Gov. Ron DeSantis’ had a strong reaction to the news that ‘Florida’ is where DEI dies’.
Jillian Anderson: Schools should focus less on CRT and DEI, and more on actual education
Jillian Anderson, founder of The Kings Firm, discusses the results of a survey that found that 70% of Americans do not know basic government information.
According to a Friday memo, the University of Florida will be terminating all employees who hold Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion positions and administrative appointments.
The memo reads: “To comply with the Florida Board of Governors regulation 9.016 regarding prohibited expenditures, the University of Florida closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer. It also eliminated DEI administrative positions and stopped DEI-focused contracting with outside vendors.”
Under the direction of UF Human Resources University employees whose jobs were eliminated will receive UF’s standard 12-week pay. They are encouraged to apply for other positions at the university before Friday, April 19. This will expedite their consideration. UF HR will try to expedite the interview process, and respond to all applications in the 12 weeks.
The Independent Florida Alligator is a campus paper that reported the dismissal of 13 full-time diversity equity and inclusion posts and the elimination of 15 administrative appointments.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X that Florida is the place where DEI dies.
“DEI is toxic, and it has no place at our public universities.” DeSantis said, “I’m glad Florida was the first to eliminate DEI. I hope other states will follow.”
Florida’s Board of Governors enacted a regulation in January that limits public funding to DEI. They are defined as “any program or campus activity or policy which classifies individuals based on race, color or sex or national origin or gender identity or sexual orientation, and promotes differential treatment or preferential treatment of those individuals based on such classification.”
DEI supporters argue that they correct systemic injustices and address the increasingly diverse student population, while their opponents like DeSantis claim they are a leftist form of discrimination.
Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who wrote on X: “The conservative counterrevolution has started,” also celebrated the decision.
Last month, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. stated that higher education should return to its fundamental foundations of academic honesty and the pursuit of knowledge rather than being corrupted with destructive ideologies. These actions ensure that taxpayer money will not be spent on DEI or radical indoctrination which promotes division within our society.
The University of Florida memo stated that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer will reallocate the 5 million dollars previously reported to Tallahassee as DEI expenses, into a fund for faculty recruitment.
The memo ended with a defiant declaration.
“Finally and most importantly, the University of Florida will never waver in its commitment to universal dignity. We will continue to build a Gator Nation community of respect and trust by engaging students with a variety of views and ideas. The University of Florida has an incredible faculty that is committed to teaching, researching, and serving,” states the memo.
Ben Sasse is the former Republican Nebraska Senator who was appointed president of the University of Florida last year. The University of Florida is one of the biggest universities in the United States, with over 61,000 undergraduates and graduates enrolled.
