The declining housing market and less-than-booming economy continue to make an impact on Florida's budget.
Florida lawmakers recently announced they are facing an additional 4 percent cut for the remainder of the fiscal year on top of an already reduced budget.
UF is by no means immune to these harsh realities, and this latest cut will put the university ,16 million in the red come July 1.
At a summit with state business editors Thursday, President Bernie Machen said he would somehow have to "figure out" a way to find the necessary cash in the next six months.
It only gets worse.
He went on to say that the university might have to do away with summer school and decrease the number of admitted students to make up for the multi-million dollar blow.
Wasn't he the one pushing 15-credit semesters to encourage timely graduation just this past September?
How quickly he forgets.
This is not a viable solution, and it is certainly not one students could realistically accept.
Machen admitted that students rely on summer school to meet graduation requirements and might not be able to do so if the proposed shutdown happens. And student-athletes disproportionately rely on summer school to get their cap and gown - we know the administration wouldn't risk that.
By doing away with something so many of us need to graduate, our president is not sticking to what should be his number one priority: concern for students.
And his plan just doesn't make sense.
Removing the summer option would only keep students here longer than they need to be, inevitably costing the school more money - not less. By admitting this, Machen has led us to believe this is just a stunt.
Students forced to stay at UF longer would also be filling up space that qualified new admissions could fill. More high-quality applicants would have to be denied and may decide to leave the state altogether.
The vicious cycle would only hurt Florida's overall economy in the long run, not to mention the instant impact on the local economy of Gainesville.
Admittedly, Machen's suggestion to close buildings down in the summer would most likely save millions on energy and other operating costs, but we can't help but think he can do better.
Take the example of the state university system of California. Faced with enormous budget cuts from the later-impeached Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, the universities made central cuts to research and libraries first.
And the state university system of Iowa, faced with its own crisis in 2001 and a coincidental ,16 million shortage, instituted mandatory employee furloughs. Interim President Richard Seagrave openly asked for input to address the necessary budget reduction and ultimately halted all major program initiatives and maintenance projects.
Now there's an idea.
It seems ridiculous to take away something so vital to students' success without looking at other options first.
But Machen knows this. And taxpayers do, too.
Our guess is that this may be a scare tactic to convince the Legislature that UF needs more funding. OK, Machen, we get the point.
This will not be the last time budget cuts threaten the quality of our education, but we're hoping our ,400,000-man could "figure out" a better choice than emptying the campus come May.
