UFF Legislative Update: Week Five

UFF UNITED FACULTY OF FLORIDA

The 2012 Legislative Session: Week Five

The Florida Senate released a budget that:

· Slashes $400 million from the State University System

· Increases tuition by $185 million in the SUS

· Cuts 100% of SUS construction and maintenance funds (PECO)

· Increases funds for the Florida College System by $11 million

· Increases tuition by $28 million in the FCS

· Increases funds going to private colleges and universities (FRAG)

· Cuts funding for Historically Black Colleges by 25%

· Creates a 12^th state university (Florida Polytechnic) with no debate on need for establishing it.

Call offices of Senate Budget Committee members today and Tuesday. The Committee meets Wednesday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Leave a polite message for Senators. Examples are:

1. No more budget cuts for public universities or colleges.

2. No funding for Western Governor’s University.

Urge them to vote against $2.5 million for Western Governors University (in Salt Lake City), funding for which appears at the end of the House budget. Sending $2.5 million to Utah for distance education courses to count as credits in Florida hurts the authentic distance education programs already in place at our universities and colleges. These programs should be chosen over one from a private entity without a real faculty creating courses for students and evaluating students carefully.

3. The UFF-USF chapter is asking its members and all friends on other campuses to contact Sen. Evelyn Lynne to object to the budget item that establishes Florida Polytechnic as a university separate from USF.

http://uff.ourusf.org/biweekly/Spring2012/Biweekly021212.htm

Reminder: Do not use university phones or equipment to send messages to legislators or to forward this message to colleagues.

Tom Auxter, President

Contact members of the Senate Budget Committee