State: Register now or miss out, FSU tells freshmen

Thousands of students already accepted to FSU next year are being told that they will lose their spots if they do not register in the next three weeks.

Almost 5,000 students were sent letters and e-mails encouraging them to register for freshman orientation by May 15 or have their acceptance canceled.

"We've run out of time with the budget and things don't look a lot better," said FSU president T.K. Wetherell, a former House speaker. "Sooner or later, we have to bite the bullet."

In Florida, students accepted to public universities often wait until the last minute to register or just show up unannounced because they are not required to pay a deposit.

FSU, facing a $12-million budget cut next year and no money for student enrollment growth, wants a slightly smaller freshman class next year.

That's unheard of in Florida, where the public universities have long had more students than they can accommodate and face record enrollments each year. About 260,000 students attend the state's 11 universities.

School officials attribute the growth to Bright Futures, the popular scholarships that are paying some or all of the tuition this year for 76,000 students at Florida universities. This year, the economic downturn has further flooded Florida universities as some people choose to avoid the job market.

FSU admitted about 10,000 freshmen for the summer and fall. About 5,300 have accepted but 4,700 are either undecided or simply have not done the paperwork yet.

Stephanie Renfrow, a St. Petersburg High School senior, already registered to attend FSU in the fall but knows classmates who still have to decide what school to attend. "The pressure is on," she said.

Some students, perhaps hundreds of them, must decide whether to attend FSU without knowing whether they were accepted at other schools.

Officials at other state universities, also anticipating millions of dollars of budget cuts next year, draw the line at breaking their promise to accepted students.

"I understand the rationale for it but with regard to the kids, we've made our admissions and we're going to stick with it," University of Florida provost David Colburn said. "Our feeling is we can't go out and cancel their admission."

UF wants to remain steady at 6,500 freshmen next year. But other schools, including the University of South Florida, still anticipate growth.

"Our plan is to meet as much of the demand as possible," said Dan Holsenbeck, University of Central Florida vice president.

The state universities are facing up to $84-million in budget cuts, a reduction in money for scholarships and no money for enrollment growth. The Legislature hopes to pass a budget by the close of its session May 2.

FSU also announced Wednesday that it will lay off about 50 people and not fill another 50 jobs, primarily in arts programs.

"Students are concerned about the cuts," FSU student body president Patrick Sullivan said. "But I don't really see any other options or solutions."

USF's Health Sciences Center and University of North Florida in Jacksonville ordered hiring freezes in January soon after word spread about the cuts.

Other schools are trying to decide what to dump. On the table: canceling summer school, enrollment caps and fewer degrees.

"I am worried," said Terra Dunham, a St. Petersburg High School senior attending FSU next year, "but I am taking it in stride."

The cuts would come on top of a $167.5-million drop this year, and a total of $450-million in reductions over the past 12 years. After factoring in inflation, the amount of state money allocated for each university student has dropped 15 percent in four years.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk