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State Senate budget writers spent more than an hour discussing potential cuts to Florida’s Universities this morning, arguing that between reserve accounts and tuition increases, schools would come close to breaking even. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, USF students in the audience say the math doesn’t add up.

Some 50 Students left the USF campus at 3:30 Wednesday morning to come to the Capitol. A dozen or so sat in the front row of the budget hearing, staring down lawmakers.

“I know there’s been great concern about, Oh, it’s not being done fairly,” Sen. Evelyn Lynn (R-Ormond Beach) said.

Key lawmakers tried to explain the cuts weren’t real. Yes, universities would lose 400 million, but after a tuition increase and taking money from reserve accounts, the cuts would be a wash.

“Your proposal does not reduce by one dollar the operating funds,” Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) said.

Students say the math is fuzzy and one more tuition hike would hurt.

“I would not be able to go to school,” education major Sara Garcia said. “I would not be able to be a teacher. I would be stuck with an Associate’s Degree.”

“This is something that we’re going to feel five years down the line,” USF Sophomore Muhammad Shakir said. “Our institution is going to raise tuition, teachers are going to lose jobs.”

Two of Tampa’s senators on the panel questioned the fairness, saying USF was being singled out.

“You don’t bargain futures like this, even in this appropriations process,” Sen. Jim Norman (R-Tampa) said.

House leaders have already made it clear they are not going to let major cuts to the universities stand.

And the two key budget writers offered this bit of hope:

“If there’s a fairer way to do it, we can sure talk about it,” Senate budget chairman J.D. Alexander (R-Polk County) said.

But the students aren’t buying any of it, questioning who would want to teach or even enroll at USF under such a dark cloud.