of the UPR system, indicated that the reduction will affect the already programmed raises in professors’ salaries, research and could increase matriculation fees. This reduction is due to the Legislature’s decision to follow the Governor’s recommendation of stalling a formula that would have raised next fiscal year’s budget by $37 million. The budget cut could cause “an exodus of talented professors, facing a situation were salaries keep going down while the cost of living soars”, said Hernandez. “The exodus can be seen and we think it will increase”, added Hernandez, emphasizing that his statements are based on experience, not statistics. He said that the president of the UPR, Antonio Garcia Padilla, has not been firm defending the University’s fiscal autonomy, which includes this formula. Frances Bothwel, from the Department of English, said that they lost a professor to a more competitive salary in the United States. Without the $37 million, UPR will get $752 million from the General Fund.