‘Get out of our house.’ New College rallies against controversial merger proposal

More than 150 students, employees and graduates rallied at New College of Florida, delivering one message Thursday afternoon: “Save NCF.”

New College, 5800 Bay Shore Road, is bracing for a possible merger with Florida State University, while Florida Polytechnic University is at risk of being merged with the University of Florida.

State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, introduced the possible merger as part of a recent bill, pointing to the high cost of producing degrees at Florida’s smaller colleges. Aside from tuition, it costs the state an average of $28,208 in taxpayer money for each degree in Florida’s university system, while it costs $198,000 at New College, according to Fine.

“With all due respect, Representative Fine, get out of our house,” said Wesley Beggs, president of the Florida Young Democrats, who spoke during Thursday’s rally. “You do not represent New College, Florida State University, Florida Polytechnic or the University of Florida.”

Critics of the merger proposal believe New College represents an affordable option for students, and a worthwhile investment for the state’s taxpayers, who benefit from the college’s skilled graduates.

Students said they learned about the proposal in news stories published last week. They scrambled to voice their opinions, since neither of the affected colleges were consulted, said Eleanor Young, a second-year student at New College.

“It was completely out of the blue,” she said. “Usually when these kinds of things happen and it’s actually intended to be a productive merger, both universities are involved before the state legislature.”

Thursday’s rally was organized by half a dozen students, most of them student government members. Young, outreach coordinator for the New College Student Alliance, said she was fighting for the college’s unique options.

Instead of earning credit hours, New College students agree to a contract each semester, outlining their goals and the criteria for measuring success. Professors then issue a “narrative evaluation” instead of grades, outlining a student’s strengths and weaknesses, while also recommending a path forward.

Young pointed to small class sizes, and a campus where students and employees know each other’s names. The average class size at New College is 14 students, and the student-faculty ratio is eight-to-one, according to its website.

She said the program was especially helpful to students who continue their education, because New College mimics the environment of a graduate school.

“The thesis requirement here is rigorous,” Young said. “You have to conduct original research and write a thesis that’s comparable to a master’s thesis. You have to work with your advisor and a committee, much like a PhD program.”

New College and Florida Polytechnic are two of a dozen campuses in the state’s university system. Matthew Lepinski, an assistant professor of computer science at New College, said he was proud that Florida offered diverse options.

Students choose New College for its personalized instruction and its focus on undergraduate research, he said.

“When I think about that, I think about the elite private institutions of the rest of the country, which are so far out of reach for so many talented students,” Lepinski concluded.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, visited the campus last week to oppose Fine’s legislation, but the proposal is gaining traction among other state officials. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Senate President Bill Galvano, whose district includes the New College campus, have both expressed a willingness to discuss the idea.

At New College, the fight is far from over. A handful of students plan to visit Tallahassee and testify before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

“We don’t want to be part of FSU,” said Steven Keshishian, the student government president. “We want to be New College of Florida, because when we have a problem, we deal with it.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 4:50 PM with the headline "‘Get out of our house.’ New College rallies against controversial merger proposal."