- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is championing legislation that would ban Women’s and Gender Studies and other academic majors and minors from public colleges and universities in Florida.
- DeSantis claims his proposal is an effort to support “intellectual freedom in higher education”, but groups dedicated to preserving intellectual freedom in education disagree, calling the proposal “the most draconian and censorious restrictions on public colleges and universities in the country.”
- The proposal would also centralize the hiring of faculty, giving political appointees control over the process, and weaken the tenure system, allowing a politically-controlled board of trustees to “initiate a post-tenure review of a faculty member at any time.”
- The bill contains a slew of undefined terms with no clear definition, creating an environment of self-censorship and fear, maximizing the control that DeSantis and his allies can exert over these institutions.
- The DeSantis administration and the legislature are seeking to put faculty involved in disfavored activities on notice, requesting each Florida public college and university provide a list of all employees involved in “diversity, equity, and inclusion” and all related emails, text messages, and social media messages.
Published February 27, 2023
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