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Applicants hoping to take over as President of Florida’s 12 state universities would be exempt from public records under a bill expected to be taken up by the full Senate this week.

Protestors lined the entry to the Senate chamber Tuesday morning hoping to convince members to vote against the measure.

Rich Templin with the Florida AFL-CIO said blocking potential candidates from the public eye could threaten the high national rankings of the state’s universities.

“If this process is hid from the public then political appointees will control the process. It will lead to cronyism, it will lead to corruption and it will really, really harm our higher education system,” said Templin.

The bill would only allow applicants information to become public 21 days before an interview would be conducted, or a final hiring decision is to be made.