Florida Students Protest DEI at Governors’ Council Meeting — Fight Back! News

Orlando, FL – On June 27 and 28, the Florida Board of Trustees held a meeting at the Student Union of the University of Central Florida. On June 27, various subcommittees met to discuss actions that were to be voted on the following day, including granting the UCF football department $100 million in funding despite teachers and staff being told last semester that they would not receive a raise.

On June 28, about a dozen speakers came to the board of trustees meeting to publicly comment on numerous agenda items, such as an update to Florida New College’s “Master Plan” and the board’s decision to remove “Principles of Sociology” from the list of core courses offered at the beginning of the year.

The removal of the course means that the class will no longer meet the general core requirements for students. Almost every speaker, including one member of UCF Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), had their microphones cut off for “not speaking on the issues covered in the program.” Public comment lasted no longer than ten minutes, and the board of governors continued the meeting without acknowledging the comments of those present.

Several members of the audience who made public comments objected to the board, stating that it was absurd to cut them off when they had traveled hours to attend the meeting and were not even noticed. The audience members who spoke were then ordered to leave the meeting and were escorted out of the room by police.

At 10:30 a.m. that same day, more than 25 students, including members of the audience who had been shut out, gathered in front of the Student Union building to protest the Florida Board of Governors’ support for the repression of pro-Palestinian protesters and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Several attendees came from other universities in the state, such as Florida State University and the University of Florida. One attendee held a sign that read, “Fund DEI, Not Genocide.”

Muahbohn Dahn, an organizer with Florida Student Power, explained the effects that bills like SB 266 will have on students and their education, stating, “This bill not only defunds our offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state, but it attacks our courses in general. Every course related to critical race theory or critical gender theory has been removed from our catalog because they know that if we are able to sociologically look at the systems that have been placed around us, we will see the ways in which they continue to oppress us.”

Ladara Royal, an educator and leader of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, expanded on this idea: “They say public school education is the great equalizer. But that dream has been attacked in Florida. You can’t have innovation when everyone in the room looks and thinks the same.”

Despite the heat and the presence of police, students gathered in front of the Student Union building and waited for an hour for the end of the supervisory board meeting.

Marcus Polzer, an organizer with UCF SDS who was among those cut off during public comment, said, “The Florida Board of Governors prides themselves as advocates for higher education and students, but they can’t take more than 15 minutes every three months to listen to public comment. This board has the power to eliminate entire majors. We, the students, are a vital part of this university, and we will not be silenced.”

Madalyn Propst, a student at FSU, further spoke out against the recent undemocratic decisions of the board, stating, “They believe they have a God-given right to rule against the interests of the students. We will not stand by their hate; we will not sit idly by while they take away our rights.”

The rally and press conference were organized by Florida Student Power and Youth Action Fund in partnership with UCF Divestment Coalition and UCF Students for a Democratic Society.

#OrlandoFL #DEI #UCFSDS #FloridaStudentPower #Youth Action Fund #UCFDivestmentCoalition