D.E.I. is Dead at U.F.
Why Florida’s Gov. has cut Diversity, Equality, and Inclusivity Employment and Programs at the University of Florida
“Florida is where D.E.I. goes to die” — Gov. Desantis
A State of Confusion
Many people are shrugging their shoulders across the nation about the decision to cut the programming and jobs associated with D.E.I. (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) after Florida imposed a new ruling at the University of Florida this past week. This is just the beginning as Gov. Ron Desantis attacks public higher-ed policy and injects his right-wing ideology, which many believe does not belong.
Down with Diversity
As much of the country is embracing the new policy changes allowing for the sentiment of equity and unbiased inclusion in schools, employment, and other social settings, the State of Florida threw a curveball that has become national news.
Some thirty people were fired on Friday, and programs were shut down at the University of Florida without warning after a ruling that eliminated
the D.E.I. programs at the institution of higher learning. The funding for these casualties of the war on the WOKE agenda to the tune of 5 million has been reallocated to other programs associated with the school. Students, faculty, and alums are conveying emotions of disgust and disappointment, while other states are vowing to follow suit.
But why?
Progressive Movement, Meet Prohibition
DeSantis, serving as the unapologetic Republican, serving his third term as Florida’s governor and his supporters have made statements regarding the move to prohibit diversity and inclusion initiatives that are as hollow as they are infuriating.
The Republican leader believes that initiatives focusing on the equality movement are nothing more than a veneer or facade used to mask and promote liberal ideology and have democratic party motives written all over them.
The Florida governor also called diversity programs “toxic” and said they have no place in public universities or in Florida. The latest ruling comes a year after another successful Republican interjection involving higher-ed in the Sunshine State was enacted—the previous controversy concerning any curriculum that teaches identity politics or skews or distorts significant events was voted on this March in the Florida House of Representatives and passed with the majority vote pummeling any objections.
What does that translate to exactly? Well, this prohibits any of the core curriculum to include the inference that America’s societal institutions are riddled with systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and white privilege… “crickets” Ugh-hum.
Anyway, Ron Desantis is a man who also believes that there is a conspiracy within the higher education universe that pushes liberal indoctrination to wipe out the potential for future supporters of the Republican Party. This strategy is supposedly how Democrats plan to rig the poles and gain sole control of Washington, D.C., and the White House.
…Yikes!
If this sounds a little unbelievable, that’s because it is.
The Future of Diversity & Higher Ed in Florida
So, as you may be wondering (and rightly so), what does the future hold for the movement to produce more inclusive school settings, less disparity in racial partialism at the collegiate level, and more access to opportunities for the underserved who wish to pursue a secondary education? And what about the thirty people who have been stripped of their jobs?
The people working in the now-terminated D.E.I. programs at the university have not only been given the proverbial pink slip without any warning, but I can say with certainty that they have lost more than just their jobs.
The university released a statement that all employees affected by this ruling will have fast-tracked applications if they choose to work for U.F., as well as twelve weeks of severance pay per state policy. But, there is no guarantee that these former employees will find another position working for the institution, nor will they want to.
A follow up inquiry is needed to determine if U.F. will actually hold true to their statements regarding the employees.
This situation is just another reminder that not everyone in America is willing to change for the better. There will always be those who push progress to the side to make room for their agenda, and it’s appalling.
To eliminate programs meant to welcome the marginalized into a place for learning and self-growth (and be free from the touch of party politics) is criminal, in my opinion.
Programs like these are meant to help many groups facing historic discrimination. This move is a step backward and should have been considered more carefully.
More Harm than Good
This latest stone thrown by the right to loosen what they refer to as “a stranglehold”that the liberals have on higher-ed seems to be a vehicle of fear and insecurity underlying all the rulings and the finger-pointing.
I feel like what the republican party as a whole seems to get wrong here is that you don’t have to be a racist to be a person with conservative values.
However, the constant attacks on the movements that promote the progress of a more unified and accepting society make most Republicans recoil in disgust, and it would seem they are promoting a racist, socially exclusive, and ass-backwards (a technical term) agenda.
Conservative supporters in Florida have said these programs are doing more harm than good, which would be counter-intuitive considering why they were devised. But Florida is not alone in their move to oust D.E.I. programming.
Others Following Florida’s Lead
Other red states such as Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have adopted similar laws banning the existence of D.E.I. on campuses and other social institutions. This is a sad trend we will likely see continue, as it affects the disparate social norms we are trying to reform in our country.
Why is there such a fear of viewing different as equal? Why do we have to keep others down to feel we are winning? Why does there always need to be an Us vs. Them narrative that flows underneath it all? I can understand that conflicts will always exist. There are some things in this world that may be unavoidable. However, why do most conflicts arise because of fear of what is different? Because of fear ear of the unknown? … because of things we do not understand?
If we attempt to become familiar with what we do not understand, we could save people from experiencing so much pain, abject suffering, fear, and, yes, even conflict. We could… if only we tried.
