Gov. DeSantis' conservative takeover of a liberal arts college could silence diversity, critics say - CNN
By: Nicquel Terry Ellis (CNN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
(CNN)Sam Sharf enrolled at New College of Florida two years ago because as a trans woman, she wanted to be at a school where she felt safe and accepted.
The small public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida, offers an environment where LGBTQ students can freely express themselves, she said. But the state's Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to give this "community of free thinkers" a more conservative direction, saying the college's mission "has been, I think, more into the DEI, CRT, the gender ideology rather than what a liberal arts education should be," according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. In January, DeSantis replaced six of the 13 members on the college's board of trustees with conservative allies, including Christopher Rufo, who has fueled the fight against critical race theory. The new board forced out the college's president and appointed DeSantis' ally Richard Corcoran as interim president. Corcoran will serve on the job from February 27 to September 1, 2024, and will earn a base salary of $699,000. Read More The overhaul of the college's leadership has Sharf and other students questioning their future at the school, prompting student protests accusing the governor, who is expected to run for president in 2024, of impeding their educational freedom for political gain. "People are very scared for what's to come, especially kids who aren't graduating any time soon," Sharf told CNN. "This is an obvious hostile political act." In an email to CNN, a spokesman for DeSantis said the governor is concerned about declining enrollment at New College, which he attributes to the school's mission and values. He cited a 27% enrollment decline in the fall of 2021 compared to 2016. "Like so many colleges and universities in America, New College of Florida has been completely captured by a political ideology that puts trendy, truth-relative concepts above learning," spokesman Jeremy T. Redfern wrote in an email. "In particular, New College of Florida has reached a moment of critical mass, wherein low student enrollment and other financial stresses have emerged from its skewed focus and impractical course offerings." Rev. Al Sharpton leads marchers opposed to Florida's rejection of AP African American studies course The controversy at New College comes as DeSantis proposes plans to defund all diversity, equity and inclusion programs at state colleges and universities in Florida and amid Florida's Dcepartment of Education's rejection of proposed Advanced Placement African American studies course for high school students. With mounting attacks on diversity and inclusion, students and activists fear that marginalized people will not have a safe place to get a college education in Florida. Some critics also worry the state might influence other Republican-led states to adopt similar measures, dwindling their options even further. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanded that state agencies stop using diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in hiring with his office, calling the practice "illegal." DEI policies and programs are created to promote representation for people who have historically faced discrimination because of their race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religion or sexual orientation.
'The real tragedy'
Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors, said she believes DeSantis is targeting diversity programs for political advantage, which she called "extremely dangerous." This could result in Florida colleges struggling to retain students and recruit faculty, Mulvey said. People pursuing graduate degrees might opt for schools in other states that support academic freedom, she said. "The consequences for students are enormous," Mulvey said. "They are denied the opportunity to learn and grow, students are denied the opportunity to hear important perspectives. That's the real tragedy." DeSantis' decision to overhaul New College of Florida has particularly drawn ire from LGBTQ activists. David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, said policies that reject diversity and inclusion will only push people away from higher education in Florida. "So much of what the policies are designed to do and the language more specifically ... is to tell people that they don't matter," he said. "That their contributions, their history, their ways of attempting to strengthen democracy do not matter and should not have a place in the version of America that they are now naming as classical." Johns likened the risks of anti-DEI measures to anti-abortion legislation adopted by several other states after Georgia passed the "heartbeat bill" in 2018. He fears New College of Florida is a test case for pushing conservatism at schools across the nation. "If he (DeSantis) is allowed to continue to operate in this way, there might not be a place for anyone to go," Johns said.
'Hillsdale of the South'
Some students at New College of Florida are already considering other options for their education. The school has nearly 700 students and 100 full-time faculty members, according to its website. Sharf said she worries that the new board will erase the inclusive queer culture on campus to make the college more attractive for traditional affluent White students. Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said in a statement that officials wanted New College of Florida to "become Florida's classical college, more along the lines of a Hillsdale of the South." Hillsdale College is a private conservative Christian college in southern Michigan. Sharf said she and her peers plan to keep protesting the leadership changes but many are looking at backup schools. "I would not want to attend a school that is 'Hillsdale of the South,'" Sharf said. "It would be too hostile to trans students and I would probably have to leave." Alex Obraud, a third-year anthropology student, said DeSantis' overhaul feels like backlash against the nation's progress on LGBTQ rights and racial justice. Obraud also views it as an attack on educational freedom and on the safe space that New College and other universities across the country offer for students. "That's part of making education accessible to everyone and making sure that people feel safe is a huge part of making sure they are in a good position to learn," Obraud said. Faculty members also worry that the new leadership could change the inclusive culture at the school. Chris Kottke, a math professor at the New College of Florida, rejected Republican lawmakers' claims that the school was a bastion of liberal indoctrination. Kottke said instructors have always taught students how to think not what to think. Kottke said while most of the diverse clubs on campus don't rely on state funding, he worries about whether they will be able to continue to safely operate. "The incoming atmosphere is obviously quite hostile to those groups of students," he said. "So I think there is understandably some fear."
CNN's Jalen Brown contributed to this story.
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The Hillsdale of the South, eh? Rush Limbaugh used to hawk for that school
Who is Dick Santis to say what a liberal arts college SHOULD be teaching?
Why shouldn't they be able to teach CRT - a college course??????????????????????????????
... all of the fascist rwnj AM radio hosts still do. somebody should write an article about the latest hillsdale sex scandal. [deleted]
Priorities, Young Padawan, priorities
heh, I called that one...
... humor at the speed of light.
