Florida Colleges Barred from Funding DEI Initiatives Following State Board Vote
BY CAROLINA BORGES JANUARY 19, 2024
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) – A vote in Tallahassee made by the State Board of Education Commission has led to Florida state colleges being restricted from using federal or state funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Governor Ron DeSantis signed this bill back in May 2023, but he is now in the hot seat for this decision.
The state board of education, acting under the guidelines of a law signed by DeSantis last year, defines DEI as any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals based on race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
“Like the governor said in his State of the State address, DEI, in practice, stands for discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination and it has no place in Florida,” said Florida Education Commissioner, Manny Diaz, Jr.
Targeting DEI in colleges and universities is part of Governor Desantis’ so-called “war on woke.”
“You don’t just get to take taxpayer dollars and do whatever the heck you want to do,” he said at the time he passed the bill.
Using the guidelines laid out in a law Desantis signed last year, the state board of education defined DEI as, “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”
As part of this shift, the board removed Intro to Sociology as a core course, replacing it with American History.
“Students should be focused on learning the truth about our country instead of being radicalized by woke ideologies in our college classrooms,” said Diaz, Jr. in the board meeting.
Although the bill was passed, critics argued this decision hampers efforts to encourage diversity and inclusion on college campuses. Jasmine Burney-Clark from Equal Ground expresses concern over the potential chilling effect on DEI programs, fearing limitations on both faculty and students.
“It is incredibly hard to see this implementation process move forward,” she said. “Students and faculty are now going to likely be in a position where there will be a chilling effect on the types of [DEI] programs that they will host on college campuses and with college students.”
Burney-Clark emphasizes the importance of encouraging, not vilifying, DEI initiatives.
“It’s nothing against white people. It’s everything for everyone,” Burney-Clark explained.
Although there are exceptions for student-led organizations, the colleges themselves are now prohibited from spending public funds on DEI and promoting or engaging in political or social activism.