Concerned Floridians, faculty and students from Florida universities listened to the United Faculty of Florida (UFF) — a union that represents Florida public, state and community colleges in improving the Florida higher education system — speak out in an awareness meeting on Monday about the detriments of Senate Bill 266 to universities’ curriculum, which imposes restrictions on course material.

On May 15, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into effect SB 266, which prohibits Florida universities from continuing most of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. College courses will face heavier restrictions concerning what the content of their curriculum can contain, with the bill prohibiting topics such as critical race theory and gender studies starting this week.

Following initial protest to the bill’s signing in 2023, the Board of Governors is now enacting further action to enforce the agenda of the bill in Florida institutions this week by cutting DEI courses.

The Board of Governors (BOG) — the governing body behind the series of cuts — is representative of the State University System of Florida, an organization in charge of managing Florida’s 12 public universities. UFF President Teresa Hodge began the meeting by explaining the premise behind the bill that the BOG will enact on Jan. 30. 

“[It] gives the BOG the authority to remove courses from the general education curriculum that, quote, ‘distort significant historical events, teach identity politics, or that assert systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political and economic inequities.’ In other words, the truth about America’s history,” Hodge said.

The removal of these courses has raised concerns for educators in higher education as well as for the UFF staff, as Hodge said their mission is to create a generation of cultured and knowledgeable scholars. 

“General education courses are the foundation of critical thinking and informed citizenship, and censoring them limits not only what students can learn but also what they can become. These proposed cuts are an insult to our students and to the world-class faculty that instruct and guide them,” Hodge said.

Students of Florida universities pointed out the lack of acknowledgment of the state’s diverse population. Cabria Brown, a student artist and video game designer at Florida Atlantic University, expressed her desire to repeal the bill for this reason.

“How can we claim to embrace the richness of Florida while silencing the voices that make up its own population?” she asked.

Brown also shared her personal experience with current DEI programs at FAU.

“Thankfully, for one of my classes, ‘Cultural Study of Globality,’ I’ve been able to not feel like an ‘other’ for speaking out about my own opinions and my own experiences as an African-Caribbean woman,” Brown said.

For students partaking in these courses, Brown says the aspect of having an environment to freely explore perspectives on topics such as culture and diversity allows them to connect with others of similar backgrounds. 

The impacts of DEI courses are not limited to cultural significance, however, as students point out the application of these courses to other disciplines. 

Although the bill does not specifically mention the medical field, Marsilla Gray, a doctoral degree student in medical science at the University of South Florida, worries about possible implications the curriculum cuts could have in this area. 

“We are also restricted from discussing in the classroom the injustices committed in the name of scientific progress against minority groups, so students aren’t given the ability to fully grasp the sacrifices made in the name of progress, and they can’t be given the chance to know not to repeat these incidents. It effectively erases these injustices from the public memory,” Gray said.

Gray’s concerns regarding SB 266 and lack of awareness in DEI topics fuel her beliefs about what this will mean for future medical students.

“I am deeply concerned for future doctors who will continue their education not understanding the biological basis of identity or the social determinants of healthcare disparities,” Gray said.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — a union representative of faculty at all levels of education across the nation — explains why the system of education in Florida has not been effective in his eyes. 

“We haven’t shown the public in each of the communities in which the great education system of Florida operates that there is another way, a better way. Let us elect people who actually enable us to create this great moment of opportunity of knowledge. In the face of uncertainty, knowledge can help create agency,” Weingarten said. 

The BOG will be holding a meeting concerning the implementation of these cuts in Florida universities on Jan. 30. Hodge urges Floridians to send letters to the BOG prior to the meeting on Jan. 30 to combat the bill. 

“The more letters the Board of Governors receives, the more likely they will listen to us and perhaps even do the right thing,” Hodge said. “Let’s keep this momentum going.”

Madeline Cruz is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email madelinecruz2023@fau.edu.