Latest news with #RayRodrigues
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida universities granted the option to use student fees to pay student athletes
Florida universities now have the option of paying student athletes directly through funds generated through student fees, housing, and bookstore sales, to name a few. The change comes after a recent federal settlement cleared the path for student athletes to be compensated directly by schools. Advertisement Under the settlement, universities can spend up to $20.5 million a year on direct student athlete compensation starting July 1st, and an additional $2 million annually to backpay some former student athletes. FSU sports management professor Dr. Kris White explained that up until now, athletes could be compensated through sponsorships and other deals, but never directly by their schools. 'We're at a pivotal point,' said White. In response to the settlement, the Florida University Board of Governors approved this emergency rule, which allows universities to take up to $22.5 million from other revenue sources, like student fees, to use for student athlete pay. Advertisement 'If our Board of Governors did not take action to assist the universities in the short term, our universities would be at a competitive disadvantage,' said Chancellor of the State University System of Florida Ray Rodrigues. Rodrigues, who oversees the Board of Governors, explained that not every university will likely leverage the full $22.5 million. 'But everyone who is in a power five conference will,' said Rodrigues. Rodrigues said that includes at least FSU, UCF, and UF. It's not clear whether UNF will leverage the option, or if it could even afford to. 'You have to UNFs and other smaller schools, even like mid-major Division I schools, who likely might not be able to keep up with the rest of the people here. Keep up with the Jones' of the Florida States and things like that,' said Dr. White. Advertisement [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] UNF grad student Meredith Bischoff said she isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of her fees going directly into student athletes' bank accounts. 'I'd really like to see that money go to our programs, and like the educational programs that will help the students,' said Bischoff. But Rodrigues noted, the emergency rule includes protections to ensure universities cannot reallocate university funds to pay athletes if it negatively impacts non-athletic programs. 'And it's something our Governor has been very clear on. He wants to see our universities competitive athletically, but he also wants to ensure that our in-state students aren't facing increases in tuition and fees,' said Rodrigues. Advertisement Universities have until June 30th, 2028, to leverage the new option before the emergency rule expires. Then, they will have to figure out other ways to come up with the money to pay student athletes. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
CBS News
16-05-2025
- CBS News
FSU shooting prompts security review of Florida campuses, safety summit, officials say
After a mass shooting in April at Florida State University that left two people dead, officials plan to evaluate building security on campuses across Florida and hold a "safety summit" in October, university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said Thursday. Lockdown drills and security assessments planned Rodrigues told the State University System's Board of Governors that campus leaders will assess building security and the ability to conduct what he called a "lockdown drill." He said the goal is to complete assessments by the end of the summer to allow time for any related budget requests during the 2026 legislative session. "Specifically, we want to know if the doors can be locked from the inside, and if there are windows in the doors, can those be covered or protected?" Rodrigues said. October summit to focus on best practices The October summit will give universities an opportunity to share best practices and review the results of their safety assessments. "The goal there would be to identify what we can do to improve across each of our university campuses, as well as identify common concerns so that we will know if we want to make any policy requests of the Legislature for the 2026 session," Rodrigues said. The April 2025 FSU shooting Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student, faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the April 17 mid-day shooting that killed FSU dining coordinator Robert Morales and Aramark Collegiate Hospitality employee Tiru Chabba. Five students were also wounded. Ikner, who was shot by police during the incident, was released Monday from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and is now being held in the Wakulla County Jail. FSU campus police response praised Rodrigues praised FSU police officers for their swift response to the shooting and confirmed that all five wounded students have been released from the hospital. "I feel confident in saying the response of the FSU campus police in this situation was nothing short of amazing, and this could have been a much, much worse tragedy than it was," he said. "Obviously, tragic to have students shot and to have any loss of life. But the quick response of the FSU campus police prevented this from being much, much, much worse." Past lessons from Parkland massacre inform current efforts While it is too early to know what the new security assessments will reveal, Rodrigues noted that Florida has taken significant steps to improve school security since the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which left 17 people dead and 17 others injured. In the aftermath, lawmakers and then-Gov. Rick Scott enacted a package of school safety measures, and the Legislature has revisited the issue multiple times in subsequent years. The state also created the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to study school safety and make recommendations.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
After FSU shooting, Florida universities to assess campus security, lockdown drills
The state panel that oversees Florida's public universities is asking them to review their security measures this summer in response to the mass shooting that happened on the Florida State University campus in April. While on lockdown during the shooting, many FSU students and teachers said they attempted to secure the doors to their classrooms but could not lock them from the inside. At a Florida Board of Governors meeting on May 15, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said presidents of each state university were asked to work with their staff to assess campus safety and the ability to hold a lockdown drill. Specifically, the questions to be addressed are: Can classroom doors be locked from the inside? And, if there are windows in those doors, can they be covered or otherwise protected? The universities will share their best practices at a safety summit to be held in October, Rodrigues said, to identify any common concerns or improvements needed. He praised FSU police for their swift response and called it "nothing short of amazing." "This could have been a much, much worse tragedy than it was. It's obviously tragic to have students shot and to have any loss of life, but the quick response of the FSU campus police prevented this from being much, much, much worse than it could have been," Rodrigues said. A grand jury indicted Phoenix Ikner, 20, with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, which includes two people he allegedly fired at but missed during the April 17 rampage on FSU campus. Ikner, who was "neutralized" three minutes and three seconds into his attack by FSU police, was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department and booked into the Wakulla County Detention Facility; his stepmother is a Leon County sheriff's deputy. An FSU spokesperson has said that classroom doors in the HCB building, near the student union where two were killed, did automatically lock, but from the outside. 'During a lockdown situation, like on April 17, doors in the HCB Building lock immediately as they are part of our electronic locking system that is centrally managed,' FSU spokesperson Amy Farnum-Patronis told CNN. Robert Morales, 57, an FSU dining coordinator, and Tiru Chabba, 45, an executive from Aramark, were shot and killed, and five other students were shot and injured. Those victims were discharged from the hospital five days later, Rodrigues said. FSU-affiliated colleagues of the board did not attend the meeting May 15 because they were in another board meeting, said BOG chair Brian Lamb. He asked the board to continue to support FSU President Richard McCullough and the university community. "It's important," Lamb said. "Our friends, in many ways, are still grieving, and we need to be supportive of them through difficult times." Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: After FSU shooting, Florida universities to look at campus security
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State University System surpasses the national average on Nursing Licensure Exam
The State University System of Florida (SUS) announced the success of its nursing programs on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Since 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have invested $138 million to expand and enhance nursing programs. The main programs affected include the SUS through Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) and Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) funds. 'The nursing programs within the SUS have maintained a standard of excellence by ensuring graduates excel on the nursing exam and are prepared to provide quality healthcare to Floridians,' said Chancellor Ray Rodrigues. 'Continued investments in nursing through LINE and PIPELINE will ensure our state remains a top producer of highly skilled nurses.' The nine Florida universities that are above the national benchmark of a 92% passage rate include: Florida Gulf Coast University - 100% University of West Florida - 98% University of Florida - 98% University of South Florida - 97% University of Central Florida - 96% Florida Atlantic University - 94% University of North Florida - 94% Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University - 93% Florida International University - 93% 'Thanks to the ongoing investment from Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature and the dedication of university leadership and faculty, the nursing programs at our public universities consistently deliver impressive results, with notable improvements in passage rates, increased capacity, and a record number of nursing graduates. These achievements are reversing the critical need for nurses across the state,' said Brian Lamb, Chair of the Florida Board of Governors. [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.
