A bill banning colleges and universities from spending money to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in Florida is about to become law.
The approved legislation specifically prevents expenditures “to promote, support, or maintain any programs or campus activities that … (advocate) for diversity, equity, and inclusion, or promote or engage in political or social activism, as defined by rules of the State Board of Education and regulations of the (state university system’s) Board of Governors.”
The bill (SB 266), which now will go to DeSantis for his signature, touched off a fierce debate about Florida’s higher-education system and campus speech.
Sen. Shevrin Jones, a South Florida Democrat, called the bill "racist at its core."
“Diversity, equity and inclusion, like so many other terms adopted by the woke left, is being used as a club to silence things, to say that if you don’t agree with them, you are somehow racist or homophobic or whatever other word that you want to use to criticize people,” said Brevard Republican Rep. Randy Fine.
Eliminating DEI programs and "woke" ideology in higher education has been a DeSantis priority during this legislative session. Earlier this year, his administration also directed colleges and universities to provide lists of their DEI initiatives and how much money was budgeted for them.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, has argued that DEI initiatives are discriminatory.
“We want diverse viewpoints. We want fair treatment and full participation of all people, and an environment that examines ideas freely ... The ideas of, maybe, why there have been inequalities in the past. But modern DEI initiatives, under the guise of social justice or critical theory, seek to increase representation of some groups through discrimination against members of other groups,” Grall said.
But bill critics said diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are important and that the legislation will drive away top faculty members and students.
“This attack on higher education is hurting Florida’s brand,” said Tampa Democrat and House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell. “We have a very good higher-education system with lower costs than many other states. But these radical changes risk throwing our colleges and universities into chaos.”
Miami Democrat Rep. Ashley Gantt, also disputed the alleged harm of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, noting how Florida universities have risen in national rankings in recent years. She and other Democrats pointed to harm to schools and students if the initiatives are blocked.
“Whenever people shield their children from the truth, a generation of ignorance is born,” Rep. Dianne Hart, a Tampa Democrat, said.
In contrast, House bill sponsor Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican, said the initiatives hurt schools and students.
“DEI’s intellectual fragility makes campuses less safe, less intelligent and less free for the students who should be learning to think for themselves,” he said.
The Republican-controlled House voted 81-34 along party lines to pass the bill, which the Senate approved 27-12 last week.
Earlier this year, DeSantis even overhauled the New College of Florida Board of Trustees, with his appointees moving quickly to scuttle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The bill that passed Wednesday also includes a series of higher-education changes. For instance, it would require the State Board of Education and state university system’s Board of Governors to appoint faculty committees that would review general-education core courses. Those reviews could lead to the “removal, alignment, realignment, or addition” of courses based on various criteria in the bill.
“General education core courses may not distort significant historical events or include a 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 and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities,” the bill says.