Today, Governor DeSantis announced a bold new legislative proposal that aims to end the cycle of taxpayer-funded indoctrination and harmful, divisive ideologies at Florida’s public universities. The proposal would eliminate the departments, courses, and bureaucracies dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT), so that students are not subjected to an ideological filter.
Designated by the Governor as the “Stop WOKE Act”, the proposal would prohibit DEI spending in state university budgets, effectively starving DEI departments of resources and forcing them to discontinue classes and fire administrators.
This will ensure that Florida’s public universities adhere to the Stop WOKE Act’s definition of DEI, which states that “the criteria for admission to a program or course shall not have the effect of restricting access by persons of a particular race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status.” It is also unlawful to teach in any fashion that “members of one race, color, national origin, or sex are morally superior to members of another race, color, national origin, or sex.”
The bill would also realign college core course requirements to be “rooted in the values of liberty and the western tradition”, and not promote ideological indoctrination.
This includes majors like Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and English department reading groups with Queer Studies. Governor DeSantis put it best when he said, “We don’t want our students to go through [college] at taxpayer expense and graduate with a degree in Zombie studies.”
#BREAKING: Gov. Ron DeSantis announces proposal to eliminate all funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Critical Race Theory at public universities
"All DEI and CRT bureaucracies in the state of Florida – no funding, and that will wither on the vine." pic.twitter.com/8B0yQbZYsC
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) January 31, 2023
The legislation would also mandate that universities prioritize graduating students in useful disciplines that prepare them for high-wage jobs, and forbid universities from asking job candidates to demonstrate their commitment to DEI as part of their hiring.
Finally, the bill would reorient three institutes at major Florida public universities to provide programming and curricula focused on constitutionalism.
This plan is part of Governor DeSantis’s strategy to reorient the New College of Florida, a small liberal arts school, by appointing a conservative majority to its board of trustees and converting the college to a classical model akin to that of Hillsdale College.
Overall, Governor DeSantis’s proposal is a much needed step towards ending the cycle of taxpayer-funded indoctrination and harmful, divisive ideologies in Florida’s public universities. It is a move in the right direction and will go a long way in providing students with the tools they need to think for themselves, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to prepare for high-wage jobs in a post-COVID economy.
Which should be our main focus in the first place, don’t you think?
