University of Florida eliminates DEI positions to comply with State regulations
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida announced today that it has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors.
The announcement brings the university into alignment with Board of Governors Regulation 9.016, which was approved at the board’s January 24 meeting. The regulation prohibits the expenditure of any state or federal funds by state universities to “promote, support, or maintain any programs or activities” that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, as defined in the regulation. Universities and their direct-support organizations are also prohibited from promoting or engaging in political or social activism as defined in the regulation.
Student-led organizations may use university facilities to advocate for DEI, as long as that use is “pursuant to written policies or regulations of each state university.”
The Administrative Memo stated that employees whose positions are eliminated will receive UF’s standard 12 weeks of pay, and they have until April 19 to apply for open positions at the university and receive expedited consideration for those positions.
UF also announced that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer will reallocate about $5 million in funds that were previously reported to Tallahassee for DEI expenses into a faculty recruitment fund. In February 2023, Alachua Chronicle wrote about an “insider report” that detailed many DEI initiatives at UF that were not included in the $5 million that was reported to the State.
In a social media post, Governor Ron DeSantis wrote, “DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities. I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”
Can’t believe certain political groups tried to reintroduce racism and sexism into mainstream society…it was nothing more than a failed ‘divide and concur’ tactic. Glad this DEI mess was squashed here in Fla.
* conquer
Good for them if this rids the UF campus of the regressive indoctrination that white kids are privileged, inherently racist, that they are a part of a system which currently oppresses black people, and all the rest of that ridiculousness.
BUT I also hope that UF continues to recognize the value of diversity on campus and in this country, and that it realizes that all black people DO NOT think like the regressives referenced above. There are a lot of Americans of all different colors who believe in each other and in this great country, and they should all get an equal opportunity.
We’ve been diverse since the beginning. They just want to “manage” it like they did our healthcare.
When you hire based, or accept students, based on color, religion, political opinions, sex/gender, you are getting more marginal, underqualified people, instead of people based on actual qualifications.
Don not pat these people on the back for ending this. It is utterly despicable that people came up with positions like this in the first place, and last I checked they still have a DEI Depatment in City Hall.
UF only ended this b/c the state made them. Please do the same for govt functions Gov. DeSantis
If I’m not mistaken, occupied by the famous ex of many positions. $170,000 + – annual salary
We are all equal… All that DEI and affirmative action just perpetuates inequality and is the very definition of racism.
Good.
Great news, I was wondering when they were going to turn the lights off in that forsaken office. What a bunch of woke bullshit. Get on with getting on.
Glad they turned the lights off in that place. I bet Sasse was more than happy to do so. The head of the dei office was knocking down $300k a year to spread that woke ideology too.
Will many people actually lose their jobs? The UF DEI offices have been renamed using words like community and belonging.
People hired based on DEI, instead of qualifications should be terminated. They were the less qualified people for the job.
Hallelujah ! The insidious COMMIE “Dem” infiltration of every facet of American ex-liberties has to be reversed, everywhere!
The Demonic Party aimed to secretly and without voter nods, hijack our public sectors and put “experts” with college loan debts into position, dictating our natural rights, just to make work for themselves. Sorry now.
We had diversity just fine before, it was called the melting pot. We don’t need mentally ill experts correcting what was just fine before. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Desantis needs to expand this law to all government agencies including county and municipal governments. Check out the City of Gainesville’s DEI department and salaries. They are not only indoctrinating our students. Employees are subjected to mandatory training by way overpaid DEI officers, all while driving the utility into bankruptcy.
Political interference in our schools is a recipe for ruining the excellent university system Florida has developed over many generations. This is a first for the state government meddling in curriculum and all levels of administration and even includes taking advantage of UF to get our incompetent surgeon general a paying gig for doing nothing.
US News and World Report dropped New Colleges recent ranking 24 places and it was sanctioned by the American Association of University Professors (1/3 of it’s faculty left) after the DeSantis’s take over, so thanks for ruining that previously highly touted asset of the state of Florida, and many faculty members at UF – and I’m sure elsewhere in the state – are looking for the exit. Trashing Florida assets – including Disney, the pioneer of Orlando’s economy – will be his legacy. We’ll be his suckers.
DEI IS government meddling, hiring other than the best qualified candidates.
❤️
DEI needs to DIE
We the people are sick of it. We’re done, we’re not playing these games.