At USF, more than 50 students formed carpools to drive to the meeting one day after they rallied on campus to protest the governor's plan. Their sendoff Thursday was led by Ernestine Bradley, wife of presidential candidate Bill Bradley. To bolster his campaign in Florida, the Democratic former senator has criticized the Republican governor's plan. THE BUSH PLAN automatically admits to a state university the top 20 percent of each public high school's graduating class, provided the students complete at least 19 credits in core academics. Regents estimate that guarantee not only will maintain diversity but might bring 400 more minority students to enroll this fall.
Regents plan to put more weight on diversity in job evaluations given university presidents.
Exceptions are expected to continue for students who don't qualify by grades or test scores. That number is expected to drop to 10 percent this fall as racial or gender preferences are replaced with allowances for family income, home language, hometown, or special athletic or artistic talents. Staff writer William March contributed to this report. Produced by the staff of Tampa Bay Online and The Tampa Tribune .