FAMU Students Sue State Over Less Funding for Their 1890 HBCU
From NBC News …
A Florida judge, for now, is allowing a class-action lawsuit to go forward that accuses the state of discriminating against a historically Black university while prioritizing its largest public university, which is predominantly white.
Judge Robert L. Hinkle of the Northern District of Florida heard oral arguments Thursday in the first court test for a class-action lawsuit filed in September. He dismissed the state’s request to dismiss the suit, but did ask for revisions.
The six students at Florida A&M who filed the suit claim that the University of Florida receives a larger state appropriation per student than A&M. The complaint says that over 33 years, from 1987 to 2020, that shortfall amounted to approximately $1.3 billion, though the two schools share the distinction of being the state’s only two public land-grant colleges.
A 2022 study by Forbes found that Florida A&M (FAMU) received $2,600 less per student than the University of Florida in 2020. And the school relies more on state funding than its white counterpart, according to Forbes. Last year, The New York Times reported that FAMU’s football players, the Rattlers, must contend with poor practice equipment and overwhelmed staff spread thin while advising students.