‘They're going after everything:' UNF faculty express concerns over DOGE funding targets
New documents have been released detailing Florida DOGE's efforts to audit spending at the University of North Florida, and UNF's response to those inquiries.
'We were to submit years of research, six years of resource publications, grants, awards, etc.,' explained Madeline Atenasi, UNF's United Faculty of Florida president on Monday.
UNF President Dr. Moaz Limayem recently told Action News Jax the university has readily complied with those inquiries.
'If there is a room for us to be even more efficient, more effective, we are not afraid of that,' Limayem told Action News Jax Emily Turner in a sit-down interview. 'And again, we have been very transparent for every request we receive from DOGE.'
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
However, officials from the UNF United Faculty of Florida branch expressed concerns to Action News Jax about the possible motivations behind the state's efforts.
'They're going after everything that's DEI, after everything they consider wasteful or ineffective, and it just feels like it's a continuous attempt from the state to defund education,' Atenasi expressed.
Christopher Trice – the vice president for UNF's United Faculty of Florida branch, and a current professor at UNF – pointed to concerns particularly about the request for research funding, as well as requests for any university publications covering that research.
'When the government gets involved in defining what is valid research and what can and cannot be researched, well, there's room for … well, frankly, there's room for personal opinion to start driving those kinds of decisions rather than the legitimate pursuit of knowledge,' argued Trice.
Action News Jax also reached out to the university system's board of governors for an interview or statement on these efforts, but have yet to hear back.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Mayor of Green Cove Springs suddenly resigns, successor to be appointed Tuesday night
Green Cove Springs is getting a new mayor. The city announced Tuesday that Mayor and City Councilmember Thomas Smith had resigned, effective immediately. In the announcement, the city said Smith's 'evolving work-related obligations have made it no longer possible for him to continue fulfilling the duties of public office," referring to his outside work. In his communication to the city manager, GCS said Mayor Smith expressed his gratitude for the time he was able to serve his neighbors, calling it an 'incredible honor.' Smith was first elected to the Council in April 2022. City Council will choose a new mayor and vice mayor during its regularly scheduled City Council meeting at 6 P.M. tonight. The position of vice mayor is currently held by Councilmember Edward Gaw. A special election will also be held in the future to fill the newly vacated City Council seat. Details on the election for Seat 4 are expected in the near future. 'The City thanks Thomas Smith for his dedication and service to Green Cove Springs and wishes him well in his future endeavors.' >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Security ramps up ahead of nationwide ‘No Kings' protests
On Saturday, nearly 2000 'No Kings' protests are set to take place across the country. These protests are part of a national grassroots movement opposing President Donald Trump's policies. 'We're protesting because there are no kings in America. Not then, not now, not ever,' said Katie Chorbak, leader of 50501 Veterans. The protests are on the same day as the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, Flag Day, and President Trump's 79th birthday. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< This also follows a week of violence in Los Angeles as demonstrators protest President Trump's immigration policies. Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stopped in Jacksonville and gave a stark warning to Florida protestors. 'Do not even try to shut down the streets,' said the Governor. 'We're going to make sure that you don't do that.' The protests are being spearheaded by several grassroots movements such as 50501. Jess Boaz is a local 50501 Northeast Florida organizer. She said they are expecting nearly 1000 people to participate in the protest at the Duval County Courthouse and have hired Marshals to keep protestors safe. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]to 'Their job is to stand in between the protesters and the people that are inciting violence and to try to calm them down, take them away from the situation, talk with them,' said Boaz. In St. Johns County, a smaller 'No Kings' protest is scheduled to be at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Racetrack Road. Ray Kenny is one of the co-organizers for this protest. He said they are expecting around 250 people, and this particular protest is designed to be what he calls a sign wave 'We won't be chanting or singing, but we're trying to spread out strategically, so that this intersection, being a very busy one, people spend a lot of time sitting at a red light. And while they're sitting at that red light, we want them to be able to glance over and actually be able to read out signs and hear our messaging,' said Kenny. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] I asked Kenny if they had any security measures in place in case things were to get out of hand. 'We don't anticipate any problems at all,' he said. We reached out to the Duval GOP for their response to the protests and have not heard back. We have also reached out to several local law enforcement agencies about their preparations ahead of the No Kings protest. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Jacksonville City Councilman proposing changes to Neighborhood Bill of Rights
In a statement, City of Jacksonville Councilman Rahman Johnson said his plan to codify the city's Neighborhood Bill of Rights will give residents a structured seat at the table before decisions are made. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< He said that with the law the way it is, the city fell short of Brentwood residents by leaving them out of the decision to build a morgue in their neighborhood. Action News Jax has been reporting on the medical examiner's office and forensics laboratory that is being built in the Brentwood neighborhood for years. Read: 'Find another place:' Brentwood community protests morgue being built next to school Neighbors have complained that they were not properly notified about the city's building plan. People such as Katrina Spencer, who lives in Brentwood, said the change to the law is coming too late, though. 'The law will be good, but it's not going to benefit us because it's already being in effect,' she shares. Read: Brentwood residents suing City of Jacksonville for building morgue in their neighborhood Councilman Johnson tells Action News Jax while the current law provides no legal remedy for Brentwood residents, his proposed changes to the bill would do some things like: Require early notice to neighborhoods for zoning and development Ensure residents have a voice before decisions are made. Use CPAC'S, or Citizen Planning Advisory Committee's, as official community mediators. On Monday, June 9th, the councilman held the first of the meetings to introduce the legislation to community groups. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Councilman Johnson said he plans to meet with more community groups to discuss the legislation before bringing it before the council for codification. The councilman said he plans to have a final draft ready to present before his peers as late as the fall. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
