Back on April 8, Rufus won the race to serve out the
remainder of the term of former Chairman Chuck Badger. Badger left the Board of
Trustees on March 27, 2015 when Gov. Rick Scott replaced him with new Trustee
Robert Woody.
Badger had been a supporter of FAMU President Elmira Mangum.
The election of Rufus, Mangum’s biggest critic, showed that the tide was changing on the Board of Trustees. Torey Alston, Lucas Boyce, Bettye Grable, Tonnette Graham, Kelvin Lawson, Spurgeon McWilliams, Kimberly Moore, and Woody all voted for him.
Mangum supporters Marjorie Turnbull, Belinda Shannon, and
Karl White gave their support to losing candidate Cleve Warren. Turnbull later
left the board.
So far, it doesn’t look like Warren will run again. But
there is word that some of the remaining Mangum supporters might vote “no”
against the expected motion to reelect Rufus.
Last month, the Florida Board of Governors said that it will
review the claims from a group of FAMU alumni in the legislature who said that
Rufus’ treatment of Mangum has been “bordering dangerously close to bullying.” But
it doesn’t look like that will stop Rufus from getting enough votes to stay on
as the chairman.
If Rufus is reelected as expected, then he will serve a full
two-year term that will end in August 2017.