Nearly 9,000 call on FSU to cancel Koch deal

Below, please find a message from Progress Florida's Executive Director, Mark Ferrulo, sent this morning to:

• Florida State University President, Eric J. Barron
• Faculty Senate President, Sandra Lewis
• Vice Chair Faculty Senate Steering Committee, Susan Fiorito
• Past President and current member of the faculty review committee, Sandy D'Alemberte

If you would like a copy of the actual petition signatures or to arrange an interview, please let me know.

Damien Filer
850-212-1858

Dear President Barron:
 
According to this June 2nd news report, Florida State University has committed to "reviewing the university's unusual contract with a famously conservative donor" [Koch Foundation] and reporting on its findings by the end of July. 
 
Tomorrow, will be the midpoint of July and we thought you and the review committee should know that thousands of Floridians have signed a petition (attached) calling on the university to uphold the principle of, and avoid even the appearance of divergence from, academic freedom at FSU. 

Progress Florida and these petitioners are respectfully asking you to rescind FSU's controversial and harmful precedent setting contract with the Koch Foundation.
 
We're confident that you will strongly consider the concerns of these 8,841 Floridians who've signed the attached petition, 1,382 of whom are faculty, alumni, students, donors and other immediate members of the FSU family.
 
Respectfully,
 
Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director
Progress Florida

cc: Sandra Lewis, Faculty Senate President
Susan Fiorito, Vice Chair Faculty Senate Steering Committee
Sandy D'Alemberte, Past FSU President, member of faculty review committee

Petition To FSU President Eric Barron

President Barron:

We, the undersigned, call on you to cancel the pay-to-play contract Florida State University signed with Charles Koch's foundation that has brought shame and controversy to one of Florida's proudest institutions. To sell off the hiring decisions of the university's economics department to a radical ideologue is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

As Floridians, we understand the impact of the legislature's devastating cuts to public education and we will be there with you to fight arm-in-arm against those cuts. But allowing one of Florida's most prestigious academic institutions to be bought off and used as an incubator for extremist propaganda is not the solution.

This public university is ours, President Barron, not Charles Koch's. And we will fight for it.

Sincerely, the below signed