Florida A&M University’s Rattler pride took over the 22nd floor of the Florida Capitol Thursday as students, faculty and alumni gathered in their orange and green spirit colors ahead of lobbying meetings with legislatures.
FAMU’s annual Day at the Capitol event gives individuals the chance to lay out the university’s priorities and requests for this year’s legislative session while taking part in a series of festivities to kick off the day — including FAMU’s cheer team, several classic selections from the Marching 100 pep band such as “Do What You Wanna” and a presentation of colors by FAMU’s ROTC students.
FAMU Board of Trustee members such as Nicole Washington and Chairman Kelvin Lawson were among the event’s participants, and so was Tallahassee City Commissioner Curtis Richardson as well as FAMU National Alumni Association President Curtis Johnson.
“This is our day to come and advocate for mother FAMU,” Johnson said. “As we look out that window and spot our campus, we must always remain vigilant, and we must always be on watch for mother FAMU.”
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But while FAMU President Larry Robinson highlighted the university’s wish list and how the enhancement of student success is the top priority during the session, an elephant in the room is what the effects of HB 999 might be on diversity programs on campus and the post-tenure review process — issues that both students and faculty members are worried about.
Robinson touched on how he is handling the campus community’s concerns.
“We’re still FAMU,” Robinson said. “We’re still here, we still plan to be here, and that’s why we’re here today — to make sure that FAMU continues to be a viable option for students to come to and enjoy the rich culture that we have. We’re here today to make sure that happens.”
Recent student protests have condemned Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plans to dismantle diversity-related program from colleges and universities across Florida.
Faculty members have also shared comments and expressed concerns about post-tenure review changes that are underway during a recent Florida Board of Governors meeting.
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With FAMU’s identity intertwined with being an HBCU (historically Black college or university), students such as Black Greek-letter organization members and others fear the changes that legislation could bring to their campus.
But Robinson says the university will continue to bring in “motivated, brilliant and talented students who don’t come with a lot of economic resources that other students might have.”
“Our mission is still the same and our vision is still the same,” Robinson said. “We’re going to continue to recruit outstanding students to the university and train them well so that they can go out into the world and make a difference.”
During Robinson’s Thursday morning remarks at the Capitol, he mentioned that over 20,000 first-time-in-college students have applied to the university so far this year, compared to about 10,000 last year. FAMU currently has about 9,000 students enrolled.
While FAMU is asking for $15 million to go toward elevating and sustaining student success, $20.4 million is being requested to help enable interdisciplinary research while expanding the university’s research infrastructure.
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FAMU is currently ranked the no. 1 public HBCU in the nation and is ranked the 103rd best public university across the country — according to U.S. News & World Report — as it works toward being among the top 100 in the category.
Other FAMU goals include becoming an R1 university classification, which is given to the most research-intensive institutions. FAMU’s status as of now is an R2 university, which represents high research activity.
In addition, FAMU is requesting $13.5 million to renovate its ROTC program’s home, Howard Hall — a building that Robinson says has not been renovated in 70 years.
“This request is not new since it’s always been on our list,” Robinson said. “We just decided that it was time to make it a priority this year because it’s not only important to FAMU, but also to the young men and women who train there before leaving to serve this country.”
Robinson believes that the university’s priorities will be fairly considered during the session.
“I think they will be taken into consideration, but the question is what will happen in the end,” Robinson said. “I can’t necessarily say what that will be, but what I can say is that we’ve worked extremely hard to make sure that everybody knows how their investment in us will reap benefits for the state of Florida, and we will continue to do so.”
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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