To find signs of the failing economy, you don't have to look much further than the current budget crisis at UF.
As courses are cut and professors lose their jobs, the Editorial Board wants to ensure situations like the one surrounding Andrea Pham don't become commonplace.
Pham, a Vietnamese language and linguistics assistant professor, is challenging the decision by the university to relieve her from her duties at UF.
Her argument stems from the fact that language in her contract dictates that faculty members with the least seniority should be the first to lose their positions.
As a linguistics professor in addition to Vietnamese instructor, Pham suggests she could have taught other classes that are still being offered at UF.
Contending the layoff violates the terms of her union contract. Pham had an arbitration hearing on Friday with hopes of reversing her fate.
While the Editorial Board understands the process of laying off professors and eliminating classes is certainly not an easy one, we would hope Pham did not unfairly lose her job.
With seven years at the university, Pham clearly has made a positive impact at the university and seemingly was on the right path toward receiving tenure.
We can't help but question why did Pham suffer such a fate when there were eight other individuals in her department with less experience than her?