How dare DeSantis inject politics into a progressive school!
how dare destankis indoctrinate children with the anti-woke agenda. what's next, giving all the boys daggers and making sure the girls get knocked up by them to perpetuate the anti-woke white xtian race? f'n hypocrites...
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Yeah.......that's gonna happen just like you say, great post.
thumpers are headed that direction now...
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Sounds pretty, is fascist, the word I'm looking for????
Huh, conservative take on cancel culture?
Conservative Christians invented cancel culture.
The rest of these people are just rank amateurs.
historically, the thumpers back off when enough of them start to get splattered...
Like Kenosha?
I'm thinking more like the roman coliseum...
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what was left was too big to bury in the kitty litter box...
The Christians got their asses handed to them when the Germanic tribes sacked Rome
they're overdue for a refresher course now ...
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they weren't xtians when they were carving up the romans...
thumpers... chunky style...
Weren’t the Visigoths that sacked Rome in 410, Christians?
lol
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"saying the college's mission "has been, I think, more into the DEI, CRT, the gender ideology rather than what a liberal arts education should be,"
"In particular, New College of Florida has reached a moment of critical mass, wherein low student enrollment and other financial stresses have emerged from its skewed focus and impractical course offerings."
Looks like they have the right idea. College should be more than a refuge and "safe space"....for students studying subjects that they probably won't even be graded on and leave ill prepared to face a world that is mean and unfair in many aspects that can't be fixed overnight. The Wiki description makes it sound like a decent school, that has unfortunately lost its way.
The school is losing $29 million in gifts since he has pissed off the donors to the school.
Another problem is that the new president of the school will be (if they find the money)is making more than double what the old president made. They have found a loophole to pay the rest of this year's salary but then there is next year and the year after.
Hillsdale South, or Evangelical narrowminded school of Sarasota.
This is going to be interesting.
It has a good rating as a school as well.
https://www.ncf.edu/about/campus-profile/#:~:text=National%20Rankings&text=Also%20No.,and%20Most%20Politically%20Active%20Students.
there you go throwing facts onto a perfectly good rwnj conspiracy bonfire again...
Hillsdale College is a hotbed of election deniers, Trump worshipers , and christian nationalists.
Do they teach anything useful there?
So the answer to my question is NO
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It's a real college, but it seems they have motives that go beyond just educating students.
They send out a newsletter monthly and a friend of mine had a copy that I read. Really far right wing.
How to Own Libs 101
theocracy, white history, xtian nationalism, xenophobia, professional victimization, adultery and pedophilia... ... oh wait, those last 2 are the xtian athletic dept...
lol
I'm not sure I buy that. I realize it's being reported, but shit gets reported all the time that isn't correct, especially when journalists have to use numbers.
The total endowment is only $40 million in total. If these people were supposedly ready to give $29m, why haven't they been giving anything before now?
Many have been giving for years.
I'm sure they have. But all of that, plus investment gains, total about $40m.
The idea that there were out there waiting to give another 3/4 of the sum total of the endowment but now they're not because they have their panties in a wad about the Governor just doesn't add up. If something like this makes you say you changed your mind, you weren't ever really going to give that money anyway.
It's far more likely that some journalist is looking to get in on the feeding frenzy of "De Santis outrage stories", and was loose with the facts.
From the linked article:
You can speculate as to the motives, accuracy, and amount of money but the above is clear. The ex-board member would have a much better handle on this than you or I so at this point unless there is proof that this didn't or isn't going to happen I'll go with it being accurate.
It sounds like the donors who have supported a progressive school agenda do not want to support the ''stop the woke'' nonsense by DeSantis which certainly is their right and not at all surprising.
destankis needs a campus for his new maga-youth programs...
Always defending the indefensible
destankis ideas aren't exactly original...
I know that this is a state university but really...does he have to stick his nose into how this school is run? He really does want to send Florida back to the dark ages...where knowledge went to die
you know his brats go to private school...
Is it possible that the COVID pandemic had something to do with that..DUH
The rest of the state saw a 1% decline during the pandemic.
And New College showed a 30% increase in new incoming students between 2021 and 2022. The largest incoming class since 2016.
New College is also the state's designated honors college.
Technically it says there are 30 percent more incoming students, so that's not the same metric as overall enrollment.
But it's definitely a sign of improvement.
I'm well aware of that so I changed the wording so as to not confuse anyone.
A good stat for New College as well.
New College is #1 among all public universities in the percent of students who go on to earn doctoral degrees. (overall and in science and engineering ...
Well they were....
I do wonder about the 27%, though. It has nothing to do with "woke" or any bullshit like that. There is never a shortage of college kids who love "woke".
So I wonder what it is.
It's a really small population, so 27% frankly isn't a huge number of kids, but still.
Interesting.......
Overall there has been a decline in student enrollment nationwide for years and there was a bit of a scandal there a few years ago that had to do with not admitting kids that stated on their applications that they had experienced some mental problems. Which at New is a real shocker.
Even in 2016, the enrollment was less than 900 students and now it's around 700. It's a very small school. The graduating class in 2018 was the largest on record for New. So that also may have something to do with it.
They had a program in place before the pandemic to reach an enrollment of 1200 by 2023 but that went by the wayside due to other situations including the pandemic
Ahhhh.
That would do it.
Seems that Michael Flynn and James Hoel, a member of the Proud Boys are on the Republican Party executive committee in Sarasota. I would think that DeSantis would be more concerned about have a nut case and a racist on the executive committee of the republican party in Sarasota than about a college. Oh wait the answer is obvious.
A racist? DeSantis concerned? Surely you jest
guido forgot that his party didn't accept his family's heritage as white for the first 50+ years they were here.
books, almost a century of providing photo ops for fascists...
the firewood of fascism...
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