{"id":5375,"date":"2025-06-10T12:24:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T16:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/?page_id=5375"},"modified":"2025-06-10T12:27:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T16:27:47","slug":"public-comments-given-at-bot-meeting-on-june-2nd-2025","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/public-comments-given-at-bot-meeting-on-june-2nd-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Comments Given at BOT Meeting on\u00a0June 2nd, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Public Comment by Noemy D\u00edaz-Burgos, FIU Alumna <\/strong><\/p>\n

Good morning!<\/p>\n

My name is Noemy D\u00edaz-Burgos, and I am a proud 2-time alumna of FIU.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve actually presented in front of the Board during my internship at FIU inDC so it\u2019s nice to see some familiar faces.<\/p>\n

I am here today to express deep concern about the remarks made by the presidential candidate during a recent community forum, specifically, the claim that \u201cdiversity is divisive.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I came to FIU, it was after a difficult and isolating first year at another Florida university. In many of my classes, I was the only Latina, the only first-gen student, and at times the only person of color in the room.<\/p>\n

Although college was my dream, I felt out of place, and I found myself without a community. That year taught me how to code-switch, but it also took a toll on my mental health and my lifelong straight A\u2019s grades quickly dropped.<\/p>\n

So, I left, and I moved back home to obtain my AA. When the time came to transfer, I chose FIU\u2014a school I had heard about my entire life growing up in Miami.<\/p>\n

From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew I was home.<\/p>\n

Not only did I see myself reflected in the students, faculty, and staff, but I was surrounded by people from countless nationalities, religions, abilities, and YES! diverse perspectives.<\/p>\n

Being in a space like that didn\u2019t just help me succeed. It helped shape who I am. IN FACT, I\u2019d go so far as to say that being in a diverse space like FIU saved my life.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not just my experience; it is shared by many here today AND it\u2019s a reality backed by institutions far more rigid than higher education.<\/p>\n

See, I come from a military family, and I grew up hearing how crucial it is to work alongside people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

Historically, even the U.S. military – long known for its emphasis on discipline, cohesion, and strength – has recognized that investing in diversity makes our forces stronger.<\/p>\n

WHY? Because they know that diverse teams perform better. That representation isn\u2019t a distraction from the mission\u2014it is the mission. It saves lives, improves strategy, and reflects the country it serves.<\/p>\n

If diversity strengthens our armed forces and secures our nation, why is it seen as a weakness in a public university?<\/p>\n

FIU deserves leadership that understands this.<\/p>\n

So, my question is, how can someone who calls diversity \u201cdivisive\u201d be trusted to lead one of the most diverse institutions in the country?<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

\n

Public Comment by Matthew Marr, Associate Professor of Sociology<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you for the opportunity to be a member of the FIU community.<\/p>\n

Personally, Congratulations President Nunez.<\/p>\n

But I must express my concerns as a faculty member. My experiences at FIU have changed in recent years because of interventions by the state government embraced by the BOT.<\/p>\n

It started with Stop Woke (which was blocked in the courts), then laws undermining our ability to organize, SB 266 which gutted our curriculum, lavish funding for the Adam Smith Center but my college can\u2019t afford to recruit and retain faculty and the library is broke, the introduction of PTR when there are annual reviews in place, the sudden removal of Jessel and appointment of Nunez, the agreement with ICE without community input or cost-benefit analysis, the embrace of DOGE, and we wonder what is next.<\/p>\n

We have been forced to go through time consuming meetings, task forces, and review committees for compliance. Our views have not been adequately considered. Shared governance and academic freedom are being undermined. This has diminished morale among faculty and conscribed the kind of education and research that we can do. It has made it harder to recruit and retain faculty. I think we\u2019ve thrived and risen in rankings despite, not because of, these state interventions.<\/p>\n

Thank you for letting me express my perspective to you.<\/p>\n

Good luck with your meeting and have a wonderful day.<\/p>\n

\n

Public Comment by Thomas Breslin, Professor of Politics and International Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good morning, University Trustees,<\/p>\n

My name is Thomas A. Breslin. I am a full professor of Politics and International Relations in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. I am a historian by training.<\/p>\n

I have been at FIU during every presidential transition in its history. As an administrator, I headed research for nearly 22 years and led it to Research 1 status in 2000. As a University Trustee for 4 years, I participated in the choice of Mark Rosenberg as President.<\/p>\n

In stark contrast to today\u2019s national and Florida state politics, in his first annual message to Congress George Washington wrote, \u201c[T]here is nothing which can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite chronic underfunding by Tallahassee, FIU\u2019s rise in national rankings has been spectacular. FIU is not only a ladder of success for 55,000 students but it has a multi-billion-dollar impact on our local economy. If it is to continue growing and reach its goal of being a top 30 public university by 2030, this excellent institution with its excellent administration, faculty, and staff needs your wholehearted and active support.<\/p>\n

Thank you.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Public Comment by Tania Cepero Lopez, UFF-FIU President, Associate Teaching Professor of English\/Writing & Rhetoric<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good morning Chair Tovar, Trustees,<\/p>\n

My name is Tania Cepero Lopez. I\u2019m the President of the United Faculty of Florida – FIU chapter which represents over 1,300 of our full-time professors.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m here to share faculty concerns about Interim President Nu\u00f1ez\u2019s candidacy and I want to do this through what we see as the defining issue of her interim presidency: the ICE 287 (g) agreement.<\/p>\n

Interim President Nu\u00f1ez did not consult with our faculty before giving her blessing to this agreement.\u00a0 Shared governance, an important FIU tradition ensures that both faculty and students feel safe and maintain trust in our learning environment, thus faculty should have been consulted before entering into this agreement. We only learned of it when The Miami Herald broke the news.<\/p>\n

Interim President Nu\u00f1ez gave her blessing to this agreement without having all the facts. While we understand our State Governor is encouraging campuses to enter into ICE agreements, they are voluntary and historically proven to be harmful to the communities they claim to protect.<\/p>\n

We worry that this may be the first of many instances where policies that further a political agenda will be implemented without due diligence, over our community\u2019s objections, and at the expense of the wellbeing and safety of our students.<\/p>\n

Based on her interim presidency, how can we be sure that, as president, Mrs. Nu\u00f1ez will put our community first? What is the response to our faculty\u2019s concerns about unilateral decision-making and lack of transparency?<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Public Comment by Noemy D\u00edaz-Burgos, FIU Alumna Good morning! My name is Noemy D\u00edaz-Burgos, and I am a proud 2-time alumna of FIU. I\u2019ve actually presented in front of the Board during my internship at FIU inDC so it\u2019s nice to see some familiar faces. I am here today to express deep concern about the remarks made by the presidential candidate during a recent community forum, specifically, the claim that \u201cdiversity is divisive.\u201d When I\u2026 Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5375","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5375"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5378,"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5375\/revisions\/5378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uff-fiu.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}