Florida Colleges Vow To Ban Critical Race Theory After Overhaul From DeSantis

Ben ZeisloftJanuary 18, 2023

Presidents of The Florida College System released a statement pledging to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives also known as DEIAfter Governor, academic freedom should be prioritized Ron DeSantis (R-FL) launched an overhaul of the state’s universities.

DeSantis was the first to enter a second term After a November landslide victory, the Sunshine State’s chief executive has asked for public university administrators to give a statement. detailed account As members of the Florida legislature review budget proposals, they will be able to determine expenditures related DEI programs. According to the Florida College System, DEI programs tend to promote left-wing ideologies while silence any dissent.

“Our institutions will not fund or support any institutional practice, policy, or academic requirement that compels belief in critical race theory or related concepts such as intersectionality, or the idea that systems of oppression should be the primary lens through which teaching and learning are analyzed,” According to a memo that was sent by officials to The Daily Wire “In the development of knowledge, research endeavors, and creative activities, a college faculty and student body must be free to cultivate a spirit of inquiry and scholarly criticism, and to examine ideas in an atmosphere of freedom and confidence.”

DeSantis also made the statement. appointed A number of conservative officials were elected to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees with the hope that the liberal arts school would eliminate the controversial ideology. Christopher Rufo, a Manhattan Institute fellow and activist who has voiced opposition to critical race theory, was among the appointees. Matthew Spalding is a Hillsdale College constitutional government professor.

The Florida College System Presidents are still “committed to developing campus environments that uphold objectivity in teaching and learning,” The statement was continued. Officials also confirmed that a “commitment to nondiscrimination in hiring” A desire to cultivate “intellectual autonomy and equality.”

While Florida universities reject DEI, other universities continue to promote the idea. Students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, one of the nation’s top business programs, are now able to earn Majors in DEI

Many consultants and officials reap significant financial rewards from their advocacy of the DEI movement in postsecondary institutions. According to a study, public universities in Michigan and Maryland, Virginia, Virginia, Illinois, and Illinois have had diversity officials earning salaries between $329,000- $430,000. report Fox News, while analysis The Heritage Foundation reported that for every 100 tenured faculty members, colleges have an average of three diversity employees.

DeSantis requested that university administrators include a description of each program and the total funding used for the program.

“We must ensure school systems are responsive to parents and to students, not partisan interest groups, and we must ensure that our institutions of higher learning are focused on academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of trendy ideology,” DeSantis made the following observation during his second inaugural address. “We will enact more family-friendly policies to make it easier to raise children and we will defend our children against those who seek to rob them of their innocence.”