Budget situation dire; FSU removing landlines from professors' offices

Citing budget reasons, the English department at Florida State University is in the process of removing all phones from professors' offices, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.  Landlines will also be yanked from faculty offices in the History and Modern Languages & Linguistics departments.

"I've never seen anything like this before," English department chairman Ralph Berry told the newspaper. "It's difficult to have an office and no phone.  I think if parents of students who are coming here knew how austere the conditions are here compared to five years ago, they would be shocked."

Berry said removing the phones -- about 40 -- will save between $12,000 and $16,000 a year.  Two years ago, the department yanked 33 phones to cut costs.

Students who want to reach a professor will have to know his or her cell phone number...or maybe see if he or she has a page on Facebook.

Comments

[david]

What a joke, RAISE THE TUITION if things are that bad!!! I'm doing my best to send my child out of state for a college education. A few years from now a college education from a Florida institution will be worthless. Get out while you can!!

[JH]

This is truly one of the saddest things I've ever heard. I went to FSU for my undergrad, and speaking to some of my professors at USF for my graduate degree I *knew* their budgets were dire, but I had no idea it was this dire. I cannot, CANNOT, think that anyone can get a decent public education in Florida anymore. If I had college-bound kids right now, I'd send them out of state and forget my alma mater(s). And that makes me very sad.

[Rooney]

I wonder if Bowden will lose his landline.

[zenny]

If they try to pull Bobby Bowden's phone, FSU will spend a few million $$$ to appeal the decision.

[Johnny]

First off, stop Illegals from attending school on Tax payers money. Then close unused or underused buildings. Stop with the discounted/free tuition for the poor, stop rewarding society's losers. How a person can not work, pop out 10 kids on welfare and STILL SEND their margianlly performing kids to college because of their skin color is beyond me.

[lonewolf]

I wonder if all those professors voted for Obama ? Yes we can't . What a joke this last election turned out to be.

[Bill]

didnt they recently just drop a few $$ marketing themselves as THE Florida State University? how telling...

[Jay Kenney]

Thanks Johnny, your lack of understanding of the situation is amazing.

[John Palin]

I see the rednecks and racists are out today.

[Dilbert]

What an excellent move. I bet the landlines were being used for personal calls anyway. The savings should be passed on to ROTC.

[Shaqueefa]

THanks John,
I se the queers and homos are here like you.