May 29, 2007
Florida Governor Charlie Crist vetoed Florida A&M University's request for expanding its pharmacy building.
The need for improved facilities was a main concern in the accreditation visit for the pharmacy school.
Now isn't that incredible. FAMU needs improved facilities for accreditation for its pharmacy school, and Charlie Crist denied the financial request.
On the other hand State lawmakers of Florida, with Crist's blessing are giving an $80 million gift to the University of Miami, a private university.
This gift is a result of the help of Florida House speaker Marco Rubio, after the Legislature approved its $70 billion-plus state budget. The leaders of both chambers, House speaker Marco Rubio, and Senate President Ken Pruitt, supported the gift.
The financial aid to the University of Miami is a result of efforts of ex Governor John Ellis Bush to bring the Scripps Research Institute to Florida. The financial aid to the UM is supposedly to help establish a genetics research istitute.
Joseph Cortright, an economist, who co-wrote a 2002 report for the Brookings Institute, said that biotech is risky and loses money.
Mark Rosenberg, chancellor of Florida's public university system said he's delighted - even though the University of Miami is not a public university.
Marcy Speer, the interim director for Duke University's Center for Human Genetics was "shocked that the State of Florida was giving public dollars to a private university", while denying funds to a public university.
Now isn't that amazing, FAMU, a public university can not receive $7.5 million to help receive accreditation, but the University of Miami, a private school can receive $80 million to establish a research center.
If FAMU's pharmacy department fails to receive accreditation, then we'll know it's because the Charlie Crist wanted FAMU to fail.
So often I have heard Negroes blame other Negroes for deficiencies. Now here is an instance in which Negroes can not be blamed for a shortcoming. The FAMU Board of Trustees with Chairman Jennings actually requested assisstance for the pharmacy building. Charlie Crist denied the request.
For a while I have been saying how FAMU, a predominatly Black university has been under attack. I have elaborated how FAMU has been a victim of discrimination, degradation, and exploitation.
FAMU, the public school needed assistance to aid in accreditation and could not get it, while the University of Miami, a private university, needed it less and received $80 million. Now that's incredible.
Bibliography: Stephanie Garry and Yudy Pineiro.The Miami Herald. April 25, 2007, p. 1A. Jennifer Portman, Democrat Senior writer. May 23 or May 24, 2007.
fbryant
June 2, 2007