URGENT Update: We need people this week to ask the UF Board of Trustees to vote NO on (or at least postpone) spending $10 million to demolish historic Maguire Village and UVS!

After years of saying there is no funding for the demolition and that alternatives will be considered before it happens, UF appears to be on the brink of a devastating decision, as the Board of Trustees has on their agenda this Thursday/Friday three "small" line items (on page 24) which pave the way for immediate demolition of the 27 acres of Maguire Village and UVS.  This easy-to-overlook financial note and lack of other details obscures what is actually happening.  No physical maps or plans of what will be saved vs. demolished are available with this agenda, nor is it clear from where they are getting this funding windfall, as the whole project has been very secretive so that there would be little chance at public outcry.

But you can change that, and let UF know that this is WRONG!  There is not much time to act, but we are asking supporters to do three things:

1. Write to the UF Board of Trustees (at ufbot@ufl.edu) as soon as possible (but at least before Friday) and ask them NOT to approve spending $10 million to demolish Maguire Village and UVS, but more importantly, to POSTPONE starting any demolition work until at least next summer (2025) to allow for alternatives to be considered with more public input.
2. If you are willing to speak during Public Comment, which takes place this Friday (12/13/24) at 11:00 a.m., you need to contact the UF Board of Trustees (at ufbot@ufl.edu) BEFORE TOMORROW (Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.), and include your name and the item you wish to speak on (which is Item FCI1: Construction Projects Budget Amendments).  The meeting location is President’s Room 215B, Emerson Alumni Hall, and showing up in solidarity without speaking is also helpful.
3. Spread the word to others!  Because even if we don't get the vote this week, we can still put public pressure on finding alternatives over the coming weeks and months to revisit and reverse the decision.

Again, it is entirely reasonable to ask for a delay in permanent destruction of a historic site which will impact a large part of campus for decades to come.  But if you are looking for other points to add to your public comments, please consider the following.

Reasons to Oppose:

1. The Student Body opposes the demolition, as they have already passed two unanimous Resolutions (one in 2021 and one in 2023), and are currently drafting a third that is slated to come out in the Spring.  It would be premature to destroy these places before these student voices are heard, especially if they have repeatedly said that this plan is not what they want. 
2. The original Campus Master Plan studies on whether to rezone this area and keep these buildings were full of inaccurate assumptions and now-outdated data; so a new study should be done considering the changes in the local Housing Market, the cost of rebuilding vs. renovating, and other factors that may make simple renovation the best decision today.
3. The UF Community was promised that NO demolition would take place without first doing studies and evaluating alternatives, involving graduate students and other stakeholders, and completing a comprehensive assessment.  None of those have happened, especially since the only plan to acquire a new off-campus facility has fallen through recently, leaving the only option to keep/renovate Maguire Village and UVS.
4. If UF can find $10 million in tax-payer money to destroy these buildings, why can't they find just a little bit more to renovate them?  They already have the roughly $250,000 per building for demolition, so how much more would complete renovation cost, at least for the buildings in good condition?  It is worth asking.
5. For the vast majority of the 27 acres, there is no better use of the space, and no plan to build anything the students want.  If they plan to make the majority recreational fields and parking lot, as planning documents show, then most of the trees will be taken down too.  Is having fields of sod that nobody asked for better than having a thriving community and affordable, on-campus housing?
6. Even if some buildings "need" partial demolition, it is disrespectful to the thousands of alumni who have lived there that these places are not honored first through a celebration of the community and history.  Before any such permanent removal, UF should invite alumni and current members to visit this wonderful place, and arrange for plaques and mementos (like bricks) be preserved to rebuild whatever comes next without losing touch with the past.
7. Even if they go through with demolition, these buildings could be used for student projects beforehand, such as art murals, interior design spaces, and experimental architecture techniques.  It is important to repurpose our resources whenever possible, instead of throwing everything into the trash heap, as appears to be UF's current plan.
8. How is UF following its own Core Values of Community, Innovation, and Inclusion by destroying a thriving apartment community, not using its expertise to find creative solutions and alternatives, and excluding the very people affected from decision making?

Thank you for reading, and please let us know at SaveUFGradHousing@gmail.com if you do provide comments to UF, hear any response, or plan to show up on Friday.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out with questions.