Each spring, FAMU (Florida A&M University) students, staff, and alumni swarm the state capital in Tallahassee dressed in grass green and citrus orange.
FAMU Day at the Capitol, an annual extravaganza in which university representatives meet with lawmakers while being serenaded by the school band, is considered a rite of passage.
When the institution was first established in 1887, there were just 15 students and two professors enrolled. FAMU has now developed into a renowned university, serving as the only public HBCU in the state and one of the two land-grant institutions.
However, FAMU students have been forced to deal with housing shortages, outdated facilities, and the mental fatigue that comes from having to achieve more with less.
Six students from FAMU have therefore filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida, the previous chancellor of the Florida university system, and the board of governors for the state university system for claiming discriminatory funding that they claim can be linked to state-approved segregation.
The only other public land-grant universities in the state, University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, and Florida State University (FSU) are said by the students to exist in different worlds of potential.
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Lawsuit Exposes UF-FAMU Disparity
The lawsuit claims that in 2019, the state gave UF $14,984 per student, or a whopping $785 million, and FAMU $11,450 per student, or a total of $110 million.
The lawsuit claims that UF has gained main control over research, education, and extension services and a larger share of state and federal agricultural and land grant funds, while FAMU has experienced a reduction in the size of its agricultural department.
The lawsuit claims that the state allegedly inadvertently transferred part of FAMU’s resources to be managed by FSU, another university in Tallahassee.
The lawsuit claims that in 2015, the state took nearly $13 million in general operating revenue from FAMU and transferred control of those monies to FSU.
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