The long and sad decline of Florida’s higher education system under Ron DeSantis continues unabated. Yesterday, Florida’s State Board of Education voted to prohibit any spending on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at Florida’s 28 state colleges. It also removed sociology as an option to fulfill state requirements for what are known as the “general education” or “core” courses that all students must take. It’s all part of Florida Republicans’ ongoing effort to prohibit anything that might hurt straight white folks’ fee-fees.
Specifically, the State Board voted to prohibit state or federal funds from being spent on DEI programs or activities that are “promoting or engaging in political or social activism.” It defines DEI programs as “any program, campus activity or policy” that classifies people by race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation and “promotes differential or preferential treatment” based on those classifications. Pretty broad, right? It gets worse.
They define political and social activism as actions that would “affect or prevent change in government policy based on social issues.” And social issues are defined as issues that would “polarize or divide society along political, ideological, religious or moral beliefs.”
In his opening comments Wednesday before the State Board, [Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr.] echoed Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying the new law and rules are ending “state-sponsored discrimination” in Florida.
It’s hard for me to think of a respectable university or college where faculty and students are banned from discussing anything that might “affect or prevent change in government policy based on social issues” that wouldn’t involve some disagreements or divisions. Insane.
Diaz also assaulted sociology courses yesterday, suggesting that sociology studies could veer into “identity politics or theories.”
“Students should be focused on learning the truth about our country instead of being radicalized by woke ideology in our college classrooms,” Diaz said in comments to the State Board of Education.
The “truth” according to whom? Right-wing radicals? It’s telling that the sociology option will be replaced with an introductory course about American history prior to 1877 — the year that marked the end of the Reconstruction era.
The Florida Board of Governors meets next week and is expected to approve the same two racist actions for the state’s 12-school university system.
I can’t understand why any student with half a brain would want to attend a college or university in Florida. And I also can’t understand why anyone would want to be on the faculty of any of Florida’s colleges or universities unless they are a right-wing white supremacist. That’s probably the long-term goal of DeSantis, Diaz and their cabal — to create a higher education system that is nothing but a right-wing Republican indoctrination camp — but I find it hard to see how that will happen without the system becoming nothing but a big and sad joke.
