Florida lawmakers are getting closer to adopting a final budget, and the University of Florida could face significant changes. U-F spokeswoman Janine Sikes says both the House and Senate are looking at funding cuts which would hurt university services and employees.
“We’re concerned that our employees would basically be facing a cut in their salaries… There are multiple pension proposals and they [the Legislature] will have to come together on how those are designed,” she says.
Sikes says the legislature is also considering a 15 percent tuition hike allowance and program allowing students to enroll for the spring and summer semesters instead of the fall, which would mean Bright Futures disbursement for the program participants and an enrollment cap increase for the University. She says while it is too early to tell exactly what will happen, the University is closely monitoring the budget progress.