Students barricade doors of university in Reñaca, Chile

Students of the Universidad del Mar Reñaca campus action prevent the entrance of bankruptcy officials.

With the use of tables and chairs, students of the Reñaca campus of the Universidad del Mar created a barricade to prevent the entry of the bankruptcy trustee, María Loreto Ried, in her effort to begin the process to shut down the beleaguered university.

“We must understand that the bankruptcy of the Universidad del Mar has been surprising and traumatic, and the reaction of the students could be understood because they are blinded by the news,” Ried said Monday.

Ried, who was appointed by the First Criminal Court of Viña del Mar on Saturday to retrieve important documents and records from the campus, attempted several dialogues with the students but failed to reach any sort of agreement. She promptly delivered an order to seize the property and said she still believed the documents could be obtained.

“I have not lost hope that this situation will be solved,” added Rieid.

The protest follows a similar event on the Santiago campus of Universidad del Mar and reveals the many loose ends of the university closure, such as the placement of its students in other schools, tuition payments and the general stigma of the bankruptcy remains in the minds of the students.

The Universidad del Mar is under order to close by December 2014, but this barricaded protest could be the first of many from its university students before that happens.

- santiagotimes.cl