Cuts send USF classes to mall

Officials rent movie theaters to hold classes made crowded by the reduction of state money.

By BABITA PERSAUD
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 7, 2001

TAMPA -- The University of South Florida will soon be holding some classes inside nearby movie theaters -- a consequence, officials said Thursday, of the state's deep and painful budget cuts.

USF president Judy Genshaft told her board of trustees the university has no choice.

The Legislature's decision to cut $20-million from USF's budget will force officials to eliminate a number of course sections, she said. That will increase the number of students in the classes that remain.

But the university doesn't have large enough lecture halls to accommodate them, Genshaft said.

Hence, the move to University 16, the theaters at University Mall.

The change of scenery shouldn't be bad for students, Genshaft said.

"There will be a large screen, tiered seating and cup holders," she said.

And it is good news for the mall.

"After class, students can eat in our food court or go shopping or stick around for a movie," said Thomas Locke, University Mall general manger.

Locke wouldn't disclose what the university is paying to rent the theaters but said it is in the tens of thousands of dollars per semester. That will pay for lighting, heat and other basics, he said.

The mall doesn't usually rent out theater space but made an exception when USF officials approached it.

Classes will debut at the mall starting next semester, which begins Jan. 7. They will be held in the daytime, 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Four lower-level theaters, with 1,000 seats, will be blocked off for the students.

A shuttle bus will take students to and from campus. Lighting is being upgraded to accommodate classroom needs, and portable desktops will be provided, Genshaft said.

Parking will certainly be easier to find at the mall than on campus, Genshaft noted. And all the spaces will be free.

But at a time when the university is trying to build its academic reputation, actions like this can't help, Genshaft said.

"It is a trial for us," she said.

University officials don't know yet how many classes will be held at University 16. Officials hope to start small, but the number almost certainly will be in the dozens by fall semester, said USF spokesman Michael Reich.

Other universities around the nation also have used movie theaters as classrooms, including the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Genshaft said the move was the only way to avoid an across-the-board budget cut, which she said only "brings down an institution."

While USF cuts are in line with those meted out to other Florida universities, "it is a large and deep cut," Genshaft said.

Adjunct professors will be among those who feel the pain.

Many are retired teachers or professionals who are hired each semester to teach one particular course. Their pay varies, but rarely exceeds more than $3,000.

Deans and department heads at USF have been told to review their course lists to see what classes can be clipped. The adjuncts who teach those courses will not be hired back in the fall, Reich said.

Adjunct professors add a lot to USF, said Genshaft, who said their loss will cause a "culture shift."

But the situation could get even worse.

If Florida's economy doesn't improve soon, state lawmakers will be forced into another round of budget cuts. That will require the university to look for even more "creative" ways of scaling back, Reich said.

"We'll have to be innovative," he said. "We won't have enough money not to be."

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