UCF’s Pride Commons. (Photo by Connor Barry)
Since the Florida Board of Governors voted to ban state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in all public universities on Jan. 24, four state universities no longer have DEI offices.
The University of North Florida, Florida International University, University of Florida and Florida State University have dismantled its DEI offices to comply with state Regulation 9.016.
The vote from the Florida Board of Governors brought public universities in line with legislation Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May 2023 defunding DEI programs at state universities and colleges.
A state university won’t be able to use any state or federal funds to promote, support or maintain any programs or campus activities that “advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion” or “promote or engage in political or social activism,” according to the 17-member board, which serves as the governing body for the State University System of Florida.
Per the board, taxpayer funds may no longer be used to “promote DEI” at any of the 28 FCS colleges, which include Valencia College, Seminole State College of Florida, Polk State College, Palm Beach State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Eastern Florida State College, Daytona State College and College of Central Florida.
UNF was the first to close its DEI program on Jan. 29 due to the regulation. Its office was phased out and under the umbrella term for DEI, the Intercultural, Interfaith, LGBTQ+ and Women’s centers closed as well, according to an email from President Moez Limayem that was sent out to the UNF community.
No staff members will have to leave UNF due to the closures as they will be assigned to work in other departments.
FIU was the second to disband its DEI program on Jan. 31. The school’s webpage for DEI now has an updated message letting people know the program has been eliminated.
“In keeping with State of Florida legislation, the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been eliminated,” the school’s webpage states. “FIU remains committed to cultivating an environment of accessibility and equal opportunity, where all are welcomed to learn, earn, and thrive.”
It continues, “Programs, compliance requirements, and equal opportunity initiatives protected by federal and state obligations pertaining to accessibility, civil rights compliance, and equal opportunity will transition to and continue within the Division of Human Resources, with operational support by the Department of Access, Compliance, and Equal Opportunity.”
Florida’s Board of Governors defined DEI as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”
On March 1, UF eliminated 13 full-time positions related to DEI and its office. The university announced it halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors in a memo published March 1.
Employees fired will receive 12 weeks of severance pay, during which they are “allowed and encouraged” to apply for different UF positions. The university will “fast-track” the interview process for these employees and answer their applications within the 12-week window, which ends April 19.
Giancarlo Rodriguez, senior political science major at UF, says he was shocked to see the drastic move but he wasn’t surprised. He says seeing the changes happen in other schools gives him a bad feeling.
“DeSantis and Tallahassee took the extreme route in just getting rid of it completely and not trying to find maybe something that could work better for everyone,” Rodriguez says. “It’s just very sad because Florida is a very diverse state and our college system is very diverse as well.”
Rodriguez says that it might not seem drastic to some people, but it is. He says DeSantis is purposely dismantling the DEI programs slowly so it will not shock people.
“Now when something drastic, like firing the DEI programs and not coming up with an alternative solution, I feel like some people might be like, ‘they’ve been doing this in Florida, no big deal’,” Rodriguez says. “I feel like it’s starting to get normalized.”
The $5 million in funds previously allocated to DEI initiatives will be reallocated into a faculty recruitment fund managed by UF provost, according to the memo.
“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” DeSantis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to UF’s move. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”
As of March 13, FSU quietly dismantled it DEI office. The university changed title names and reclassified positions to give employees different roles, without laying anyone off.
A position at FSU formerly titled Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist has been repurposed and renamed as “Compliance Specialist.” The position now focuses on compliance and engagement since the DEI duties have been removed.
The University of South Florida still has its DEI office as of the time of publication. The Advisory Committees and Councils website for USF has changed with it no longer listing different departments like the Committee of Black Affairs and Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American. The site shows links to follow the guidance from the Board of Governors.
The university is still evaluating its programs to ensure compliance with the regulation, according to an email from Althea Johnson, Director of Media Relations at USF.
“The University of South Florida continues to evaluate programs and campus activities to ensure compliance with Senate Bill 266 and the recently approved Florida Board of Governors regulation,” Johnson said in an email to Watermark. “USF remains committed to providing access and opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds, creating a welcoming environment where everyone can experience a sense of belonging and offering resources that support the success of our students, faculty and staff.”
The Committee on Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at USF was contacted for comment, but as of the time of publication, no response had been received.
The University of Central Florida continues to have its DEI office as of the time of publication. UCF has DEI programs related to majors that are federally funded but its office, the Ginsburg Center for Inclusion and Community Engagement is donation funded.
Watermark reached out to the Assistant Vice President of the Ginsburg Center, Dr. Edwanna Andrews, to ask about the donation process and if anything could be affected.
Andrews said in an email to Watermark that she is not able to provide comment at this time.
Dr. Andrea I. Guzman, Vice President for Access and Community Engagement, was contacted for comment, but as of the time of publication, no response had been received.
Lance Lozano, member of the Asian Student Association at UCF, says he has connected with more people because of the organization. He says it’s unfortunate that the government won’t prioritize the importance of diversity.
“I feel like humans we really do need to realize that it is important to different backgrounds, and we do need perspective in our everyday lives,” Lozano says. “I think we are going backward in time, and we are really taking away a lot of opportunities for faculty as well in our campuses.”
The UCF Pride Faculty and Staff Association was contacted for comment, but as of the time of publication, no response had been received.
Kavita Sawh of the UCF Caribbean Faculty and Staff Association was contacted for comment, but as of the time of publication, no response had been received.
Student-run clubs from all Florida schools not receiving state funding will not be affected as long as it is self-funded by the students.
Florida was one of the first states to enact anti-DEI laws in 2023. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott followed with similar legislation and banned DEI offices at state colleges. Texas’ state law took effect Jan. 1 and eliminated DEI offices, diversity training and most activities based on race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Last year, due to the passing of Florida’s anti-DEI law, Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization working to develop and improve campus resources for LGBTQ+ college students, announced that no Florida universities would appear on its 2023 Best of the Best list.
“The bill effectively bans LGBTQ+ services,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride, at the time. “It just makes no sense why we would highlight a campus where the government is restricting, and in that way effectively banning, LGBTQ+ services.”
Daniel Downer, founder and executive director of The Bros in Convo Initiative, plans to focus on his work as a DEI practitioner fulltime once his time is done at The Bros in Convo Initiative. He says people need to resist the attacks on DEI in educational institutions.
Bros in Convo is a Black, queer-led grassroots organization that focuses on building community through education and empowering gay and queer individuals of color living in Central Florida, according to its website.
“I have found if DEI is embedded in your mission and your vision, it’s so hard to be able to uproot that,” Downer says. “I always encourage organizations, specifically in Florida, or businesses that are interested in DEI, to make it part of the fabric of your organization to the point where it is completely difficult to remove it.”
Most recently, the NAACP advised all current and prospective Black college athletes to rethink any decision to attend public colleges and universities in Florida.
“From racist voting policies, to unraveling reproductive freedoms and attempting to rewrite Black history, DeSantis has waged war on Black America,” wrote NAACP Board of Directors Chairman Leon Russell and President and CEO Derrick Johnson in the letter addressed to Charlie Baker, the head of the NCAA.
Statewide university and college students are anticipating the impact of DEI restrictions however, depending on school decisions, the fate of their DEI programs remains unclear.
