The University of Florida has terminated all positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion at the school in compliance with new state regulations, according to a university memo released Friday.
The move comes nearly a year after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that largely prohibited the state’s public universities and colleges from spending federal or state money on DEI initiatives. Under that law, the Florida Board of Regents, which oversees the Florida State University System, also voted to ban state spending on such programs at public universities.
The University of Florida’s complaints included closing the office of its chief diversity officer and terminating all DEI contracts with outside vendors, according to Friday’s announcement. Thirteen full-time positions were eliminated, along with administrative appointments for 15 faculty members, a university spokeswoman said in an email.
The university is just the latest school in the state to eliminate DEI programs. Both the University of North Florida and Florida International University have already removed or begun phasing out such programs.
Last year, Florida became one of the first states to enact laws limiting or eliminating DEI initiatives. That prompted other Republican-led states to follow suit, including Texas, where a ban on DEI initiatives and offices at publicly funded universities and colleges took effect Jan. 1. state universities and in state government. And the Alabama Legislature is considering similar legislation.
Universities across the country have greatly expanded diversity programs in recent decades amid concerns about underrepresentation on campus. DEI supporters said the initiatives are a good way to promote inclusion and help students from all backgrounds succeed on campus.
But more recently, DEI’s efforts have become the focus of a culture war and part of a conservative fight against “vigilanteism.” Critics say the programs discriminate against those who might be left out in an effort to boost representation of other groups and aim to promote left-wing ideas about gender and race.
According to the Florida regulation, state universities are prohibited from using state funds to “advocate” DEI initiatives, which are defined as “any program, campus activity or policy that classifies individuals based on race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals based on that classification.”
On Friday, the University of Florida said it would reallocate about $5 million in funds previously reported for DEI spending to a faculty recruitment fund.
The university added that the sacked workers will receive 12 weeks’ pay. He encouraged them to apply for different positions within the school, saying they would receive a “fast check”.
“The University of Florida is — and always will be — unwavering in our commitment to universal human dignity,” school officials said. “As we educate students by carefully engaging a wide range of ideas and opinions, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of the Gator Nation.”
Conservatives in the state praised the university’s decision.
“Florida is where DEI goes to die,” Mr. DeSantis he wrote on social media. Sen. Rick Scott also praised the school’s president, Ben Sasse, on social media. He said Mr. Sasse, a former US senator from Nebraska, “continues to do all the right things” at the university. “Each university should follow suit,” Mr Scott said.
Those who support PPC’s programs lamented the university’s move.
State Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, a Democrat who represents Gainesville, said in statement that she was “stunned but not surprised” by the elimination of PPC staff at her university.
And Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, warned that the impact of the decision “will be felt for generations”.
