Forcing a name change on FSCJ is a bad idea

Times-Union Editorial

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2015-04-10/story/forcing-name-change-fscj-bad-idea

By Times-Union Editorial

You can put bad ideas into three general categories.

• Bad ideas that are intended to fix problems that don’t exist.
• Bad ideas that are intended to fix problems that don’t exist — and would also cause more headaches than they’d supposedly solve.
• Bad ideas that are intended to fix problems that don’t exist, cause more headaches than they’d supposedly solve — and actually end up becoming laws that must be followed.

By that standard, a bill proposed by state Sen. Joe Negron — one that would require Florida State College at Jacksonville and 16 other Florida community colleges to remove the word “state” from their names — could be a frontrunner to win “Worst Idea for a Bill by a Florida Lawmaker During 2015.”

That may be a bit harsh because Negron, a Republican lawmaker from Stuart, is usually among the Florida Legislature’s most thoughtful members.

But there’s clearly a better idea that’s available and it should be embraced.

It calls for the lawmaker to drop this proposed legislation and end this needless effort to force FSCJ and other community colleges drop “state” from their names.

NO URGENT NEED FOR IT
What’s particularly headscratching about Negron’s proposed Senate Bill 1252 — which has incredibly won approval in the Senate’s Higher Education Committee but still needs support from two other committees — is that it aims to remedy a problem that’s hardly crying out for urgent action.

If it is a “problem” at all.

Negron contends that FSCJ and other community colleges with “state” in their names are actually schools that serve various, specific regions of Florida.

It’s not truly accurate then, Negron suggests, for those community colleges to have official names that suggest they have statewide reach.

But that overlooks the fact that those community colleges, including FSCJ, are helping to educate and improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Floridians — citizens from all across this state — regardless of where they’re located.

If that doesn’t represent having a statewide impact, what does?

And would the reality of that impact suddenly change by forcing Florida community colleges to omit “state” from their names?

HUGE COMPLICATIONS
That is what makes Negron’s bill puzzling.

Here’s what makes it troubling: It’s almost sure to produce more complications than it professes to eliminate.

It would cause confusion. Just six years ago FSCJ changed its name from Florida Community College at Jacksonville to satisfy a membership requirement of the Florida College System.

It would be too expensive.

It’s estimated that FSCJ would have to spend $1 million to drop “state” from its official identity.

That’s $1 million that FSCJ would be forced to spend to erase the word “state” from stationery and take it down from campus buildings.

That’s $1 million that FSCJ wouldn’t have available to beef up academic programs and expand other resources at its campuses.

That’s $1 million that FSCJ couldn’t use to help more Northeast Floridians achieve educational goals they might otherwise never attain.

That’s $1 million that wouldn’t be available for raises.

It’s ludicrous to simply prevent community colleges in Florida from having the privilege of including “state” in their official names.

Senate Bill 1252 currently remains just a bad idea because it hasn’t yet become law.

It’s time to drop this bad idea before it wins the legislative Oscar for worst legislation of the year.

This bad idea deserves to go in the trash can.

READERS SPEAK OUT

Legislators propose nonsense to get attention. Similarly, legislators object for the same reason. FSCJ is clear and precise. Let’s stay with it.

John D. Tinny, Ponte Vedra Beach
I graduated from it as a junior college. Then it became a community college and then a state college. I have yet to figure out the last name change because it does serve the Jacksonville community.

I opt for no more changes. Spend the money saved on grants for worthy community causes.

Amber Mayes, Arlington
I do think the name should be changed. It is too easily confused with Florida State University.

Joanne Ragans, Atlantic Beach,
Our community college already has an identity problem due to multiple name changes.
Let’s follow the example of the artist Prince. Choose a pictorial symbol for our infamous state of Florida and drop the name completely. How about palm trees? St. Johns River? Beaches? Hanging chads?

Lucy G. Cortese, Jacksonville
Yes, I do think the name should change. It would give the college a new start. The new name could be one that identifies with Jacksonville or the First Coast.
I suggest staying away from names that identify with a particular group or person as that becomes too controversial. Having had experience naming a school, I strongly suggest a committee comprised of representatives from the school and the community with emphasis on the administrators of the school and their new vision.

Barbara Langley, Jacksonville
This institution is still called FCCJ by many long-time residents.
I suggest First Coast Community College.

Joe Howell, Jacksonville