The USF Board of Trustees is currently holding its first meeting after the Florida Senate approved both a 23 percent cut to the USF budget and the splitting off of USF Polytechnic.
USF'S student newspaper, the Oracle, reports the Senate's desire to have USF tap its reserve funds to make up for some of the funding cuts is one of the major topics of this morning's meeting:
Board of Trustees Chairman John Ramil: "As soon as a dollar comes in the door, you don’t have to spend it. You reward people for thinking that way. And we will now be punished for behaving that way."
The planned immediate conversion of USF Polytechnic to an independent university is also up for discussion.
According to Polytechnic Regional Chancellor David Touchton, "The campus was in shock when this conforming bill came along. People were depressed. They were angry. There was fear." He added that current faculty and student recruiting has stopped for the time being.
Ramil will speak to the media this afternoon once the meeting is over. WUSF 89.7 will have his comments during this afternoon's "All Things Considered," starting at 4 pm.
