It's not often that meetings designed to address college budget cuts have audience members feeling more like they're in the middle of a teen musical.
"We have a really different approach to budget cuts here," joked Dr. Jackson Sasser, the president of Santa Fe College, after students from the Fine Arts Department performed a rendition of "We're All in This Together" from the movie "High School Musical" on Thursday afternoon.
A standing ovation was received for the high-energy routine. It was performed by about 60 students in front of a packed gymnasium.
"I wanted you to see that because, as bad as the budget is, we have joy here," Sasser said. "And we're not going to let what we're facing take that joy away."
Although the Florida Legislature is still in session and tuition costs for the coming year have not been finalized, he estimates the college will be out about $500,000, even with a conservative budget.
In order to compensate for the money the school needs, Sasser urged faculty and staff to help the college by reducing health insurance costs. This could mean simple changes, such as buying generic rather than brand-name drugs and going in for routine health screenings in order to prevent problems before they arise.
According to Lawrence Keen, assistant to the president, students may be slightly inconvenienced because of the cutbacks.
Because a staff of about 850 has been consolidated to 800, students may notice slight changes, such as having to wait an extra day to see an adviser, Keen said.
No money will be cut from the college's Student Life budget, a fund which is established by taking 10 percent of the cost per credit hour that each student is enrolled in. From a credit hour fee of $59.80, $5.98 goes toward campus activities and services such as student government.
"If we have done our job, the students will experience minimal impact," Sasser said, in an interview held after the meeting.
Despite cutbacks, the college appears to be making strides in the positive direction.
The president announced that an Articulation Agreement has been reached by SFC and UF's business college, a plan that would guarantee business students from SFC entrance into UF if they meet the requirements. Students would then be eligible to take online classes for a business degree at UF and even pick up a minor if they choose.
There is no cap for the number of students in online classes, and students would still get all of the benefits, such as going to football games, that students who physically attend class receive.
A transportation bill was also discussed, one whose fate will be decided in the coming weeks by the Legislature. If the bill passes, a new route will be added to the existing two, one which runs from the Oaks Mall to the northwest campus.
Student Body President Cesar Fernandez, who has been lobbying for the bill that is more than 9 years old, said the frequency will also be improved, with buses coming three times per hour.
President Sasser remained positive as he summarized the meeting by urging everyone to look for ways to find additional savings.
"We'll get through this," he said.
