March 2, 2024 - 1:00pm
Florida’s clear-out of DEI has taken a new victim: the entire $5 million DEI department of the top public university in the US.
The University of Florida is gutting its DEI department, firing all DEI employees and halting DEI-focused outside contracts, the school announced Friday. The programme’s funding will be diverted into other jobs, with the school cutting 13 full-time DEI jobs and 15 administrative appointments.
“The University of Florida is – and will always be – unwavering in our commitment to universal human dignity,” the announcement read. “As we educate students by thoughtfully engaging a wide range of ideas and views, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of the Gator Nation”.
The move comes in response to a state regulation blocking university funding of DEI, defined as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”
It’s the latest in a statewide battle against DEI. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation banning DEI in public colleges and universities in May 2023. The same bill also blocks general education course curriculum that “teaches identity politics… or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States”.
UF was previously subject to national news coverage when former Republican Senator Ben Sasse took the helm as president in early 2023, sparking student protests. During his interview process, protesters flooded a university building and disrupted proceedings, shouting out accusations of racism and homophobia.
DeSantis has also launched something of a conservative takeover of the New College of Florida, appointing six members to its 13-member board of trustees. The new board subsequently fired the school’s president and disbanded its Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence.
Several other red states have recently passed laws restricting DEI in education, including Texas and Utah, while a handful of other conservative states are currently considering similar legislation. “DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” DeSantis wrote on X Friday. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”
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Subscribe“Victim”? The victims are the ones who resist the most overtly racist movement ever devised. Even slavery was an equal opportunity practice.
Great comment. I might just get that put a t-shirt.
The use of that word surprised me as well.
“Victim” was a typo. The author meant to say “trophy”
Oh the irony DEI defined as:
“any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”
You could be forgiven for thinking that that is exactly what DEI should be preventing.
The republicans seem to be suggesting people should be judged on “the content of their character”!
“The republicans seem to be suggesting people should be judged on “the content of their character”!”
Shocking
DEI must DIE.
Nailed it. Almost as if those very words were used a generation ago yet have now been re-applied to push back. Extraordinary.
What an extraordinary this to suggest!!!!! Or even be judged on merit, and virtue. It’s evil incarnate to even suggest such things. Shame on you!
Finally, some pushback against neo-racism. Yah!
I’m not even sure what’s “neo” about it.
5 million is a lot of academic salaries
Lots of these DEI people are sociopaths. Once DEI is rightfully seen widely as vile many former DEI types will have a ” come to Jesus” moment.
And failing that, a “go to Hell” moment.
Newsome of California is working on his DEI initiative in rather the oppisite direction. His new ‘Apart-white’ set of Rules he hopes to get enacted this year will make things Much better in the struggling California, and for struggling Californians. Just the Corporate Compliance alone is expected to provide a hundred $Billion in jobs for people who have the credentials for this work. Win-Win, as he describes it.
Sounds like DeSantis is promoting what I would regard as an anti-racist, anti-sexist set of policies. What seems to be the problem?
Hallelujah! (Well mostly, not sure about restricting teaching of such subjects. There must be academic freedom in both directions at the collegiate level)…
Awesome news … not one DEI department should be left standing at any publicly funded university.
Once again DeSantis shows how it’s done. Trump is a great showman, and appeals to people’s justified anger at the snide woke establishment, but DeSantis would have been the “don’t get mad, get even” candidate, if he hadn’t been overshadowed by Trump’s extraordinary personality. That’s history now, but brilliant to see DeSantis leading by example for the long slog of state by state fightback.
A future president hopefully.
In stead of, “Florida’s DEI purge takes new victim”
Consider: “Florida DEI housecleaning continues.”
Great & bold move. After the current Trump / Biden horror show – hopefully in the next election cycle we’ll see DeSantos running for POTOS.
re: …any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.
That used to be called (correctly) racism or bigotry. Now it’s called “diversity, equity and inclusion.” This kind of Orwellian BS has no business at universities or anywhere, really. Good on DeSantis.
DEI to IED to DIE.
DEI is a mechanism designed for perpetuation; no DEI department has ever eliminated itself by saying, “Mission accomplished, diversity achieved, time to move on.” On the contrary, such offices invent more microaggressions to be attacked and more groups to be included in the DIE pantheon.
The Achilles heel of DEI and the woke religions generally is that they are promoted by people whose jobs are entirely publicly funded. De Santis has demonstrated that all you need to do is defund them. Even private institutions like Harvard are vulnerable because their massive investment funds enjoy a tax free status that can also be taken away.
At least one sane , just leader in the West.
Classic natural law is the only possibly coherent foundation for natural rights and duties. https://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2013/09/natural-law-or-supernatural-law.html