The University of South Florida's new on-campus football stadium wasn't the only topic of discussion at Tuesday's Board of Trustees meeting.
School officials also discussed free speech at USF and President Rhea Law's $300,000 performance bonus.
The university has stayed tight-lipped about a lawsuit filed last month by the Tampa chapter of "Students for Justice in Palestine."
This meeting was no different. However, two USF leaders named in the lawsuit — Trustee Chair Will Weatherford and Law — addressed the free speech issues raised by the suit.
"As a public institution, USF is obligated by the First Amendment to permit such speech and peaceful assemblies, subject only to reasonable limits upon the time, place and manner within which the assembly and speech take place."USF President Rhea Law
Weatherford began the meeting by condemning the attacks by Hamas on Israel. Then, without naming the group, he pointed to recent Pro-Palestinian rallies held by SJP on USF's campuses.
"The views (they) expressed may be upsetting. They may be offensive to some members of our community. At times, they may be offensive to this chairman of this Board of Trustees, but it's our obligation as a public university to uphold the constitutional right of free speech and open dialogue," he said.
Weatherford added it was not unusual to see protests at USF regarding controversial topics. Earlier this year, the Tampa campus saw a string of protests over recent state legislation banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and the "Tampa 5," a group of students, alumni, and staff who were arrested during a protest.
Felony charges against that group were dropped Tuesday, while the board was meeting.
Commitment to First Amendment rights
Law agreed with Weatherford, saying the university is committed to protecting everyone's First Amendment rights, "while at the same time making clear that the groups and the individuals exercising those rights do not speak for our university, and USF does not endorse the content of their speech."
Law acknowledged the "passionately held beliefs associated with the conflict" in Israel expressed by some people on campus upset other members of the community and raised questions of permitted speech.
"As a public institution, USF is obligated by the First Amendment to permit such speech and peaceful assemblies, subject only to reasonable limits upon the time, place and manner within which the assembly and speech take place," she said.
"While the First Amendment sadly prevents the university from mandating civility and respect in all instances, let us be clear, it is our firm expectation that all members of the USF community always exhibit these qualities in their interactions."
In recent weeks, the university has seen an increase in police presence, and Law said that will continue along with 24-hour dedicated officers near on-campus religious centers, regardless if the facilities are occupied.
In the spring, USF will also offer focus groups and new programs to facilitate civil discussions about the Middle East.
Last month, the Tampa chapter of the SJP filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Ray Rodrigues, Weatherford, Law, the Board of Trustees, and the Florida Board of Governors in response to a state order banning the group from campus.
A similar lawsuit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of the University of Florida chapter of SJP.
Rodrigues, the State University Chancellor, sent a letter to university presidents in October ordering them to "deactivate" campus chapters of the SJP. He claimed the National SJP was providing "material support for a terrorist organization" based off a guide it sent to university chapters.
Law's accomplishments cited
Both the USF and UF chapters said they have no connections to the national group, and neither have been deactivated.
The order came after DeSantis said he would strip any international student of their visas and "send them home" if they were found to be protesting in support of a terrorist group.
Later in the meeting, Weatherford approved a Governance Committee recommendation to award Law her full annual bonus of $300,000.
He cited a number of her accomplishments over the last year.
"Most notably, the recent achievement of the University of South Florida's invitation into the most prestigious organization that there is in higher education, the (American Association of Universities), we've also had a historic year in both fundraising and legislative support, and the national recognition for being an incredible place to work," Weatherford said.
The committee evaluated Law on six metrics, including USF's progress in building the new on-campus stadium.
Law's contract pays her an annual salary of $655,000.
