Budget Cuts

We are glad to hear President Machen confirm his willingness to reconsider aspects of his Budget Reduction Proposal. In light of that confirmation, and in light of our mutual commitment to UF's academic quality, the union would like to call particular attention to the following features of the Proposal as it currently stands:

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: The Proposal identifies for elimination or consolidation a wide range of tracks, areas, and departments related to international studies. Faculty in Jewish Studies, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Swahili, Yoruba, German, Slavic, and French have been targeted for layoff. These cuts will seriously undermine the development of international studies, one of the hallmarks of a top-tier university.

DIVERSITY: Of the 20 faculty targeted for layoff as a result of the Proposal, at least 8 are women, at least 9 are foreign-born, and at least 4 are both. The UF community, including President Machen, has explicitly identified diversity as an integral part of a quality education. The union believes that a university's commitment to diversity is revealed by how firmly it holds to its principles in difficult times.

DOCTORAL STUDIES: All top-tier universities offer PhD degrees in core academic fields. The Proposal identifies for elimination the PhD in Philosophy, French, and German. This would make UF one of the very few universities in the AAU not to offer a PhD in those fields. It would also become the only research university in Florida not to do so, even though it is the flagship institution.

SHARED GOVERNANCE: Faculty are best qualified to make decisions affecting the quality of their academic programs. Therefore, academic quality suffers when any decision is made to cut or eliminate an academic program without adequate faculty input.

Visit our website at www.uffacultycontract.org. If you have not yet joined the union, please print and fill out a membership form. Whether you are a member or not, your rights are protected by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. If you believe that any of your rights have been violated, we encourage you to contact Prof. Jane Brockmann at 376-0473, at 392-1297, or at hjanebrockmann@bellsouth.net.

Sincerely,

John Biro, President
United Faculty of Florida
238 Norman Hall, PO Box 117055
Phone: 392-0274
Email: president@uff-uf.org