Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning stirred up serious controversy among students and faculty at the Middle Tennessee State University after releasing an extreme proposal to cut costs and increase productivity in response to the state’s 15 percent cut in higher education funding. The proposal called for four-day weeks, tuition breaks for online classes and a requirement of advanced students to tutor in exchange for their financial aid. The program drew wide spread criticism from faculty and students and fostered rumors that MTSU was shutting down and moving online. In response to the growing rumors, MTSU student Alex Smith created a Facebook group about the proposals and attracted 1,000 student members within a matter of days. Smith said students are planning to protest just before Manning speaks at MTSU's winter commencement ceremony this week.

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