UF withdrew its proposal Thursday for an undergraduate enhancement fee after the Florida Board of Governors voted against the measure Wednesday.
The fee, which would have cost undergraduates $6.76 per credit hour, was meant to supplement graduate assistant stipends.
The stipends increased 3 percent last year, but graduate assistant fees were also raised 16 percent.
Only one board member voted in favor of the undergraduate enhancement fee.
During the 2010-11 academic year, UF employed about 1,500 graduate assistants who taught one-third of undergraduate classes.
UF President Bernie Machen told UF’s Board of Trustees in December that adding the fee would be an investment in the futures of both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
So far, there’s no word on whether UF will seek another way to supplement stipends or replace the fee.
“We have no further plans at this point,” UF spokesman Steve Orlando said.
The Board of Governors also commended UF and Florida State University for leading the state in their efforts to identify and prevent hazing.
UF and FSU are currently the only schools in the State University System that provide professional staff training in hazing prevention strategies, according to information from the Board of Governors.
FSU is the only university with a dedicated anti-hazing website.
Contact Erin Jester at ejester@alligator.org.
