TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's Board of Governors, which oversees the state's 11 public universities, is getting some tough criticism on its performance from some college students.
A group of students protested outside the Board of Governors meeting in Tallahassee on Thursday because they think the board is not listening to their concerns.
Students are upset with tuition hikes in recent years and cutbacks to the Bright Futures program, so they're calling for greater student representation on the Board of Governors.
Currently the board of 17 members includes one student. The protesters believe their concerns about tuition and other issues would be better represented if the board included more students.
"It really affects the affordability especially during hard economic times like we're dealing with now. It's vital that education is affordable for everybody," said Elizabeth Martin of the Florida Alliance for Student Action.
University System Chancellor Frank Brogan stopped to talk with the protesters. He explained that the board's makeup is set in the state Constitution and it would take a constitutional change to alter the composition.
The students asked if he would support such a change. Brogan said no.
"One, I think, is appropriate and why do I say that. Because first of all you can wrestle with how many members should be on the Board of Governors total anyway. Seventeen is a big board. But I think we have one faculty member who represents faculty, we have one student who represents students. I don't know what the magic number is guys."
Most of the other members on the board work in the private sector, prompting some of the protesters to question why real estate developers and corporate CEO's are setting university policy instead of those in higher education.
The students think there's a disconnect and private-sector leaders don't really get what's best for students.
"They are detached from students so more student representation is needed on the Board of Governors," said FSU student Michael Sampson.
Brogan said the system is working as it was designed: elected student leaders at each university convey their concerns and issues to the Board of Governor's student representative, who's supposed to give a voice for students.
But as far as the protesters were concerned, that voice is not being heard clearly.
First Coast News